by logisticsplus | Mar 2, 2022 | News
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only driven up supply chain costs, but it’s also endangered colleagues. Gretchen Blough, Customs Brokerage Manager at Logistics Plus, makes another appearance on Marketplace, Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, to describe what she’s been dealing with in the logistics industry.
You can listen to the complete “The Russian Invasion of Ukraine is Rippling Through the Customs Business” podcast below. To read the online manuscript, click the link.
Marketplace® is a nonprofit news organization on a mission to raise the economic intelligence of the country. For more than 30 years, they have helped people become smarter about the economic forces that touch their daily lives through the unorthodox story, the casual conversation, and the unexpected angle on the news.
by logisticsplus | Mar 2, 2022 | News
Logistics Plus is much more than a leading worldwide provider of transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, global logistics, business intelligence, technology, and supply chain solutions. We manage Global Logistics + So Much More. How do we even begin to describe our various services and solutions with so many capabilities? One way is around these four broad categories:
Logistics Plus is a leading manager of LTL (less-than-truckload) freight services, including standard, guaranteed, and volume options, and truckload and expedited freight brokerage services, including dry van and flatbed equipment options.
- Standard Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)
- Volume, Guaranteed & Expedited
- Trade Shows & Events
- Dry Van, Flat Bed & Refrigerated Truckload
- Expedited & Exclusive Use
- Cross-Border U.S. / Canada / Mexico
- Parcel & Small Package
- Rail & Intermodal
- Domestic Air & Ocean
- Freight Audit & Payment
- Freight Claims Management
- eShipPlus™ & MyLogisticsPlus™ Transportation
- Management System (TMS)
- MyFreightTrends™ Dashboards & Analytics
Logistics Plus is a leading international freight forwarder, global trade compliance manager, and award-winning project cargo company.
- Import & Export Services
- Air Freight Forwarding & Air Charters
- Ocean Freight Forwarding (FCL & LCL)
- Hand Carry Services
- Break Bulk & Heavy-Lift Project Cargo
- Over Dimensional, Oversized & OOG
- Customs Clearance & Trade Compliance
- Licensed Customs Brokerage
- Remote Location Filing (RLF)
- Compliance Consulting & Training
- Free Trade Agreement Compliance & Audits
- Importer of Record (IOR) & Exporter of Record (EOR)
- Amazon International Shipping
- eWorldPlus™ & MyLogisticsPlus™ Cargo Management Tools
Logistics Plus is a top dry storage warehousing firm, with nearly 3 million square feet across North America, with additional facilities worldwide. Our final-mile installation capabilities provide turnkey solutions for FF&E, OS&E, and IT infrastructure industries.
- Inbound & Outbound Turnkey Process
- Inventory Management
- Pick, Pack & Ship
- Order Entry & Reporting
- Call Center & Returns Management
- Amazon Prep & Storage
- FBA & FBM Services
- Final Mile Deliveries & Installations
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Logistics Plus is a leading 3.5PL™ and 4PL company and an experienced provider of dedicated logistics, supply chain management, and technology solutions. Our global supply chain control towers, business intelligence tools, and shipment visibility applications make us a technology company as much as we are a logistics provider.
- 4PL & Supply Chain Consulting
- Dedicated On-Site Resources
- Global Sourcing & Procurement
- Total Claims Management
- LP FAS™ Freight Audit & Payment Solutions
- Shippers’ Interest Cargo Insurance
- Linguistics & Translation Services
- Global Supply Chain Control Towers
- Mobile App for Warehousing & Tracking
- MyLogisticsPlus™ Global Dashboards & Business Intelligence
- Industry-Specific Solutions:
- Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
- Alcohol & Spirits
- Chemicals & Refining
- Energy, Solar & Fuel
- Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FFE)
- Financial Services, Data Servers & Technology
- PPE, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
- Retail & Distribution
- Startups, Emerging Companies & More!
We are a 21st Century Logistics Company™. With our trademark Passion for Excellence™, we put the + in logistics by doing the big things properly, plus the countless little things that ensure complete satisfaction and success. Are you interested in learning more? Contact us today!
by logisticsplus | Mar 1, 2022 | News
We here at Logistics Plus (LP) and most of the rest of the world are incredibly concerned and heartbroken with what is going on in Ukraine right now. This all hits close to home for us since we have over 50 employees in Ukraine, most of them under the age of 35. A few of our employees have gotten out and gone to Romania or Poland, but most don’t want to leave or can’t leave. Many want to fight or stay with their families.
As a show of our support, Logistics Plus has set up a fundraising website to raise money for food, lodging, and whatever is needed to help our employees and their families. Our owner & CEO, Jim Berlin, has seeded this fund with $500,000, and the goal was to raise another $50,000 or more. We are happy to report the response has been phenomenal, and we’re already over that goal, but our friends in Ukraine will need more.
We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for our Ukraine team, and we are thankful to everyone around the world who has offered money, accommodations, and prayers. You can donate to the fund and read updates on the situation here: https://lpukrainerelief.com/.
THANK YOU!
90-Second WPSE Radio Clip
All of us at Logistics Plus appreciate the support we have received from employees, partners, customers, vendors, and friends worldwide. It truly means the world to us. Logistics Plus would also like to thank the various news outlets and businesses that have shared our story, helping us raise additional money for the fund.
You can view some of the media coverage for this story using the links below.
YourErie: Some Logistics Plus Employees to Relocate Out of Ukraine
GoErie: Erie-based Logistics Plus donates $500,000 to aid employees in Ukraine, is raising more
DC Velocity: Press Release Coveage
Erie News Now: Logistics Plus Raises Money For Employees in Ukraine
Erie News Now: Local business impacted by Russian attack on Ukraine
YourErie: How will the Russian invasion impact us in PA?
by logisticsplus | Feb 28, 2022 | News
A recent article published in Logistics Management magazine and online at Supply Chain Management Review, written by Sara Banks from Accenture, suggests a strong collaboration between 3PLs and shippers can help to bring innovative solutions that will benefit both in the future. You can read the full article here: Time For Shippers & 3PLs to Innovate Together.
Accenture’s research shows four capabilities shippers want from logistics companies. They are presented here with a note under each regarding Logistics Plus.
End-to-end services. Shippers are looking for a one-stop shop for all logistics services. This means that, beyond basic logistics, they want a trusted logistics provider that delivers new services such as advisory and supply chain consulting services, analytics capabilities, e-commerce channel management capabilities, and even algorithms that match demand and supply.
Logistics Plus has evolved by both necessity and design over the past 25 years. As a company known for saying YES, not NO, to unique supply chain challenges, we’ve developed a network of solutions that span the entire supply chain, from procurement to warehousing to final mile delivery. We call this Global Logistics + So Much More. With our 3.5PL and 4PL solutions, we strive to provide the end-to-end services our customers require so that they can remain focused on what they do best: making and selling great products.
- Better experiences. Shippers want a logistics partner that knows their business and will work with them to overcome challenges by bringing in customer-centric solutions. Our research revealed the need for 3PLs to build service consistency, flexibility, and responsiveness to create more satisfying customer experiences.
We are hardly perfect, but there is one trait that shippers can expect when they work with Logistics Plus: a contagious passion for excellence. It’s that passion that has enabled Logistics Plus to earn numerous service and workplace awards and to have positive word-of-mouth referrals that have supported our continuous growth. It may seem like a small thing, but every one of our employees is provided a mobile phone with the expectation that our customers need and deserve flexible, 24/7/365 support. The freight never stops moving.
- Proactive, data-driven insights. Shippers are eager to partner with 3PLs that have data and analytics capabilities to provide visibility and insights to help them make better supply chain decisions. For example, digital twin capabilities that tap into data to simulate supply chain impacts will help 3PLs guide shippers in decisions with more certainty.
We like to point out that today, Logistics Plus is as much a technology company as a logistics company. And that is not by accident. The demands of our customers have driven us to make substantial investments in technology and business intelligence applications. Our global supply chain control towers and business intelligence tools are world-class. We know that information and insights are just as critical in today’s supply chain as are shipments and freight.
- Purpose aligned to their values. Increasingly, shippers are choosing to work with businesses that are more integrated with theirs and share their values. For example, in the logistics space, sustainability is a key issue and becoming a “must-have” requirement for all players.
Shippers looking to align themselves with a 3Pl focused on employee diversity and environmental sustainability will find that Logistics Plus shares those same values. The 50 country flags that fly on top of our global headquarters, each representing the nationality of one of our employees, showcase our celebration of diversity. The fact that we were the first global 3PL to receive Plastic Neutrality Certification for offsetting 19 tonnes of plastic use in 2020 is a testament to our commitment to making the world a better place.
The notes above are just a few thoughts regarding these four capability areas that are important to shippers. Logistics Plus is ready and willing to work collaboratively with shippers to create value and share in the benefits. Contact us to learn more.
by logisticsplus | Feb 25, 2022 | News
Logistics Plus (LP) is pleased to announce that the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (Florida DBPR) has granted a license to its Miami, Florida warehouse for the public storage of alcoholic beverages and spirits.
Within the past year, a new company division, called LP Spirits™, has focused on growing the company’s alcohol and spirits warehousing and logistics needs. The Miami warehouse joins the Logistics Plus Chino, CA, Chicago, IL, and Erie, PA warehouses as locations that can legally store and distribute alcohol. The Logistics Plus Dayton, NJ warehouse is currently pending its license.
Logistics Plus Miami Branch Manager Oscar Cabrales is very excited about the opportunity this brings. “Alcohol and spirit warehousing and distribution can be quite tricky. I’m excited that we can join other Logistics Plus warehouses across the country by being able to offer this service. On top of warehousing the alcohol, we can provide valuable importation, compliance, and distribution solutions.”
Please contact miami@logisticsplus.com for additional information.
by logisticsplus | Feb 23, 2022 | News
Over a seven-week time frame, Logistics Plus employees Oleh Lykholat and Mykhailo Kostyshyn traveled around Europe to fix equipment and complete installs for a high-profile client. Nineteen flights, nine airports, six cars, two trains, and one metro later, Oleh and Mykhailo finished their journey. The story below, provided by Oleh, is a recap of their travels, jobs, and time spent working at various job sites in Europe.
Background Information
This was our first business trip with Logistics Plus. Our journey started on December 8th and finished on January 28th. We each had three brief home visits during that span. In total, we traveled and worked for fifty-two days and made it to four countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, and France). We were technically in Poland and Turkey as well, but only at the airports.
Traveling Across Europe
Generally, we had very few issues during our travels. The two of us are fully vaccinated, which made everything go pretty smoothly. Our closest situation was the Istanbul airport. Our flight from L’viv to Istanbul arrived fifty minutes later than expected, leaving us twenty minutes to board our next plane to Madrid. Just like Murphy’s law, our next gate was on the opposite side of the airport. Keep in mind that this is one of the three largest airports in Europe. The two of us were forced to run across the airport, but it turned out that they had already finished boarding the plane. After a little bit of persuasion, the gate attendant allowed us on last-minute. Another thing we were lucky with was the date we were in Italy (December 15th). A week after leaving, Italy banned travel for all Ukrainian citizens due to Covid.
Installs & Job-Sites
Over the seven-week journey, we completed two installs from start to finish. One was in Germany, and the other was in Zaragoza, Spain. We spent most of our time working at different job sites where we had to fix equipment for our client. Typically, we worked ten hours on-site, but then another three hours once we got back to the hotel. Our nights at the hotel were spent cutting, stripping, and crimping materials we needed for the next workday. The longest day I remember was when we arrived in Spain late in the evening after a full day of travel and had to begin preparation right away. We only got three hours of sleep that night before heading to the job site in the morning. Overall, we reworked 220 items, manually crimped 11,000 terminals, and used 1,400 meters of wire.
Sightseeing
We tried to see as much as possible during our hectic travel and work schedule. We didn’t have time for everything due to how often we had to move to our next city. We found time to take quick walks in the prominent locations, though. We saw the statue of Jeanne d’Arc, the Eiffel Tower, and so much more. Berlin, Milan, Orleans, Paris, and Madrid were all beautiful cities. My favorite spots were two small historical towns: Orleans, France, and Toledo, Spain (you can scroll through their photos at the bottom of this page or on the Logistics Plus Flickr Page).
Overall Experience
As we reflect on our journey across Europe, only the good moments remain in our memory. Overall, we had a great time and got everything done that we needed to. It was a successful seven weeks, but I wouldn’t say we are itching to get back on the road right away 🙂
After sharing the details of their experiences and travels, Oleh and Mykhailo wanted to emphasize that their success wouldn’t be possible without the help of others. Oleh said, “We were never alone. The whole trip, we had support from our teams around the world. Brian, Ben, Volodymyr, Michel, and Michal were big parts of these projects. A big thanks to all of them and the entire LP team!”
(Click the right and left arrows above to move through the slideshow)
