by logisticsplus | Aug 15, 2016 | News
How much do you spend on inbound freight shipping? Many companies don’t know how much they actually spend on inbound transportation. In most cases this is because they order their products “vendor prepaid” rather than “inbound collect” (see figure below). This means the supplier provides a combined price for the product – plus any related shipping and handling costs. In these cases, the supplier has no incentive to reduce transportation costs, avoid expediting freight, or source products from origins with lower transportation charges. On top of that, many companies don’t have visibility to inbound flows. That lack of visibility negatively impacts their ability to manage inventory, as well as costs.
By taking control of inbound freight shipping, businesses can separate product costs from freight shipping costs in order to gain more control. They can prevent suppliers from making a profit on freight (through the “prepaid-and-add” model), gain visibility to their freight shipments, reduce inventory, and see when shipments will arrive. When you control your inbound freight shipping, you’re also in a better position to reduce the number of carriers delivering your freight (which may help with dock congestion issues), and possibly even consolidate orders into larger shipments further reducing your transportation expenses.
Not sure where to start? Here is a quick, three-step process for getting control of your inbound shipping expenses:
- Look at one or two invoices from your major suppliers. See what dollar amount they allocate for “shipping and handling.”
- Compare your suppliers’ freight shipping rates with the rates you have in place with your preferred shipping provider. If you work with Logistics Plus, we can do the analysis for you.
- If you find your rates are lower, draw up a “routing letter” for your purchasing department to forward to your suppliers providing details on how you want your products shipped. If you work with Logistics Plus, you can request that all suppliers contact us directly to ensure your inbound shipments are routed in the most cost-effective manner.
If you’d like Logistics Plus to help you analyze your inbound transportation, or serve as your inbound routing center, please contact us and let our talented and caring logistics experts go to work helping you gain control of your inbound freight shipping. We provide affordable, award-winning managed-transportation solutions to both large and small businesses all around the world.
by logisticsplus | Aug 15, 2016 | News
Thank you to the employees and family members that helped us celebrate LP’s 20th anniversary this weekend at Peek’n Peak Resort. Click below to view a Flickr photo album for the event.
by logisticsplus | Aug 9, 2016 | News
Last week Logistics Management magazine unveiled the results of its 33rd Annual Quest for Quality Awards contest. To determine who wins the vote, Logistics Management readers evaluate companies in all modes and service disciplines, choosing the top performers in categories including motor carriers, railroad and intermodal services, ocean carriers, airlines, freight forwarders, ports, and third-party/contract logistics services.
Once again, many of our core national and regional less-than-truckload (LTL) freight carriers were on the ballot and many also won awards. We’d like to congratulate the following Logistics Plus LTL freight carriers for winning Quest for Quality awards this year:
- FedEx Freight (National and Multiregional LTL categories)
- XPO Logistics (National and Multiregional LTL categories)
- UPS Freight (National LTL category)
- A. Duie Pyle (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL and Expedited categories)
- Pitt Ohio (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL and Expedited categories)
- Ward Transport (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL category)
- New Penn (Northeast/Mid-Atlanta LTL category)
- Southeastern Freight Lines (South/South Central LTL category)
- Dayton Freight (Midwest/North Central LTL category)
- Holland (Midwest/North Central LTL category)
Competitive rates and services for all of the top LTL carriers are available to users of the Logistics Plus eShipPlus transportation management system.
Additionally, there were a number of truckload, expedited, ocean and air freight carriers that Logistics Plus has worked with in the past year that won Quest for Quality awards, including Miller Transporters, Prime, Ruan, Landstar, J.B. Hunt, Transport America, Panther Premium Logistics, and FedEx Custom Critical (truckload and expedited motor carriers); Matson, MSC, NYK Line, Maersk Line, OOCL, AAPL, Hapag-Lloyd, and Hyundai Merchant Marine (ocean carriers); and Cargolux, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA, and FedEx Express (airfreight carriers).
Shippers looking for competitive rates with the top freight carriers in the industry can click the button below to request a risk-free quote.
by logisticsplus | Aug 8, 2016 | News
Centrally located in the fourth largest metro area in the United States, the Logistics Plus Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) warehouse provides 180,000 square feet of prime storage space. Additionally, the facility is located on the 18,000-acre AllianceTexas development which is anchored by the Alliance Global Logistics Hub – one of the world’s premier inland ports. The Logistics Plus Southwest location offers shippers a strategic multi-modal transportation hub, including:
- Access to two Class 1 rail lines (BNSF and UP)
- Proximity to Fort Worth Alliance Airport – the world’s first industrial airport
Connections to Highway 35W from Mexico to Canada; Texas Highways 114 and 170; and regional sorting hubs for both FedEx and UPS- Fully activated general-purpose Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) space and services
- Triple Freeport Inventory Tax Exemption on goods that move in and out of Texas within a 175 day period
- Comprehensive inventory management and fulfillment solutions
- Pneumatic tire forklift with 62,000 lb. lifting capacity – the BIGGEST in N. Texas!
- Open space, high ceilings, and tall doors perfect for heavy-lift and big cargo
- Retail warehousing expertise with Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) and direct-to-customer solutions
- Secured facility with monitored cameras and alarms
- Bulk storage and racked storage
- Inventory control and warehouse management system (WMS) technology
- Recessed loading docks and grade level docks with inside and outside load/unload capabilities
- Comprehensive ground (LTL and truckload), rail, air, and ocean transportation services
If you’re interested in learning more about the Logistics Plus DFW warehouse, our comprehensive logistics solutions, and how to take full advantage of our Southwest hub, please email us at dallas@logisticsplus.com. You can also click the image below to view/download a copy of our Logistics Plus/AllianceTexas brochure.
by logisticsplus | Aug 2, 2016 | News
Logistics Plus was recently asked to participate in an online article focusing on branding. The author, Disha Dinesh, posed the following two questions to a number of industry professionals: “What are the two best ways for brands to boost their reach on social media?” and “Describe your experience in implementing them.” The complete article can be found on the DrumUp website by clicking the image below. Logistics Plus can be followed and liked on a number of social media platforms.
by logisticsplus | Aug 1, 2016 | News
The folks over at FitSmallBusiness recently posed the question “What’s your favorite sales quote?” to a number of successful entrepreneurs. Logistics Plus founder and CEO, Jim Berlin, was included in the article. Jim’s contribution, and the complete article, can be found on the FitSmallBusiness.com website by clicking the image below.
