Articles
3PL
Tying the 3PL Knot
Meet shippers who quit playing the field and settled down with a 3PL partner.
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Are You Talkin’ to Me?
Some results from our annual third-party logistics survey caused the publisher of this magazine to quote a line from Cool Hand Luke: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” When 3PLs and their customers were asked the same question, but provided diametrically opposed answers, the publisher suggested that more shipper/3PL communication may be called for. […]
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Time to Reconsider Your 3PL Strategy
Third-party logistics companies come in many different forms, and for a while there was not much barrier to entry into the marketplace— particularly the less-than-truckload segment. Until even recently, the following recipe could be utilized to form a 3PL: Ingredients: Freight to leverage Growth potential Industry knowledge Technology— in any form Instructions: Take one former […]
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Freight Forwarders: The Vital Link in Logistics Communication
Building a logistics system for today’s sourcing needs requires a quantum leap from past shipping practices, in which companies too often neglected transportation in their strategic planning. A poorly constructed or outdated supply system with inadequate communication can create unnecessary delays and expense caused by information snags, missing or ill-prepared shipping documents, and inappropriate cargo […]
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Keeping Surprises Out Of The Warehouse
Warehousing risks can spring out at any moment. Some are meant to be shared, others avoided. Successful warehousing operations strike a balance.
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Why You Should Vest With Your Outsourcing Partners, Now!
We hear and read constantly about the critical need for lean, green, transparent, collaborative, efficient, and cost-effective supply chains and logistics partners. But how have your partnerships fared lately? How have things progressed over the past three or four years? Are your outsourcing and logistics contracts living up to their initial promises and premises? Do […]
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Giving Intermodal the Green Light
Manufacturers and retailers know moving freight by rail and using trucks on the origin and destination ends—a combined service approach called door-to-door intermodal—can help cut logistics costs. What many shippers don’t realize is that, in addition to being a more cost-effective method of transporting goods, intermodal offers significant environmental advantages as well. LAW OF AVERAGES […]
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Building Better 3PL Relationships
Third-party logistics (3PL) providers are tremendously popular with shippers for surface transportation in North America. Freight brokers, forwarders, and intermodal marketing companies offer capacity, expertise, technology, and buying power on a scale no shipper can replicate on its own. Not all 3PLs are the same, however. Here are a few tips to help you get […]
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Today’s Warehouse Plays a New Role
Warehouses are no longer just for storage. In today’s cost-conscious, efficiency-driven environment, many manufacturers are reevaluating their definition of warehousing. Anything that doesn’t lend itself to a high-speed, highly mechanized, low-labor environment is being sent to the warehouse. Driving this evolution is a desire to take links out of the supply chain and make sure […]
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Green Reverse Logistics Brings Many Happy Returns
Companies that combine the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra with the supply chain wisdom of managing costs and stamping out inefficiencies are developing reverse supply chains that help the Earth, the customer, and the bottom line.
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It’s Time to Start Looking at the Future and Preparing for the Long Haul
The challenges of the current economy and the availability of capacity have driven truckload prices to their lowest point since 2005. While most shippers have seen great opportunities with the decline in pricing, the market is changing. As recent research from Noel Perry and FTR Associates indicates, market pricing bottomed out in the second quarter […]
Read MoreIs Your 3PL a Brand Builder?
Abrand represents many intangible aspects of a product or service; it’s a collection of perceptions about quality, image, lifestyle, and status. In short, a brand represents a promise made and honored. When was the last time you challenged your third-party logistics provider (3PL) to help you build your brand? For most shippers, the answer lies […]
Read MoreChoosing and Using a Freight Forwarder
Choosing the right freight forwarder to support your transportation efforts can mean the difference between satisfied customers or unhappy ones; efficient, cost-effective distribution of your products or careless, wasteful handling of them. The following are some suggestions for choosing and using a freight forwarder. DO YOUR HOMEWORK Before entering into negotiations with a logistics provider, […]
Read MoreDefining the Ideal Pacific Rim Warehouse
Warehouses may serve the same function regardless of where they are located, but the criteria for choosing and operating these facilities is anything but consistent from one continent to the next. If manufacturing or distribution in Asia is part of your business, keep in mind the following ways in which the ideal facility might look […]
Read MoreLearning to Play by New Rules: Managing Logistics Through the Recession
Managing a global business today is brutal. The collective business wisdom is being tested, and our organizations’ hard work on strategy, lean management, and disciplined forecasting and operations planning can’t wipe away current economic woes. The global supply chain isn’t broken, but we’re dealing with a game-changing scenario. As the economy plays havoc with volume, […]
Read MoreMission-Critical Service Parts Logistics: Making the Impossible Possible
Mission-critical service parts logistics requires sound processes, precision, and an organizational commitment to make the seemingly impossible possible. After all, guaranteeing expedited delivery within 90 minutes to four hours anywhere in the world can be a daunting challenge. This is the reality that manufacturers and service providers face, however, particularly for high-tech equipment. With demanding […]
Read MoreOffshoring vs. Right-shoring: How to Decide
For more than a decade, companies have used offshoring as a primary strategy for maximizing value in the global manufacturing supply chain. The advantages of offshoring are eroding, however, due to rising wages in overseas locations, volatile fuel costs, global security concerns, and the worldwide economic crisis. In response, some U.S. manufacturers and parts suppliers […]
Read MoreBrokering Change
W hen I started in this industry in 1978, transportation companies were known as truck brokers. They primarily moved shipments of agricultural products under rates that were exempt from Interstate Commerce Commission regulation—that is, negotiable according to supply and demand. In 1980, truck transportation was deregulated. The term “property broker” was defined, and the industry […]
Read MoreWhy You Don’t Want an Obedient 3PL
What is an obedient third-party logistics provider (3PL)? It is one that doesn’t share responsibility for its customers’ success and simply does what it is told. It keeps quiet when it knows the shipper’s request is misguided, and doesn’t offer new ideas for re-thinking project goals. When a shipper views its 3PL simply as a […]
Read MoreCultivating Healthy Carrier Relationships
Developing robust relationships with your carriers can be challenging, but it’s essential to establishing well-defined expectations. Capacity shortages and other carrier-related service issues will inevitably occur, so you and your carriers must work together to sustain a mutually beneficial relationship when times get tough. The following best practices can help you maximize value within your […]
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