It’s demanding to manage a warehouse, distribution, plant floor, manufacturing or order processing facility.
There are time constraints, labor shortages, long hours, and demands from both customers and management. The phone rings a lot with all kinds of issues. For warehouse managers, today’s age of rapid e-commerce order fulfillment, rising customer expectations, new technologies and regulatory issues have made the job more complex than ever. What specific skill sets should you cultivate as a manager?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Warehouse Management, career, dc manager, distribution management
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
When a prospective client wants to visit your 3PL facility, it’s critical; you could be on the verge of new business.
You want to show them why they should select you as their 3PL of choice; that you’re the best choice; that you can be trusted to help them serve their clients. It’s no easy task running a successful warehouse or third-party logistics company – it’s a multi-faceted organization with its own specific attributes and specialties.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: warehouse, Third Party Logistics, warehouse flow, ecommerce, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, 3PL, lean warehousing
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Logistics pros are a lot like the offensive line on a football team: at their best, you know they are doing a great job, but their numbers never get called by television announcers. When they do talk line, it’s usually because someone committed a penalty or allowed a blitzing safety in for a sack. When the quarterback isn’t pressured and there are great running lanes, the line rarely gets mentioned. It’s kind of the same for 3PLs.
The goal of your 3PL should be to avoid those issues and remain unseen and unremarked on by end users.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Warehouse Management, 3PL, lean warehousing, warehouse, warehouse productivity, Third Party Logistics, warehouse flow
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
E-commerce customers are increasingly comfortable with a buying experience that includes easy, free and frequent returns. Returns—and the issues involved with them—are nothing new for retail and e-commerce distribution. The “new normal” of frequent returns offers 3PLs that can leverage their reverse logistics capacity a significant competitive advantage over competitors who can’t adapt to the new reality.
While some companies consider reverse logistics a necessary evil, those with well-managed returns programs can increase overall efficiency and profitability while satisfying customers and increasing loyalty. They find ways to resell more returned products, and can dispose of or restock what they can’t resell more efficiently and with less environmental impact.
What are some ways to increase your returns capacity?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3PL, logistics, warehouse, inventory control, warehouse productivity, Third Party Logistics, inventory, Warehouse Management, warehousing
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
You’ve heard this pitch before: If you just implement this software, or that machinery, or hire my consultant, or buy into this other program, you’ll realize amazing gains. You’ll be more productive; more accurate; you’ll work less hours. Things will be great.
You may really need to expand your facility, or install expensive new WMS software or add high levels of automation, but it’s always worth checking on process or facility layout changes before you take the plunge. What are some areas you should consider?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Third Party Logistics, KPI, warehouse performance, Process Management, ecommerce, 3PL, distribution systems
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
It’s a good time to be in the third party logistics business. 3PLs are in demand with no end in sight as the warehousing industry copes with higher volumes, increasing e-commerce demands and challenging customer expectations.
This gives 3PL operators with a unique opportunity to build lasting relationships with key customers, suppliers, and retailers of their choice. However, this can also lead to an increased demand for quality service from warehouses and fulfillment centers. In order for 3PLs to succeed in this new environment, they must be ready to face increasing levels of customer and prospect expectations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3PL, logistics, Supply Chain, distribution center, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, ecommerce, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
In Logistics Management Magazine’s 2017 Warehouse/DC survey, there isn’t a lot that will surprise people on the front line of order fulfillment, storage, logistics and distribution management. As it has been for a while, e-commerce is driving the train, and its effects cascade into the rest of the business. Â What are the major takeaways?
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
The biggest measure of success for a 3PL company – really, for any business – is the ability to retain existing customers while attracting new clients. We all know it’s harder to attract new customers than it is to keep existing clients from being enticed to try another 3PL competitor, so it’s smart to strive for ways to provide more value. By targeting increased attention to providing on-time information, improving customer service, and utilizing user-friendly technology, your 3PL can help prevent existing customers from moving towards the competition.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: warehousing, 3PL, customer service, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, Retention, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Companies are utilizing 3PL services for their warehousing and shipping needs more often than ever. Many of the companies who choose to shift their operations to third parties are e-commerce entities that specialize in producing and selling a product and don’t want to run a storage and shipping facility. Others are traditional distributors, retailers, and others who believe that they should focus on core competencies.
If your company is considering a 3PL for its warehousing, shipping and logistics needs, what information do you need to have ready?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 3PL, logistics, warehouse storage, warehouse, ROI, Third Party Logistics, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Creating a lean warehouse or DC is not something a 3PL can accomplish overnight, but it’s something that can improve your efficiency, flexibility and ability to take on new business without expanding into new facilities or massively revamping existing ones.
It takes vision, planning, strategy, tools, foresight, patience and intelligent tactics. When your warehouse is lean, it will be easier to hold, inventory, and pull the most important goods. This helps you eliminate errors, increase throughput, and satisfy customers more comprehensively.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Third Party Logistics, 3PL, logistics, lean warehousing
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Read our customer reviews
