When you take a step back from the day to day operations of your business and really give some thought to the challenges that are restricting your growth and impacting your bottom line, chances are very good that some of them will be directly related to your logistics. This is not unexpected, as logistics can be a struggle to manage for many companies, especially in highly competitive industry verticals.

However, there are ways that your company can face 3PL challenges, regain momentum, increase efficiency, and boost your bottom line through a more effective approach to logistics management. This is where the services offered by third-party logistics (3PL) providers can truly deliver value to your business. 3PL services have many advantages to bring to the table that may just be the answer you’ve been waiting for.

In this article, we’re going to explore four common 3PL challenges that are facing countless Canadian companies, and how 3PL services can help turn them in to a source of competitive advantage for your business.

The 3PL Challenges of Gaining Efficiency

As every logistics professional knows, bottlenecks in your supply chain are a major efficiency killer. As far as your customers are concerned, it doesn’t matter how smoothly everything runs at other points of the supply chain if there is one point where everything gets backed up and efficiency goes out the window.

In situations like this, it may not be the best choice to invest substantial resources in to addressing bottlenecks and efficiency drains when there are 3PL services out there that can alleviate the pressure and keep things flowing smoothly.

Whether the problem exists in inventory management, material handling, order fulfilment, or any other step along the way in your supply chain, 3PL services can be integrated seamlessly in to your existing operations to help eliminate those bottlenecks.

The 3PL Challenge of:

Accelerating Growth

Sometimes the only thing limiting the growth of your company is your ability to get more product out the door at a faster rate and send it further in to distant markets you couldn’t reach before. After all, your transportation fleet can only do so much before it gets stretched too thin.

However, by incorporating 3PL transportation services in to your supply chain, you can supplement your existing fleet with additional resources and enable a wider range of serviceable locations. 3PL service providers have warehousing facilities and transportation networks that span the entire globe, and you can bring these resources to bear in order to service distant markets and accelerate the growth of your business.

Managing Resources

Storing inventory, organizing it, and moving it where it needs to be at any given time can be extremely resource-intensive. It requires careful planning and ongoing attention in order to make sure things are properly tracked and monitored, otherwise you end up with problems like shortages of parts, missing inventory, or overstock.

By working together with a 3PL expert that specializes in inventory control and warehousing systems, you can make resource management a key strength of your logistics operations. Automated technology, integrated data systems, and real-time information flow can help you know exactly what the state of your warehousing is at any time with speed and precision.

Controlling Quality

Managing customer expectations hinges on quality but is not limited to the quality of your products alone. In the eyes of the customer, quality can take on many forms, including the reliability of your services and transportation, the ease of use of your company’s online tools and account interfaces, and countless other factors. Managing quality is of critical importance and is one area of business where sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

In order to boost your ability to manage quality, your 3PL partner will help evaluate every stage of your logistics operations to determine where there is opportunity to make improvements that have either a direct or indirect effect on your quality control. These may include optimizations to transportation or material handling methods, or perhaps aspects related to the packaging of products for better protection. When it comes to the hunt for higher levels of quality, your 3PL experts should leave no stone unturned.

Solving Your 3PL Challenges with SCI’s 3PL Services

If your company has been experiencing challenges related to efficiency, growth, resources, or quality, it’s time to strike up a conversation with a trusted 3PL expert with a proven track record of success, and the team at SCI is ready to help.

By utilizing our vast network of resources and advanced set of technologies, your company will be setting the stage for success, now and in to the future.

Our team of logistics professionals has the knowledge and expertise that your company needs to take your supply chain to the next level, so contact us today.