Articles
3PL
How to Foster a Long-Term 3PL Partnership
When companies begin working with a third-party logistics provider (3PL), they are generally looking to address a functional pain point. The partnership is transactional and fills an operational gap. But the true value of 3PL partnerships can grow infinitely greater when shippers take a long-term approach that focuses on sustainable gains rather than short-term savings. […]
Read More
3PL Value-Adds Mean Millions
You hate to say it, but everyone knows it: Today’s third-party logistics (3PL) relationship is transitional. Many 3PLs live and die by the freight rates they offer clients. Why? Because your shippers see the relationship as transactional, and trucking-focused. Shippers write checks for shipping expenses nearly every day, and freight is in the forefront of […]
Read More
Emily Ross: Good Blood
Emily Ross has served as senior supply chain manager at Haemonetics Corporation, Braintree, Mass., since 2008. Haemonetics provides blood management devices and software used by plasma and blood collection centers and hospitals. Responsibilities: Transportation sourcing for North America and international subsidiaries; sourcing 3PL warehousing services; operational support. Experience: Marketing coordinator, The Rex Lumber Company; associate […]
Read More
You Are Everywhere: Mapping the New Retail Supply Chain
Gone are the days of single-channel apparel retailing—and supply chains servicing that model. Today, apparel retailers must optimize their supply chains to deliver products from any point where consumers want to buy them.
Read More
3PL Partnerships: From Tactical to Strategic
It was déjà vu all over again as I sorted through the responses to this year’s Top 10 3PL Excellence Awards survey and 3PL Perspectives research. Like last year, and the year before, and the year before that, a sizable percentage of survey respondents said they select logistics partners based on their ability to secure […]
Read More
3PL Partnerships: From Transactions to Trust
In business context, transactional relationships are often laden with legal conditions—unlimited liability, implied agency, utmost good faith. Even with assurances that a partner will do the right thing, it all comes down to costs and consequences. For many years, the supply chain operated in a similar fashion. Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) demonstrated their value by […]
Read More
Great Partnerships: 3PLs and Shippers
Many companies have traded old-style transactional relationships with 3PLs for collaborative partnerships that stand the test of time.
Read More
3PL Perspectives 2012: Shippers and 3PLs—Perfect Together
Inbound Logistics’ eighth-annual 3PL market research report demonstrates how 3PLs and shippers are connecting to confront existing challenges and capitalize on new opportunities.
Read MoreReaders’ Choice: Top 10 3PL Excellence Awards 2012
What elevates a relationship from a workable collaboration to a truly great partnership? MORE TO THE STORY: 3PLs to Watch About the Survey Respondents Partner Appreciation: A Sampling of Reader Comments We try to describe this elusive state in so many ways: “He just gets me.” “She’s the yin to my yang.” “It’s like he […]
Read More
3PLs Control Loads to Provide Shippers Superior Service
Q: Third-party logistics (3PL) companies face many challenges with each shipment they manage. Why is it critical for 3PLs to take control of their shipments? A: In today’s difficult economy, shippers look for efficiencies such as maintaining smaller inventories and scheduling employees to unload freight at key consumption and/or distribution times. This demand only increases […]
Read More
Supply Chain Control Towers Offer a Bird’s-Eye View
Q: How can companies better manage their supply chains to gain competitive advantage? A: Over the past year, the concept of a supply chain control tower has been gaining momentum. A control tower is a single command center for visibility, decision-making, and action, based on real-time data. “A supply chain control tower is a central […]
Read MoreGaining More From 3PL Relationships
Whether your third-party logistics (3PL) service provider is a niche player or a global behemoth, you can take steps to draw more value from the partnership. Valerie Bonebrake, senior vice president at supply chain consulting firm Tompkins International, offers the following tips for getting your 3PL to do more for you. 1. Become an expert […]
Read More
3PLs: Going Beyond Savings to True Value
Although shipping is an integral and expensive part of daily operations, other considerations often take priority. This may result in unhappy customers, increased shipping costs, and time wasted resolving issues. Companies looking to increase efficiency and maximize shipping dollars often turn to third-party logistics (3PL) providers, one-stop resources that facilitate shipping and logistics needs. 3PLs […]
Read More
Trends—December 2011
Transportation Management Breaks Out Transportation management system (TMS) solutions and TMS-managed services have been evolving at hyper-speed over the past few years, largely driven by an economy in a tailspin, corporate mandates to reduce costs at all costs, and the emergence of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud-connected networks. The facility with which companies can develop and […]
Read More
How to Evaluate a 3PL Partner
Shippers, carriers, and even small intermediaries increasingly rely on third-party logistics (3PL) service providers to manage non-core logistics and supply functions, access capacity, and tap technology capabilities. 3PLs create value by pushing the envelope and helping customers reduce costs through tactical improvements, and enhance overall supply chain performance with strategic business process enhancements. Making the […]
Read More
The Bright Side of Logistics in India
There is more to India’s supply chain scene than its transportation infrastructure shortcomings. APL Logistics’ David Frentzel shares insights from a recent tour of his company’s Indian facilities and meetings with shippers.
Read More
Enjoying the Perks of 3PL Order Management
All too often, the third-party logistics (3PL) sector views order management as an operations tool—a method of capturing and processing customer orders, optimizing them through the distribution network, and, finally, delivering goods to the customer. A more holistic view of this procedure includes client-side order processing, which presents opportunities to add value and profit, and […]
Read More
Using a 3PL: Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?
If you are using a 3PL for truck brokerage alone, you could be leaving money on the table. Why? Because logistics providers have evolved and developed an array of solutions that bring extra value to their customers. Fuel price increases, stringent regulations, higher taxes, sustainability issues, and government labor intervention add costs to transportation. All […]
Read More
Close Encounters of the Third-Party Kind
There is no other issue in the transportation and logistics trade press that gets as up close and personal with the 3PL industry as Inbound Logistics’ annual July issue. Our yearly compendium of outsourcing case studies, thought leadership, market research, and 3PL awards presents a thorough representation of the market from both shipper and service […]
Read More
3PL Capability is Key to Logistics Cost Reduction
MORE TO THE STORY: How to Find a 3PL-Third Party Logistics Provider Logistics, inventory and transportation costs continue to climb, according to the 2011 State of Logistics report released by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). Although overall economic conditions improved slightly in 2010, internal supply chains continue to account for double-digit cost […]
Read More