What Is 3PL Fulfillment?

You’ve probably seen or heard the term 3PL tossed around when the conversation turns to logistics.  But just what is a 3PL?  According to Wikipedia, “A third-party logistics provider (abbreviated 3PL, or sometimes TPL) is a firm that provides service to its customers of outsourced (or "third party") logistics services for part, or all of their supply chain management functions.”  But what does that actually mean?  And why should you even care?

The logistics provided by a 3PL can include warehousing, transportation management software, freight rate negotiation, in-depth reporting, forecasting, freight bill auditing and more. In some instances, a 3PL will specialize in certain industries, or types of logistics such as international commerce.  There are many benefits a 3PL can bring to your organization.

Because logistics is their core competency, they can deliver cost and time savings while providing a depth of experience based knowledge and industry relationships.  You use the 3PL’s equipment and infrastructure, rather than building your own, which lowers your capital commitment.  And key to managing the changing demands of seasonal highs and lows and growth, a 3PL can provide a flexible and scalable logistics solution option.  Given the swiftly evolving transportation environment of today, a partner who can bring solutions to managing rising transportation costs and supply chain challenges can be key to your company’s success.  Talk to Vision – we can help you understand and plan for your transportation future.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How To Manage Rising Freight Costs

As Mike Regan, Chief of Relationship Development for TranzAct Technologies, recently discussed on www.logisticsmgmt.com, transportation costs could see rate increases of 15% to 20% over the next three years. 

There are multiple trends driving these increases, but among the key points are the change to Dimensional (DIM) parcel pricing by UPS and FedEx (among others), the impact of meeting expanding regulatory requirements (think safety, fuel efficiency and emissions reductions), and no end in sight to the challenges in driver recruiting and retention, which is pushing labor costs higher and impacting capacity.

Add in the changing delivery demands such as increasing last-mile volume and tight capacity supply for some niches, and it seems a given that transportation costs are going nowhere but up.

Rising freight costs impact the bottom line.  So – have you briefed your c level executives regarding the future of transportation costs?  No one likes to be blind-sided, especially by bad news.  As the saying goes, “Bad news doesn’t age well.”  Executives want the opportunity to proactively look for solutions rather than dealing with fallout.  They also need to accurately forecast and plan for the future and that means it’s critical that they have this information.  But how do you know what’s going to impact your organization?  What are the options for managing the future changes and increased shipping costs?  You know your boss is going to ask – and that’s where a great fulfillment partner can help.  Transportation is the backbone of their business, and they’re on top of the trends and working on ways to optimize their options to their partners’ benefit.  Talk to Vision – we can help you understand and plan for your transportation future.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to keep your logistics strategy current

The logistics environment is far from static – weather, strikes and high seasonal volumes can all impact your ability to get your product in your customers’ hands – not to mention changes in technology, best practices, and operational management. How do you keep your logistics strategy current in an ever-changing environment?

The answer is to leverage your fulfillment services partner. They should be dialed in to the latest industry news and ready to employ those options on your behalf. They can provide ideas on transportation, logistics, foreign trade zones, carrier operations, warehouse technologies, customer service, and more. Here at Vision, we embrace change and help our customers to leverage change to maximize return and strategically grow their business.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own. We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business. Call or email us to learn how. We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to manage fluctuating fulfillment volumes

Let’s face it – no matter how detailed the inputs, how carefully we plan, forecasting is, at the end of the day, our best guess at the future.  And sometimes, we just get it wrong.  Maybe demand for a product skyrocketed or the market took a sharp turn – and that can leave us scrambling to adapt and manage the new reality.  How can you efficiently manage your fulfillment resources to meet your changing needs?

Even the biggest companies have to deal with this. After the fiasco of undelivered holiday gifts in 2013, UPS planned extensively and added thousands of additional workers along with investing heavily to improve and expand logistics operations in preparation for the 2014 holiday season.  But while they nailed on-time deliveries, on less busy days workers and trucks were left unused – and that resulted in lower than forecast earnings and the biggest drop in share price since 2008.

Partnering with the right fulfillment company can help you manage those fluctuating volumes.  You use the resources you need, scaling up and down as appropriate – and that’s what you pay for.  Fulfillment companies, with their wide variety of clients, can often manage and offset those fluctuations behind the scenes, leaving you with the support you need, no more and no less.  Talk to Vision to see how we can help you efficiently manage your fulfillment operations and the ever-changing volume demands!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Port of Los Angeles 2014 Holiday Planning for Fulfillment Operations

The holiday season is rapidly approaching for 2014, and already there are concerns about potential delays routing imports through the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  The port is the nation’s biggest container hub.  This article posted on Bloomberg states that after ending the previous holiday season with too much merchandise stacked in warehouses, this year U.S. retailers face the opposite – they may not have enough.

Logistics planning is a key service that your third party fulfillment partner can provide.  Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment can provide expertise and system-driven milestone management services for monitoring your product, beginning with the source manufacturer all the way through to the fulfillment warehouse.

This management insight and insider knowledge is even more critical when potential delays are encountered as mentioned in the article.  Expediting product through the port and associated paperwork can translate into revenue either gained or lost.  It’s early November now – and never too late to have this conversation with your fulfillment warehouse.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Kitting and Assembly Services in Fulfillment

A common function in a warehouse fulfillment operation is Kitting and Assembly.  This typically involves master kitting, final assembly, disassembly, re-work, and more.  This can be a requirement to prepare product for sale/shipping, as well as in repurposing product inventory.

The best production services are those that are flexible and can easily switch between automation and manual solutions – thus matching the best approach with each situation.  In addition, a company that has the ability to find the similarities within dissimilar processes, can provide a greater return on investment in both situations.

One conversation with our insightful team will convince you of Vision’s ability to plan, streamline, and execute kitting and assembly services.  You will be amazed at our efficiency and flexibility.  Please contact us to discuss your project – we would love to present our ideas.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

The Key to Fulfillment Efficiency

A key competitive advantage which can make a significant impact on Fulfillment Efficiency is the ability to find the similarities within dissimilar processes.  Definitely a mouthful, but this is a game changer.

Operational productivity is almost always improved by creating repetitive processes.  This allows management to adjust and enhance aspects of the operation in order to streamline efficiency.  At first glance many warehouse and fulfillment operations can appear to be completely unrelated, thus requiring separate and unique processes.  However, finding the commonality in disparate processes is even more critical, and potentially even more rewarding in these situations.  A fulfillment operation must strive to break down these processes and identify elements which can be combined for greater scale, share-ability of resources, and standardization of procedures.

It all begins with breaking down the process into smaller components.  In addition, ask the people on the scene; the individuals who perform the processes usually have a unique insight into the processes they perform.  Leverage them as the valuable assets they are!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Foreign Trade Zone Benefits

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) can be a game changer for a company who manufactures and imports its products into the Port of Los Angeles, or any company near a port operation.  There are significant benefits to be gained by taking advantage of an FTZ.

Some of the main benefits include:

·         Duty Deferral on Product. Inventory is brought into the Foreign Trade Zone and held, without duties and taxes being assessed, until the product leaves the FTZ - presumably to be fulfilled as a paid order to a customer.

·         Port Fees Reduction. For importers that are bringing in more than 1 container per week, there can be significant reductions in the port fees by utilizing a Foreign Trade Zone.

·         Duty Elimination on Product. Inventory re-exported or destroyed without ever leaving the Foreign Trade Zone does not ever get taxed as a US import.

·         Speed to Market. Product destined for the Foreign Trade Zone bypasses customs delays in the port because it will clear customs in the FTZ, thereby getting product available to sell sooner.

Using a Foreign Trade Zone helps to more consistently align the cost of your product with the revenue event, thus impacting both profitability and cash flow.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Accredited Zone Specialist (AZS) – Foreign Trade Zone Certification

A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) can’t simply be a location – the certification to manage an FTZ is also a critical component.  Becoming an Accredited Zone Specialist (AZS) provides training, qualification, and key technology systems to manage and leverage the zone.

Beyond these benefits, becoming accredited also helps to not only stay current on the various qualifications, it also helps to ensure compliance with the applicable laws and regulations.  This ensures that the Foreign Trade Zone Certification isn’t simply a piece of paper – it illustrates the expertise and dedication to maintaining a successful zone.

If you are a shipping customer looking to take advantage of the many benefits of a Foreign Trade Zone, be sure that the company you choose is an Accredited Zone Specialist.  Ask to see their credentials, and more importantly, ask to see the processes, technology, and their people – the experts!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Warehouse Deep/Bulk Storage Versus Short-term Storage

All storage is not created equal.  Product storage should be effectively balanced between shorter term order-picking requirements versus longer term bulk needs – and your pricing should reflect that.  At Vision, we provide you with a strategic plan for managing both.

Having a dedicated Inventory Management team is part of the overall strategy.  These are individuals who constantly monitor order velocity and inventory turn, and subsequently manage the ebb and flow of inventory for proper location selection of the inventory throughout the warehouse.  It is definitely a combination of art and science.  However, your inventory should not be tucked into a dusty corner and left forgotten.

We view inventory as one of your most critical assets, with us as the guardian.  We are inventory specialists through and through.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

How to Maintain B2B Retail Routing Guide Compliance

Those who have shipped products for a B2B Retail program know that Routing Guides - and by association, chargebacks - are not to be taken lightly.

In today’s competitive world of the big box retailers, vendor compliance is critical for retailers to maintain their already low margins.  They have succeeded in aggressively pushing standards down to their vendors.  That manifests in the Routing Guide.

Some Routing Guides can be small and relatively straight-forward.  However, there are also hundred-page beasts which dictate label positioning, tape usage, pallet stacking and strapping, photography requirements, same-story shipping schedules, and more.

Yes this can be a daunting task.  However, look to your strategic 3PL partner for support and expertise.  At Vision, we have decades of expertise with hundreds of successful retail program implementations under our belt.  Ask us specifically about our successful history of chargeback management.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

Positive economic indicators in 2014?

The fulfillment and logistics industry can contain some very interesting indicators of the overall health and direction of the economy.  After all, many aspects of fulfillment are tied to consumer confidence through purchasing, and the resulting shipping/fulfillment.

This article from Jeff Berman, a Group News Editor for Logistics Management, provides some indicators from the Department of Commerce, the Association of American Railroads, and a few others which paint a more positive picture based on product movement.  Again, just a different view on the inner workings of our great economy.

Positive economic indicators lend credence to hopes for an improving economy

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment

Fulfillment Warehouse

http://visioncpf.com

CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com

What’s new in Fulfillment Technology?

Vision Consumer Products has a long history of being a technology innovator in the Third-Party Logistics (3PL) space.  Necessity is always the key to innovation, particularly in an industry that must constantly balance both efficiency and quality.  Here’s a quick look at some of the key innovations from Vision CPF.

Predictive packaging - Minimization of dunnage (reducing cost and waste), in addition to proper product protection (enhancement of order presentation), are just two critical benefits of Vision’s Predictive Packaging technology.  Vision’s system automatically determines the most optimal size of carton for each order dynamically, based on the product dimensions.

E-Commerce - The customer experience is everything in an e-commerce store.  Today, savvy shoppers expect beautiful online stores with lots of images, community reviews and ratings, social media integration, and more – all while being intuitive and easy to navigate.  Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment provides a great first impression for your customers, including a hassle-free and modern e-commerce experience. Here's a link to our demo store: http://visioncpfdemostore.azurewebsites.net

Intelligent Order Sequencing - Gone are the days when a warehouse team member manually prints pick sheets and order support documentation, and manually plans the picking, packaging, and shipping priorities.  Our Intelligent Order Sequencing technology plans all of this based on predetermined business rules customized for each customer’s program.

Pick to Voice - Pick to Voice can provide exceptional flexibility in a warehouse picking environment, while also maintaining the highest degree of warehouse throughput and efficiency.  At Vision, our trained warehouse personnel leverage this exciting technology to follow a standardized picking process, even with non-standard product.

Nothing demonstrates technology better than seeing it in person.  We would love to give you a tour of our warehouse and show you how we’ve woven proven and innovative technology into our operational processes.

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment has decades of experience and industry expertise in consumer products fulfillment services.  No matter who your customer is, we treat your customer as our own.  We know what makes a raving fan out of an individual customer, as well as what makes a business partner trust you with their business.  Call or email us to learn how.  We’re certain we’ll be the best fulfillment warehouse partner you have ever had!

Vision Consumer Products Fulfillment
Fulfillment Warehouse Services
http://visioncpf.com
CPFSales@VisionMediamgmt.com