by logisticsplus | Oct 25, 2018 | News
Whether it’s due to cost, delivery time, or increased business opportunities, rethinking your shipping network may be more important than ever. Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” approach to creating an optimal shipping network. For one industry, it may be crucial to have strategically placed warehouses across the country. In another industry, it may be more important to deliver products timely across the country. Having an out of date shipping network may be holding back the growth of your business. Follow these tips to help optimize your shipping network today.
Create a Strategy
To create a successful shipping network, you must plan, build, and optimize a strategy that best fits your needs. Begin by doing an analysis of your business to determine what is most important to your customers. Would they rather receive packages quicker or get the cheapest shipping rates? Regardless, every shipping network strategy should aim to accomplish two goals:
1.) Decrease the time customers wait for their orders.
2.) Lower your cost per order.
Choose Warehousing Locations
When optimizing a shipping network, location is crucial. Certain areas across the U.S. such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago have become hotbeds for distribution because of their proximity to large parts of the population. Having multiple distribution centers and available warehousing across the country can be a huge benefit for businesses and can help decrease transit times and costs. Have a clear idea of where your customers are located and base your warehousing and distribution strategy on those locations. Having optimal warehouse locations is an important key to a successful shipping network.
Implement Technology Solutions
During the planning stages, business intelligence tools can help model an optimal distribution strategy. After a network has been implemented, a transportation management system (TMS) can be a valuable and time-saving asset for any shipping network. A TMS can give you the best quotes, transit times, and service options to help deliveries and pickups become more efficient and accurate. Along with a TMS, an effective warehouse management system (WMS) allows real-time reporting for order confirmation, tracking activity, received shipments, and more. As technology continues to expand, more efficient and effective solutions for distribution networks are presented. Continuously updating technology is an easy way to keep up with the ever-changing shipping industry.
Look Towards the Future
As the transportation industry constantly changes, it’s important to stay up to date on current and future industry trends. With a severe driver shortage and the capacity crunch, transportation costs will rise significantly. As transportation costs rise, distribution networks will have to gradually expand closer to key market locations to reduce mileage and costs. There is currently a shortage of about 60,000 drivers this year, and it’s estimated that by 2026, the shortage may triple. Another factor of rising transportation costs is fuel cost volatility. Monitoring current and future freight trends is a great way to optimize your shipping network and stay ahead of competition.
Creating an optimized shipping network doesn’t just mean adding more warehouses, it can also mean removing some. It’s important to remember that all businesses have different needs and there is not just one correct way to optimize a shipping network. By creating a proper distribution strategy and implementing it, you can become more efficient while saving time and money.
by logisticsplus | Aug 16, 2018 | News
Today the Logistics Plus Ontario, CA Warehouse celebrated Safe and Sound Week with lunch, games, new LP safety shirts, and gift card prizes. Joe Pizano and Tyler Key did a great job organizing games and everyone seemed to have a good time. Here are some photos.
What Is Safe and Sound Week?
A nationwide event to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces. Learn more at www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek
by logisticsplus | Aug 8, 2018 | News
Is your business starting to grow so rapidly you feel like you can’t keep up with orders? At a certain point of growth, most companies are just simply unable to meet the demand of their customers. Today, more and more companies are turning to outsourced fulfillment and warehousing so they don’t have to worry about their growth being interrupted. Outsourced fulfillment and warehousing can add tremendous value to any business that wants to focus on growth and it might just be the secret step for your business’ long-lasting success.
What is this going to cost me? That’s the most common question asked by prospective clients. After asking the following 10 questions, we can then get into the numbers.
1.) How much space do you need?
2.) How many orders do you ship per month?
3.) How many items per order?
4.) How many SKU’s?
5.) Do you ship in boxes and envelopes or are the items ready for shipment as is?
6.) Are the items fragile?
7.) What type of void fill do you prefer?
8.) Where are your clients located?How many returns can we expect monthly?
9.) Do you need customer support?
10.) How will you transmit orders?
From those questions it is easy to put together a proposal, but is that really what you want? The better question should start off by asking: What do you want to accomplish by outsourcing your warehousing and fulfillment? You see, this question is the single most important factor in building a successful fulfillment program.
Speed – How quickly do you want your orders shipped? In today’s highly competitive marketplace, having your product in your customers hands before they have a chance to wonder where it’s at is critical. It’s one of the reasons they will re-order. Failure to ship it quickly can lead to increased customer service costs and lost future sales.
Accuracy – Often times, people say they only care about how fast a package gets delivered. Speed is important, but what if an order is incorrect? The client is upset, they email or call you, you or your employees have to research the error, ship the replacement, figure out a way to return the incorrect item, and communicate yet again with your sincerest apologies. The lost opportunity can cost loss of future sales, increased customer service costs, increased shipping costs, and potential loss of reputation. Being accurate is often times more important than being quick.
Scalability – Where will you store your inventory? Do you have room to grow? Are you paying for space you are not using? What is the cost of adding another employee? Do you lay off staff when sales are slow and hire on when sales volume increases? A fulfillment center gives you the flexibility your business needs.
Hassle – How often have you visited the USPS, FedEx or UPS websites? Have you ever tried to research the regulations for shipping internationally? How about the regulations for storing and shipping nutritional supplements? Lot or serial number tracking? Do you know what each carrier requires to file a claim? These are just a few of the things that companies like Logistics Plus keep track of. Reducing the headaches associated with storing and shipping your inventory must worth something, right?
Time – When you started your business, you dreamed of the freedom that it was going to give you. Now that your business has grown, your free time has become scarce. Perhaps you have been meaning to research your next product line or begin the next marketing campaign that is going to take your business to the next level. If only you had a bit more time to do these things and less time having to manage your inventory, pack boxes, and deal with employee issues. A fulfillment company takes away the barriers that impede growth. You can focus on your core competencies and enjoy the time away from the business as you had dreamed.
These are just a few examples of the value add that Logistics Plus Fulfillment Solutions brings to your business. Just for this bit of value you are probably thinking – “they must be expensive!” That could not be further from the truth. At Logistics Plus, we are focused on putting together a customized fulfillment program that not only meets your current needs, but anticipates your future needs. Contact us to get a free, no obligation quote today or click here to download our free fulfillment guide.
by logisticsplus | Jul 26, 2018 | News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NTL Expands Warehousing & Fulfillment Capabilities in Erie
With three facilities in Erie, NTL now offers over 150,000 square feet of industrial and commercial warehousing.
ERIE, PA (July 26, 2018) – NTL, an Erie, PA-based sister company to Logistics Plus Inc. and a leading local provider of transportation and warehousing solutions, has expanded its warehousing capabilities in Erie, Pennsylvania with two additional facilities. The company now maintains operations at 1710 Greengarden Blvd, 3011 West 17th Street, and 2311 W 15th Street.
“Our national truckload operations continue to be operated from 15th Street, where we’ve maintained our primary offices for the past several years,” said Joe Santone, senior vice president for Logistics Plus and NTL. “We moved into the Greengarden facility late last year to address our expanding industrial warehousing and painting business lines. Earlier this year we also acquired 60,000 square feet of additional capacity on 17th Street to service our expanding commercial warehousing and fulfillment business segment.”
Santone says the three facilities combined provide over 150,000 square feet of warehousing space to companies looking for temporary or long-term storage in the area, and to companies looking for Midwest and Northeast warehousing and fulfillment services. Special features include an industrial-sized forklift with 62,000 pounds of lift capacity, a 110-ton crane with 200,000 pounds of lift capacity, and a full-service painting bay at Greengarden; and a complete racking and shelving system with covered multi-dock unloading and loading bays at 17th Street.
Visit here to learn more and to request more information.
About NTL
NTL (National Truckload) is an independently-operated asset-based and brokerage provider of truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation, warehousing, and industrial painting services. Founded in Erie, PA, with an additional facility in Lexington, NC, it has a diverse mixture of people and equipment with a strong focus on providing dedicated solutions. Learn more at www.nationaltruckload.net.
About Logistics Plus Inc.
Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, 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, 21 years ago, Logistics Plus is a fast-growing and award-winning transportation and logistics company. With a strong passion for excellence, its 400+ 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.
Media Contact:
Scott G. Frederick
Vice President, Marketing
Logistics Plus Inc.
(814) 240-6881
[email protected]
by logisticsplus | Jun 29, 2018 | News
In case you missed it, Joe Santone, senior vice president for Logistics Plus, was featured on today’s airing of Business Spotlight on 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 month’s segment, Joe discusses Logistics Plus and its relationship with sister company NTL, domestic transportation, warehousing, freight agents, and more. You can listen to a replay of the interview on the Logistics Plus YouTube Channel below.
Page 11 of 20« First«...910111213...20...»Last »
