by Scott Frederick | Oct 21, 2015 | News
As previously announced, Logistics Plus has a new Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) warehouse! It was an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to make the move; but the mission has been accomplished and the DFW warehouse is now fully operational (see slideshow below). The new facility has 180,000 square feet of storage space, an open floor plan, high ceilings and tall dock doors – all perfectly suited for heavy lift freight and cargo. Companies currently utilizing Logistics Plus warehousing and distribution services in the Dallas/Fort Worth area include GE Transportation, Komatsu America, Harbin Electric, and numerous others. We also have the single largest forklift in all of Dallas! Our fuel-efficient, pneumatic tire forklift weighs over 95,000 pounds and has the capacity to lift steel, equipment or machinery weighing up to 62,000 pounds!
by logisticsplus | Oct 21, 2015 | News
What are Foreign Trade Zones?
A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is a secured area, where both domestic and foreign commercial goods receive the same treatment by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as if it were outside the commerce of the United States. This means that merchandise may enter Foreign Trade Zones without a formal customs entry and payment of customs duties.
When were Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) created?
During the Great Depression, the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Act of 1934 created the FTZ program in attempts to expedite and encourage foreign commerce, and reduce costs for U.S.-based operations engaged in international trade.
Where are Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) located?
FTZs are generally located in an area in or adjacent to a United States port of entry, where they are supervised by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Every state currently maintains at least one FTZ, and some have many more. Today, there are more than 230 general purpose FTZs (those available to more than one company), and nearly 400 subzones (those designated for one company only), that operate in the United States.
Why should you use FTZs?
There are benefits to using Foreign Trade Zones, which include:
- Helping U.S. businesses become more competitive by deferring, reducing, and eliminating custom duties on goods entering FTZs.
- Allowing businesses to hold their goods in an FTZ for an indefinite amount of time, until they are either exported from the U.S. or entered into the U.S.
- Enabling companies to transfer goods within the U.S. to another FTZ (zone-to-zone transfer) and outside the United States, while also reducing manufacturing processing fees.
- Allowing companies to closely track their inventory, thus improving their compliance, inventory tracking, and quality control.
Who should you contact to find out more about FTZs?
Logistics Plus has an activated general-purpose FTZ in Erie, PA, and a soon-to-be-activated FTZ in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. If you have questions or would like to learn more about Foreign Trade Zones, feel free to contact either of these Logistics Plus FTZ experts:
by Scott Frederick | Oct 20, 2015 | News
Time and accuracy are both important when it comes to shipping. That’s why it’s important to provide correct and accurate information when requesting freight quotes for transportation services. If you’re shipping LTL, truckload, expedited, or international, here are some general guidelines to help ensure you receive a prompt and precise rate estimate from your freight broker or freight forwarder.
Know what you are shipping and be clear about it.
This seems obvious, but it is surprising how many people try to get freight quotes without providing specific details on what it is they’re shipping. The commodity type and description matter. Special rules apply to certain raw materials, or items that may be imported or exported. Household goods and used products have different limitations on insurance and which carriers have authority to handle the shipment. Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments have very complex and detailed freight classifications and density rules that may impact how your shipment is rated. So provide this detail up front if you can (in fact, if you already know your NMFC item number or your HTSUS code, go ahead and provide it in your quote request).
Know the size, weight and dimensions of your shipment.
Your shipment dimensions and weight should include whatever packaging is used to ship your goods, e.g., cartons, pallets, totes, etc. Having accurate weight and dimensions will avoid inspection and reweighing fees, and messy invoice corrections down the road. Weight and size are also particularly important for air freight shipments. Air freight prices are based on weight and size while ocean freight prices are generally just based on size.
Know where you are shipping to and from.
Again, this sounds obvious, but in the world of domestic freight shipping, it’s important for the carrier to know whether they are picking up at, or delivering to, a place of business or a residential location. Shipments to special locations, e.g., airports, container freight stations, convention centers, grocery warehouses, etc., may also require additional services or fees. When it comes to international shipping, your freight forwarder will need to know if your import or export is being shipped door to door, door to port, port to port, port to door. Being ready with addresses for the pickup and delivery locations is the best way to get the most accurate freight quote and service estimate.
Request your freight quote close to when you are shipping.
Transportation rates are very volatile with variables such as fuel costs, available capacity, and shipper demand. These variables are often not fully known until closer to your actual shipment date. Unless you’re a giant shipper like Walmart or Costco, you’re dealing with a constantly changing spot market for transportation rates. Even if you have negotiated LTL or truckload transportation rates, you will still be subject to weekly fuel price changes. As a rule of thumb, freight quotes for LTL or truckload shipments are generally good for about 7 days; whereas, freight quotes for air or ocean shipments are good for about 30 days.
If you’d like a free freight quote from the award-winning transportation and logistics team at Logistics Plus, simply click the button below. We provide quick, no-obligation freight quotes for LTL, truckload, expedited, international, project cargo, and more. Provide us with as much information as you can (the more the better), and we’ll take it from there!
by logisticsplus | Oct 16, 2015 | News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Logistics Plus Moves Into a New Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Warehouse
Announces the Hiring of Dawn Fritchie as its Warehouse Manager
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, October 16, 2015 – Logistics Plus Inc., a worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce it has moved its Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Texas warehouse to a new and improved facility located at 920 Westport Parkway, Haslet, TX 76177. The new facility will have 180,000 square feet of storage space – over double its previous location – and is well-suited to handle large, heavy equipment with a pneumatic tire forklift that has 62,000 pounds of lifting capacity.
In parallel with the move, Logistics Plus has hired Dawn Fritche as its new DFW Warehouse Manager. Dawn brings 25 years of supply chain management experience to the position. Most recently she was operations manager for the Tractor Supply Company, and prior to that she held numerous supply chain roles with J.C. Penney Company.
“We are very excited to have Dawn join us to run the DFW warehouse,” said Jim Berlin, founder and CEO for Logistics Plus. “This will be her baby, and I know she is working hard getting everything ready to go. We are so excited about the new facility and to have Dawn on the team!”
Logistics Plus is advising its current DFW warehouse customers and suppliers to use the new address for any shipments on or after October 20th. The move is also being made to better prepare the facility for Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) activation status. Earlier this week, Logistics Plus announced the activation of the general-purpose ERI FTZ warehouse in northwestern Pennsylvania.
To learn more about the Logistics Plus DFW Warehouse, please visit https://www.logisticsplus.com/DFW
About Logistics Plus (LP)
Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Founded in Erie, PA by local entrepreneur, Jim Berlin, 20 years ago, Logistics Plus has been repeatedly recognized as one of the fastest-growing transportation and logistics companies in the country. With a strong passion for excellence, its 350+ employees put the “Plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, and the countless little things, that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
The Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Fresno, CA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Evansville, IN; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Laredo, TX; Houston, TX; Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Libya; Mexico; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Turkey; UAE; United Kingdom; and additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Scott G. Frederick
Vice President, Marketing
Logistics Plus Inc.
(814) 240-6881
scott.frederick@logisticsplus.com
by Scott Frederick | Oct 13, 2015 | News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Logistics Plus Partners with Erie International Airport and Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority to Activate New FOREIGN TRADE ZONE
The ERI FTZ will provide regional businesses deferred, potentially reduced or eliminated, Customs duties, and reduced door-to-door transportation expenses.
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, October 14, 2015 – Logistics Plus Inc., a worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, announced today that it has added a new and significant cost and time savings option to its portfolio of available client services: the implementation and use of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) protocols.
Since 1934, and all across America, U.S. Foreign Trade Zones have proven to be enormously successful examples of ‘public-private partnerships’; wherein regionally-focused public agencies support and coordinate their efforts with businesses to foster opportunities to increase job creation, expand capital investment, and expedite economic development by facilitating global trade.
The new general purpose ERI Foreign Trade Zone (ERI FTZ) warehousing and distribution facility is located on Tom Ridge Field at Erie International Airport (ERI); and was accomplished in close cooperation with ERI, and the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (Port Erie), the Grantee of Foreign Trade Zone #247.
To introduce and celebrate the launch of the activated ERI FTZ, there will be a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3837 West 20th Street (the former Penn-Brass building) in Erie, PA on October, 22nd, at 3:30 pm. Immediately following the ceremony, Logistics Plus will host an informational reception at The Brewerie at Union Station, located directly below its 1406 Peach Street global headquarters. Leaders from regional businesses that already are, or intend to be, actively involved in world trade, are invited to attend.
Port Erie and ERI filed applications and received grants of authority for Foreign Trade Zone status from the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board in Washington. Under a contractual agreement with ERI, Logistics Plus filed and secured activated status for the site from Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and will operate FTZ warehousing and distribution facilities on the airport property.
“We’re very excited about this new partnership with Erie International Airport and Port Erie, and the long-term economic development prospects it provides to the Erie area,” said Jim Berlin, founder and CEO of Logistics Plus. “Erie International Airport has a great location and facility, while Logistics Plus has the knowledge, experience, equipment, software, and expertise to make this FTZ partnership very successful.”
Thousands of U.S. businesses have discovered that Foreign Trade Zone utilization can prove to be an incredibly effective tool to help develop new markets while systemically increasing profitability from both their existing operations and international trade relationships. CBP has declared FTZs to be the best practice for compliant management of global supply chains, coordinated logistics, and integrated manufacturing operations. FTZs enable importers and exporters to consistently benefit from this CBP-privileged status; offering duty savings, reduced transportation and insurance costs, and the flexibility to do in America, what is too often done off-shore. This includes packaging, kits, labeling, sorting, assembling, processing or manufacturing. If the finished products are exported from an FTZ, the original Customs duties are reduced ($79B in CY 2013).
“I am impressed with how quickly Logistics Plus was able to get this public-use foreign trade zone activated and business-ready,” said Christopher L. Rogers, Executive Director at Erie International Airport. “Combined with our recently extended runway and other economic projects, Erie International Airport has expanded beyond passenger-only transportation – we are also a capable hub for air cargo and global commerce.”
To learn more about the ERI FTZ powered by Logistics Plus, please visit www.logisticsplus.com/ERI-FTZ
About Erie International Airport (ERI)
Erie International Airport, Tom Ridge Field is managed and operated by the Erie Regional Airport Authority. It is served by three major airlines: Delta, United, and American with nonstop flights to three major cities and connections to over 1,100 different destinations. North Coast Air, located on the west side of the airport offers the region’s best in FBO services including fuel and aircraft maintenance. Also located at ERI, the North Coast Flight School is the only FAA fully approved flight training center serving the greater Erie area. The Erie Regional Airport Authority is a Pennsylvania Municipal Corporation established in 1951 under the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Act No. 164, for the purpose of acquiring, holding, constructing, improving, maintaining, and operating, owning, leasing, and providing financing for the airport and all facilities necessary or incident thereto. Learn more at www.erieairport.org
About Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (Port of Erie)
The Port of Erie is located on the southeast shore of Lake Erie in a natural bay formed and sheltered by Presque Isle, Pennsylvania. Erie´s harbor entrance channel is 29 feet deep. The Port of Erie and O-N Minerals Erie offer cargo shippers on the Great Lakes/Seaway System the finest facilities available. With 85 million people within a 500 mile radius, Port Erie is at the hub of the US and Canadian Industrial Center. Learn more at www.porterie.org
About Logistics Plus (LP)
Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Founded in Erie, PA by local entrepreneur Jim Berlin 20 years ago, Logistics Plus has been repeatedly recognized as one of the fastest-growing transportation and logistics companies in the country. With a strong passion for excellence, its 350+ employees put the “Plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, and the countless little things, that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
The Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Fresno, CA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Evansville, IN; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Laredo, TX; Houston, TX; Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Libya; Mexico; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Turkey; UAE; United Kingdom; and additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Scott G. Frederick
Vice President, Marketing
Logistics Plus Inc.
(814) 240-6881
scott.frederick@logisticsplus.com
by logisticsplus | Oct 13, 2015 | News
Logistics Plus is your global headquarters for freight forwarding and project cargo expertise! Other companies may claim to have expertise handling project cargo, but we’ll put our 20 years of project cargo experience up against anyone. Project cargo, also called project forwarding or project logistics is a specialized field of transportation and logistics that requires specific expertise, knowledge, and resources. Project cargo can often be large, unique, oversize, heavy-lift, or breakbulk shipments. Project cargo can also be managing a large volume of freight shipments within a specified time frame or by specific delivery date.
Logistics Plus has extensive project cargo expertise in handling, lifting, and transporting the most difficult of cargo across many industries. We’ve managed projects involving locomotives, windmills, satellites, solar panels, gas pipes, boilers, generators, LNG tanks, pumps, helicopters, machinery, tractors, ship blocks, aviation components, and more. And we’ve done so in countries all around the world, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Belgium, Germany, Finland, China, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Libya, to name just a few. The following photo gallery provides some great examples of the many cargo projects our team has handled over the past couple of years.
When you work with Logistics Plus, you can enjoy the peace-of-mind knowing that you’re working with an experienced project cargo logistics company that has a reputation for managing projects from start until finish – and everything in between. Our project cargo services include all of the following options:
Planning and scheduling- Crating and packaging
- Breakbulk preparation
- Specialized equipment for loading and unloading
- On-site management and inspection
- Proactive tracking and monitoring
- Air, ocean, ground, and rail transport services
- Vendor management and logistics consultation
- Customs brokerage and global trade compliance
The secrets to our project cargo success are as follows:
- Talented, experienced, and caring logistics professionals
- Our global network of people, locations, and resources
- Cargo visibility and responsiveness to potential problems
- Award-winning service and market-competitive rates
- World-class technology and transportation management tools
If you’re interested in learning more, click the image below to visit us online to see how we manage project cargo or to request a no-obligation project cargo quotation. You can also contact our Project Cargo Division directly by calling 1.866.564.7587 option 5 or by sending an email to projectcargo@logisticsplus.com.
