Logistics Plus Founder and CEO Jim Berlin was featured on the weekly Business Spotlight program from WPSE AM 1450/FM 107.1 Radio. Business Spotlight is a 30-minute program airing Fridays at noon. Each segment focuses on a business or organization that is making an impact across the region.
In this segment, Jim gives a year-end recap as 2021 comes to a close, talks about the company’s growth, current supply chain challenges, and more. You can listen to a replay of the interview on the Logistics Plus Podcasts page or by clicking the audio link below.
Logistics Plus Named to Inc.’s 2021 Best in Business List
in the Logistics & Transportation Category
2nd annual list recognizes 196 private companies that put purpose before profit.
ERIE, PA (December 7, 2021) – Logistics Plus Inc. (LP), a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics, and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce it has been named to the Inc. 2021 Best in Business list. Logistics Plus was one of only four companies honored in the Logistics & Transportation category. Inc.’s Best in Business Awards honor companies that have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact.
The list, which can be found in the Winter issue of Inc. magazine (on newsstands December 14), recognizes small- and medium-size privately held American businesses that have had an outstanding influence on their communities, their industries, the environment, or society as a whole.
Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc., says, “What began for us during the pandemic as an effort to showcase companies that were helping the community has grown into a recognition of social, environmental, and economic impact. The companies on this year’s list are changemakers with heart – and they’re pouring the best of their business into the people and communities around them.”
Rather than relying on quantitative criteria tied to sales or funding, Inc.’s editors reviewed the companies’ achievements over the past year and noted how they made a positive difference in the world. They then selected honorees in more than 49 different industries – from finance to software to engineering to fashion, and more – and in age-based and revenue-based categories. The applicant pool was extremely competitive, with around 2,700 entries and an acceptance rate in the low single digits – a huge success for these honors in the list’s second year.
“I am proud of our people and how they continue to adapt and grow in this challenging environment,” said Jim Berlin, Founder & CEO of Logistics Plus. “Doing the right thing with a passion for excellence has always been a part of our culture. Supplying PPE to organizations around the world during the onset of COVID, becoming one of the first 3PLs to attain plastic neutrality, investing in inner-city development – these are all important ways we can make a positive impact. I believe in Karma, and what comes around goes around. So, it’s an honor to receive an acknowledgment from the Inc. editorial staff that what we are doing is making a difference.”
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across various channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the Inc. 5000 allows these founders a chance to engage with their peers in an exclusive community with the credibility to help drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.
About Logistics Plus Inc.
Logistics Plus Inc. is a 21st-century logistics company that provides freight transportation, Warehousing, fulfillment, global logistics, business intelligence, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. The company was founded 25 years ago in Erie, PA, by local entrepreneur Jim Berlin. Today, Logistics Plus is a highly regarded, fast-growing, and award-winning transportation and logistics company. With its trademark Passion For Excellence™, Logistics Plus employees put the “plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, plus the countless little things that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
The Logistics Plus® network includes offices, warehouses, and agents located in Erie, PA; Aurora, CO; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Chino, CA; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Dayton, NJ; Des Moines, IA; Fort Worth, TX; Haslet TX; Houston, TX; Laredo, TX; Lexington, NC; Los Angeles, CA; Melbourne, FL; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Olean, NY; San Francisco, CA; Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Colombia; Czech Republic; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Libya; Mexico; Netherlands; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Taiwan; Turkey; UAE; Uganda; Ukraine; the United Kingdom and Vietnam; with additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
Logistics Plus has a new introductory video focusing on its Logistics Plus International Division (LPI) global logistics solutions. The 3:30-minute video, shown below, can also be viewed on the Logistics Plus YouTube Channel or on the Videos menu of the Logistics Plus website.
Ready for an international quote? If you have any questions, feel free to contact us with any global supply chain challenge!
The Logistics Plus (LP) Indonesia team continues to deliver MRI equipment and accessories for an industry-leading healthcare manufacturer. The team recently transported three MRI machines and will handle another two units by the end of this year. The ongoing project includes staging the MRI machines at our warehouse upon arrival from the factory, delivering them to a designated hospital using our air ride truck, unloading the machines, and moving them to specific rooms for installation.
(Side note: only five companies in Indonesia own air ride trucks, one of them being Logistics Plus)
The LP Indonesia team must follow a strict schedule for this project so that normal hospital activities aren’t interrupted. This mainly involves working through the night or on specific days when the hospital is not as crowded. Logistics Plus Indonesia President Director Wahyu Jatmiko commented on the project. “I’m so proud of how hard our team has worked on this project. We have a lot of experience handling these large machines, and I think it shows.”
Anyone involved in domestic transportation now knows all too well that freight rates have been skyrocketing to historic levels. According to Transportation and Warehousing produce price indices tracked by the U.S. Federal Reserve, year-over-year industry-wide less-than-truckload prices have risen between 8-14% in recent months, and full truckload prices have risen between 20-30% (and diesel fuel prices are up 27% on top of that).
The message is clear, reducing overall supply chain costs right now will be a significant challenge. In fact, in the 30th Annual Study of Logistics and Transportation Trends published in the September 2021 issue of Logistics Management, only 8.2% of shippers surveyed feel that reducing costs is a primary objective right now. That compares with 21.8% in 2020 and 29.8% in 2019. What are the new primary objectives? 20.5% say maximizing asset utilization, 35.6% say increasing customer satisfaction, and 35.6% say maximizing profitability are all now higher primary objectives.
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So how can shippers try to offset these rate increases as they look to maximize profitability over the coming months and year? Here are some tips from your friends at Logistics Plus:
Ship larger shipments less often. Even with truckload rates at all-time highs, a larger load of the product will generally ship more cost-effectively than multiple smaller loads.
Consolidate orders where possible to reduce unnecessary freight charges (the Logistics Plus Business Intelligence department can review your historical data to see about potential recommendations).
Utilize the Logistics Plus North American Division (NAD) to help spot quote some of your larger shipments. Sometimes shipments over five pallets or 5,000 pounds (as a guideline) can be spot quoted for less money if it moves in a desirable backhaul lane for a carrier.
Utilize regional warehousing to optimize/balance inventory to be as close to final customers as possible (Logistics Plus has multiple warehouses located across the United States).
Improve BOL accuracy to minimize re-weigh, re-class, and inspection fees (carriers are getting punitive on inaccurate bills of lading).
Improve order accuracy to minimize re-consignments and re-deliveries (don’t ship a shipment any more than you have to).
Consider implementing a “prepaid and add” program (if you haven’t already) to mark up your freight costs by X% and pass that on to your customers/vendors to help offset your freight costs.
Implement a freight invoice consolidation, auditing, and payment program to gain further visibility and insights into your freight spend and maximize recovery of refundable monies (e.g., guaranteed failures, orders paid but not tendered, address corrections, etc.).
Want to explore these and other ideas? Contact Logistics Plus, and let’s talk.
U.S. Holiday schedules for Logistics Plus and ground carriers
As the year-end holidays approach, we want to help you avoid any unnecessary shipping delays over the next several weeks. Shown below is the holiday schedule for U.S.-based Logistics Plus offices and warehouse locations, as well as the top U.S. ground (parcel and LTL) carriers.
If you have any transportation needs or expedited shipping requests, please contact Logistics Plus in advance of the office closings noted below. You can also reach out to our North American Division (NAD) by calling 1.866.335.7623 or emailing nadops@logisticsplus.com.
(Click the image to see a larger version.)
Do you have any last-minute questions or concerns? Let us know how we can help!
Logistics Plus Founder and CEO Jim Berlin was featured on the weekly Business Spotlight program from WPSE AM 1450/FM 107.1 Radio. Business Spotlight is a 30-minute program airing Fridays at noon. Each segment focuses on a business or organization that is making an impact across the region.
Logistics Plus Inc. is 
U.S. Holiday schedules for Logistics Plus and ground carriers
