December 20, 2017
Background: Colorado Distribution Group in Denver, Colorado provides small parcel fulfillment services for many of their clients. The products range from police and military clothing to snow and ski recreation equipment. The Challenge: CDG’s main goal is to improve accuracy in packing high-volumes of orders and reduce unnecessary labor efforts for printing labels and shipping documentation. The process for picking and packing orders requires at least 3 warehouse operation staff members per shift.
December 15, 2017
The 2018 Third-Party Logistics Study was recently published. This year marks the 22nd year of publication. The paper discusses the findings from an annual survey of 3PL/4PL Providers, Shippers (not currently using 3PL/4PL services) and Shippers (currently using 3PL/4PL). The study is conducted by C. John Langley Jr. Ph.D and Infosys Consulting. Sponsors include Penske Logistics, Korn Ferry, Infosys and Penn State Smeal College of Business. The survey is 60 pages and covers various areas of the 3PL market including automation/digitization trends, new technologies such as blockchain, increased importance of […]
December 11, 2017
You get into work a little late, it happens, but you had to get that fancy coffee. You plop down at the same old desk: family photos, cat calendar, black computer screen. Today, you don’t reach out for the power button on the monitor, but lean back, prop your legs up, and take a long satisfying sip. Maybe years ago you would have been frantic to organize the morning activities, review the inbound orders, load balance your pickers, print your paperwork, and round up the team. Your mornings are much […]
November 28, 2017
In the early stages of a startup business things can get crazy with everyone wearing multiple hats. There is a “just get ‘er done…” culture. But as the business grows, formal processes need to be developed and smart businesses look for systems that can help support their growth. In a 3PL operation, Business Management Solution (BMS) is the term given to a software application that often provides at least 2 key components, a Warehouse Management System, and an Accounting System. A WMS is important to manage inventory, process receipt and […]
November 21, 2017
Love ’em or hate ’em, we all agree that meetings are a necessary part of doing business. In addition to getting a shared understanding on subjects, meetings also allow for productive idea generation, team collaboration and task assignments. The good news is that meetings can be more productive, fun and highly effective if you follow a few simple guidelines. Below is a list of best practices to follow during your meeting setup. Give them a look and try out the checklist for your next meeting. Purpose Is the meeting necessary? […]
November 1, 2017
To an outsider, 3PL warehousing may seem like a fairly simple business. You have stuff stored in a building. Someone tells you to ship some of the stuff, which you do in a merrily way. Then you get more stuff and put it away temporarily until someone asks you to ship that stuff. Easy! Well there’s obviously a lot more to it. We’ve prioritized 5 areas that we think should be part of every successful 3PL warehouse. No, you do not have to take a vocabulary test on these but […]