Businesses that supply manufacturers, vendors, distributors, or retailers need to get their goods from point A to point B on time. The logistics industry has developed over the last few decades to help them accomplish this vital goal in the face of supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, and human errors. The types of logistics services required vary depending on the industry a manufacturer works within, but all businesses can benefit from streamlining the process.
Enterprise-level businesses sometimes handle logistics in-house, paying a small fortune for private warehouses, shipping contracts with major carriers, or even their own trucks and all of the personnel and software required to keep track of everything. For everyone else, working with a third-party logistics company like EASE offers a much better solution. Read on to find the ultimate guide to streamlining logistics with the help of a dedicated third-party provider.
Managed Logistics Solutions
Businesses that want to take a hands-off approach have been turning in increasing numbers to managed logistics services by EASE. Managed logistics services allow them to outsource some of the most important and complex duties to a reliable logistics partner with the experience, technology, and capacity to meet their needs. Services provided by these kinds of companies include:
Improved Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is one of the most vital aspects of running a business in the manufacturing or distribution sector, and it’s also one of the most difficult. Partnering with an experienced logistics company gives even small and mid-sized businesses access to a range of technological solutions aimed at improving supply chain transparency and providing additional insight into this essential aspect of running a business.
Efficient Transportation
Transporting materials, goods, and finished products efficiently poses challenges to companies of all sizes. Small businesses rarely ship enough goods to be able to negotiate attractive terms with major carriers, which means they often have to choose between efficiency and affordability. That will no longer be the case once they switch to a full-service logistics provider like EASE. Not only does the company have its own fleet of trucks but it also works with other carriers to ensure every client can get their freight delivered in the shortest time and at the best rates.
Full-Service Logistics Management
Some companies need more comprehensive solutions. For them, working with a full-service logistics management company may be the best solution. Instead of managing only transportation or just some aspects of supply chain management, a full-service provider helps with every step required to get materials and goods from point A to point B, allowing manufacturing businesses to focus on their core functionalities.
How They Do It
Today’s most successful businesses are typically highly specialized. Just like manufacturers know just about everything about how to turn raw materials into specific kinds of finished products, logistics companies are knowledgeable about the particulars of moving goods efficiently. They do it by keeping up with changes in technology and industry standards, working with a network of dedicated experts, and developing logistics hubs in key destinations for their customers’ use.
Data-Driven Decisions
The popularization of the Internet of Things (IoT) is arguably the biggest thing to happen to the logistics industry in recent decades. Instead of having to make best guesses about the most efficient ways to store and ship goods, warehousing and transport specialists can make data-driven decisions based on vast amounts of information.Â
IoT technologies, including sensors, GPS monitors, geo-trackers, and other devices, make it easy to keep track of goods. AI-driven data analysis programs offer higher-level insights into the company’s operations, including everything from which trucking routes use the least gas to when a customer might be most likely to need an increase in warehouse capacity.
Human Capital
Technology and data access are important, but they’ll never replace the need for a dedicated network of human logistics experts. From workers on the warehouse floors to networks of independent operators that partner with a company to ensure that every item gets where it needs to go on time, a good logistics company’s workers and partners are its biggest assets.
Taking a human-centric approach to logistics management allows logistics companies to create resilient systems. Although automated systems offer broad insights into what’s going on beneath the surface of a logistics company so that leaders can make informed decisions, an agile workforce is a requirement for tackling challenges that come up along the way. EASE employs industry-leading fleet managers, network planners, truck drivers, warehouse staff, and others and focuses on maintaining high employee satisfaction rates not just for the sake of the workers but also for its customers’ benefit.
Logistics Hubs
A logistics hub paves the way for streamlining workflow. These locations are more than just warehouses. They are crucial for the management of goods and the improvement of order fulfillment rates, housing not just goods but also all of the infrastructure required to deliver dedicated services beneath their large roofs.
Logistics hubs are at the heart of effective transportation and order fulfillment. At these facilities, trained operators handle everything from sorting and storing incoming goods to dispatch and distribution to end users. Convenient location, proper staffing, and advanced technology come together to provide the perfect place for manufacturing businesses to grow and thrive.
Why EASE?
Business owners have plenty of options when it comes to logistics solutions. They choose EASE because this multi-operational supply chain and freight transport company goes above and beyond when it comes to offering innovative services, accelerated deliveries, and effective customer care.
EASE was established in 2014 and immediately made a name for itself in the logistics industry by providing unparalleled customer response times and employing a strict vetting process for employees and carriers that streamlines workflows and guarantees effectiveness at every step of the supply chain. The company expanded in 2020 and continues to grow. Manufacturing businesses of all sizes need to work with companies they can trust, and they can trust EASE to be their partner in the logistics sector.