IWLA Fulfillment Forum Takeaways
From Tyler Overcash, Director of Software Development at Camelot 3PL Software who Attended the July 2022 IWLA Fulfillment Forum
We started the morning with breakfast, introductions, and a few jokes about software developers. As Director of Software Development, my role is to work with the programmers, source code, servers, databases, and networks. I don’t normally attend a conference like the IWLA User Forum. Since this meeting was being hosted right here in Charlotte, NC, the home of the Camelot 3PL Software headquarters, I received a unique opportunity to sit in on this gathering of 3PL providers. I soon learned some valuable lessons from a different perspective than I normally get from the software-focused conferences that I typically join.
The first factor I noticed, right from the beginning of the keynote, was how intimate the meetings were going to be. This wasn’t going to be a massive ballroom keynote with flashing lights and hype music to go along with various marketing videos and PowerPoints. Instead, we were a group of 50 or so 3PLs and vendors having a two-way conversation with the speaker, Jason Minghini from Kenco. The conversation was about the state of this industry that, like so many others, has been totally reshaped by the pandemic. Although there were so many interesting facts, the one that has stuck with me, even weeks later, is the current challenges around warehouse availability. When the COVID-19 pandemic started back in 2020 there was a dramatic shift in what goods were being manufactured (think masks and hand sanitizers), consumer spending habits (increase in goods spending and decrease in experiences or travel), and logistics disruptions (such as overseas products being delayed at ports). Now, two years later, the pendulum is swinging hard in the opposite direction, warehouses are filled to the brim with goods that are no longer in demand. This is just one challenge that 3PLs will be facing as we all navigate a forecasted recession to top it off.
Fortunately, subsequent sessions had a lighter mood than talks of pandemics and recession. The next revelation I had about this IWLA User Forum was the engagement of the group in sharing knowledge. Despite many of the attendees being competitors, there was no hesitation to talk openly in a manner to benefit the entire crowd. This was most apparent to me during the section on software vendors. Our Director of Sales, Geoff Greenhill, hopped in to fill an empty seat in the panel right next to some of our peers that we commonly contend with for new clients. The topic that came up the most, during this session and prior, that related to us as software vendors was APIs. Overwhelmingly, 3PLs are being asked to provide an API interface or to connect to another API interface. And how does this new interest in API connections relate with the more traditional EDI for 3PLs? In the next few years, logistics providers will need to be ready to engage their current clients and new prospects in these discussions and will need to lean heavily on their software vendors to navigate those talks.
The last observation that I want to share about the forum is about reputation. Talking with our current or future clients over charcuterie, appetizers, and drinks; I heard a lot about what people think when they hear Camelot 3PL Software. I was pleased to hear such positive regards, even from our software-selling peers. At the same time, reputations can turn quickly. Talking to a few people at different companies, I heard anecdotes about a company they tried to work with, and each one had the same challenge. The vendor wouldn’t respond or follow up on requests. It will take time to reverse that reputation and have it dispersed throughout the industry.
I have many more takeaways, more than I can share here. Some great ideas for new enhancements to the software, which was my main motivation for attending. If I have another opportunity to join in an IWLA event, I most definitely will, and would encourage our clients and friends in the 3PL industry to participate as well.