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.
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.
The Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Riverside, CA; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Visalia, CA; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; New York, NY; Olean, NY; Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; Laredo, TX; Winchester, VA; Madison, WI; Australia; Bahrain; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Colombia; Czech Republic; Egypt; France; Germany; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Libya; Mexico; Netherlands; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; South Sudan; Taiwan; Turkey; UAE; Uganda; and United Kingdom; with additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
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.
Keeping up with the growth of e-commerce can be a difficult and daunting task. In fact, experts predict that retail will evolve more over the next few years than it has over the past 50 years. The significant growth of e-commerce has caused companies to change the way they fulfill orders. It’s now more important than ever to have modernized warehouses and fulfillment centers that correspond with the surging demand of e-commerce.
Meeting the Demand for E-Commerce
One of the biggest changes affecting warehousing and fulfillment is the rise of e-commerce. Fast and reliable shipping expectations force companies to move more individual parcels through the warehouse quicker than old warehousing and fulfillment centers were designed to accommodate. Warehouses that were designed before e-commerce existed aren’t properly set up to fulfill huge amounts of direct-to-consumer orders. Modern warehouses and fulfillment centers must constantly monitor the information received from online shopping channels in order to adapt and succeed.
Adapting to New Technology
While customer service and supply chain visibility requirements continue to gain traction, it’s crucial for warehouses and fulfillment centers to implement an up-to-date warehouse management system (WMS). Due to the high volume of products and limited capacities for warehouses, products may become lost or damaged, leaving the customer wondering where their product is located. This is where a warehouse management system can help. WMS technology provides customers with complete, real-time status of products entering or leaving one of its warehouses or distribution centers. Adding a warehouse management system is a giant step towards modernizing warehouses and fulfillment centers.
Does Modernizing My Warehouses and Fulfillment Centers make sense?
Before taking the giant leap towards a fully modernized warehouse or fulfillment center, ask yourself the following:
How will this impact my warehouse finances?
How easy will it be to implement a warehouse management system (WMS)?
How will this affect day-to-day working habits?
How quickly can a modernized warehouse or fulfillment center become functional?
Will my warehouse be able to fulfill through all of my selling channels (e.g., direct, website, Amazon, etc.)?
If it makes sense for your business to modernize warehouses and fulfillment centers, then don’t think twice. E-commerce is still in its beginning stages and will continue to grow and prosper for the foreseeable future. For any additional questions regarding warehousing or fulfillment, click below and our team of experts will get back to you promptly.
Companies that sell through Amazon must contemplate whether it makes sense to use Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) services or consider third-party warehousing alternatives to FBA. When making this important business decision, it is crucial that companies understand the benefits of third-party logistics (3PL) while recognizing some of the potential downfalls associated with FBA. Here are a few issues that Amazon retailers face, and ways that 3PL companies such as Logistics Plus can help:
Cause: Due to the decreasing space at Amazon fulfillment and warehousing centers, the costs continue to increase and fluctuate by month. Between the months of January-September and October-December, Amazon retailers can expect about a 245% increase in monthly storage prices.
Logistics Plus Solution: By offering complementary, but lower-priced FBA-related services, Logistics Plus can provide more flexibility with packaging and warehousing, along with predictable and stable pricing all year long (see examples below). We can also help address sellers needs for omnichannel fulfillment strategies.
Issue: Supply chain visibility and unknown locations of products.
Cause: Due to the high volume of products and limited capacities of FBA warehouses, products may become lost or damaged, leaving the customer wondering where their product is located or being held. When Amazon struggles to offer this valuable information to their customers, this can often lead to a frustrating experience.
Logistics Plus Solution: Logistics Plus is able to track and locate products much easier because it is much smaller and more nimble than Amazon; and Logistics Plus warehouse management system (WMS) technology provides customers with complete, real-time status of products entering or leaving one of its warehouses (we support both LIFO and FIFO inventory systems).
Issue: Customer service communication and cooperation.
Cause: Due to the amount of retailers selling on Amazon, the customer service responses can often be delayed. Buyers and sellers tend to have multiple questions to make sure they know exactly what Amazon is doing with their orders. Working through these questions, a retailer can often expect a significant amount of time on hold, often without final resolution.
Logistics Plus Solution: By employing an efficient and cooperative call center solution, Logistics Plus will tend to every customer’s needs. Whether it is a quote on your next import or a simple question regarding the status of your inventory, Logistics Plus will provides answers quickly.
If you’re a retailer that sells on Amazon and you’re contemplating third-party warehousing alternatives to FBA, then contact Logistics Plus. As an endorsed member of the Amazon Global Selling Solutions Provider Network, we know Amazon and we know Amazon sellers well.
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.
About NTL
Keeping up with the growth of e-commerce can be a difficult and daunting task. In fact, experts predict that retail will evolve more over the next few years than it has over the past 50 years. The significant growth of e-commerce has caused companies to change the way they fulfill orders. It’s now more important than ever to have modernized 
Companies that sell through Amazon must contemplate whether it makes sense to use Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) services or consider third-party warehousing alternatives to 
