Category: 3PL

Remote Fulfillment is a Reality with Fulco Fulfillment Inc.


The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in the plans of many companies that outsource to third party logistic providers (3PLs), disrupting their places of business in a drastic way. Employees and their teams have had the difficult task of trying to problem-solve new challenges on a daily basis in regards to their personal lives and workplaces.

Despite everything, many are choosing to put the safety and health of their employees as a top priority. As such, many of our fulfillment clients are making the choice to have their non-essential workers complete their tasks at home. No one could have seen this coming, and everyone was treading in unfamiliar waters. With new technologies available to us, running a successful business remotely can be achieved thanks to the advances in cloud-based technology.

The transition has not been achieved without challenges. Businesses that are using older technologies and rely more on on-site equipment have been struggling to keep up. Fortunately, with help from Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI), you will be able to have full view and control of your inventory—all accessible from the comfort of your home office.

Is remote fulfillment even possible?

Handling fulfillment from any location can prove to be a daunting task. You will find yourself needing to assist new clients, figure out finances, or look up the status of an order. So it’s important to have the proper tools needed to access all of this information anywhere and anytime, whether that is through your own resources or the resources of a third party logistics provider (3PL) like FFI.

FFI’s essential employees have been faithfully reporting into the warehouse throughout the pandemic to ensure our remote fulfillment customers’ orders get picked, packed, and accurately shipped on-time. This means our customers can access their order information anytime, anywhere, by logging into FFI’s order management system (OMS).

The Key Tools to Remote Fulfillment

Reliable 24-Hour Uptime for Client Order Processing

The focus here is running your business rather than worrying about the reliability of your fulfillment warehouse. With our platform’s access to inventory, user data, and activity, you can run your business remotely in real time. You never have to worry if your orders will be processed because we maintain and meet your fulfillment expectations.

By logging into the OMS, you have access to important information and common tasks necessary to running your business:

  • Inventory history
  • Product quantities and usage
  • Package tracking links
  • Understock notifications
  • Order and shipping confirmations
  • Place online orders
  • Choose expedited shipping
  • Run data reports
  • Estimate average monthly usage

Real-time visibility is critical within our industry. FFI’s client portal gives you access to your data at any time of day.

Is it worth adapting to remote practices with the end of the pandemic in sight?

Work-from-home and virtual access that started abruptly due to the pandemic has now become the new normal. The continuous momentum of both the vaccines and opening of brick-and-mortar establishments has our fulfillment customers evaluating where they want to work. Some are deciding whether to report back to the office 100%, remain partially remote going forward (working 2-3 days a week away from the office), or to go fully remote. Many businesses have become accustomed to this new flexibility. Major establishments have chosen to remain at least partially remote, including tech giants like Facebook, Salesforce, and Microsoft.

The New Normal Needs Flexibility

There’s no going back to the days before on-demand fulfillment management. Trust your business to a 3PL you can rely on with years of experience to show for it. Contact FFI and see for yourself how you can begin the process of remote fulfillment.


Grow Your Health and Beauty Business with e-Commerce Fulfillment


Long before the days of the internet, it was tradition for many to go to retail beauty counters when they needed to refill or refresh their stash of beauty products. Individual experts would come to your aid to determine what products are best for you based on a variety of factors given to them. It has become increasingly obvious that e-commerce health and beauty services are on the rise, and customers are saying goodbye to brick and mortar retail stores. Hence, an increased need for third party logistics (3PL) fulfillment. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. located in Dover, NJ is here to help your newly revamped health and beauty business grow.

Are you ready to grow your health and beauty business?

In the beginning, it may appear feasible to do your own fulfillment services. Your business probably sold products only on one platform, and shipping was possible to do from your living room. However, as you grow, so will your reach, and the audience of people who discover your product won’t be local anymore. If you begin to notice a trend of people ordering in far off locations, then it is important to take that into consideration for your fulfillment growth strategy.

If your successful e-commerce health and beauty company is growing, it may be time to upgrade your fulfillment process. With current demand and trends pushing e-commerce ever forward, it is entirely possible to grow your company at a larger scale through partnering with a fulfillment expert.

Grow your health and beauty business by focusing on marketing and sales, and let FFI manage your inventory, pick, pack, and ship your product.

If there is an increase in orders, it’s time to upgrade fulfillment.

Customer satisfaction, shipping quickly, and staying within budget are the most important factors to consider when taking this leap. If order volume is increasing, it’s probably time to outsource fulfillment to a 3PL.

You will be relieved to know your customers can place an order, and choose their method of shipment through your favorite e-commerce shopping cart. FFI’s order management system integrates seamlessly with many shopping carts: Magento, WooCommerce, and Shopify — just to name a few. You will have 24/7 private web access to your inventory. You can use the web portal to establish access rights for users, set product or budget allocations, manage inventory, and generate reports that allow you to analyze ordering data. Working with FFI frees you up to build your business by marketing, selling, and handling your accounting needs. Partnering with a 3PL like Fulco makes sense since we’re able to offer our clients discounted shipping supplies and freight.

Growing isn’t easy, but FFI is here to help.

To begin, we provide your e-commerce company a transfer plan. It specifically details every step you need to take to get your inventory to Fulco Fulfillment in order to get up and running quickly. We assign a dedicated Customer Service Representative team to your account. Your team are professionals who understand your business and can address urgent needs immediately. Our managers are kept posted on your account and individual needs on a daily basis.

It’s time to upgrade your health and beauty e-commerce business.

It is clear that the newest and coolest health and beauty companies are choosing to take a different type of route in order to build their businesses. Turning into a direct-to-consumer (D2C) through the power of e-commerce is the direction in which the industry is moving.

Simply put, a business that is trying to break into the e-commerce space and thrive will be unable to perform all the tasks listed above successfully—unless they choose to partner with a 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. Our established team has over 50 years of combined fulfillment experience. We will be able to guide you through the upscaling process and allow your company to keep up with the growing trends in the health and beauty industry. Contact FFI to help your e-commerce business continue growing.


Warehousing and Distribution for the Holiday Season


The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, but with all those holly jolly times, make sure your 3PL service can handle increased capacity. Holiday fulfillment can make or break your e-commerce business. Great holiday fulfillment is the key to great holiday sales. Already high customer expectations are rightfully higher around the holidays since everyone wants their gift to arrive on time. Standards for expedited turnaround are higher than ever; customers just do not tolerate a backordered inventory. This year especially, we are faced with even more challenges and lots of unknowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has reshaped the way consumers shop, increasing online and e-commerce sales. Retailers and e-commerce companies solve this bottleneck by working with a third party logistics company to help them take a load off their busy holiday season. Your holiday fulfillment operations are the key to success during this busy time, and a good partner can make your holiday fulfillment operations run smoothly.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is the 3PL service to provide the extra value you need all season long.

Your space may slowly be getting filled with stacked boxes reaching the ceiling in places like your office, hallways, and dare I say it, even your bathroom. When you choose to outsource your holiday warehousing and distribution to give you a safer workspace, that is not at risk of boxes collapsing on top of you and becoming an episode of Hoarders along with the extra staff that is needed so you don’t have to do any heavy lifting yourself. Once partnered with a 3PL service like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. for the big holiday rush that is ahead, then you will be free to order exactly what you are looking for right when you need it without any fear of where you will have to fit it in your cramped space. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date inventory only works when customers are notified of low inventory levels in a timely manner. You need to provide e-commerce customers information quickly to protect them from getting frustrated during a joyful time, so customer service response time is paramount.

On Demand Storage Space

Juggling storage space at this time of year is the worst, but after you have teamed up with a 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment Inc., you are quite literally renting out the space you need only when you need it.

Seasonal Demand

The hiring period during the holidays can be frustrating and highly competitive, but with a 3PL service like FFI by your side, you don’t have to worry about seasonal help. Rather than hiring your own people, you can rely on your 3PL service for some assistance for however long you need it and only when you need it. This ability can save your business a ton of both time and money since the warehouse staff is already trained and experienced at fulfillment, distributions, and pick & pack demands. When it comes to warehousing, e-commerce is continuously the driving force of growth. Planning for surge events like the holidays ensures there is space available. Utilizing past data and analyzing sales history provides insights that will help things run more smoothly. The historical data allows your fulfillment center to plan ahead to have enough staff on hand to anticipate the peaks and troughs of seasonal demand.

Accurate and Up-to-date Inventory

3PL’s like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. use a computerized system that is able to check products in and out of the inventory which provides you with a real-time inventory tracking system to make sure none of the products in the warehouse are out of place. You will not have to struggle with backordering when your company knows the precise moment to restock product.

Customer Service Response Time

During the holiday rush there will always be a few issues in order fulfillment. What is important is how customer service resolves the issues and how quickly. Fulco Fulfillment’s client service managers are extremely reliable and responsive when our customers contact us with questions, requests for assistance, or problems. Every one of our clients has their own dedicated client service support person to pick up the phone and call because customer experience needs to sit at the forefront. Our online order management systems (OMS) provide updates via email throughout the lifecycle of the order so that the customer is kept up to date with the progress of their order. This increases the confidence the customer has with their fulfillment company.

Looking for a 3PL Provider in NJ?

Do you think you will be stuffed with business this holiday season? It may be time to call a reliable 3PL service today, like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. located in Dover, NJ. With our help, we will guarantee that your holiday season will be headache free. Money will be saved, space will be freed, and you will be left feeling merry and bright! Give us a call at 973.361.1700 to discuss your needs.


Why a Third-party Logistics (3PL) Provider Makes Great Sense For Your Business


There are many reasons why your order fulfillment, warehousing and shipping needs may be best served by working with a third-party logistics provider (3PL). A 3PL provider can seamlessly scale to your supply chain demands by handling assembly needs, distribution, warehousing, outsourcing of supplies, order management system integration, fulfillment, inventory management, and shipping and tracking. By using a 3PL you can come closer to streamlining your entire fulfillment chain and utilizing warehousing space at our facility to clear valuable warehousing space at your facility to accommodate more revenue generating business activities.

Among the many key benefits of working with a 3PL is scalability. As your business grows and as your products gain greater distribution in the marketplace, you need a logistics partner that can ramp up services quickly when needed, and scale down when busy seasons subside. In the logistics and supply chain management business, many organizations outsource to a third-party logistics provider to take advantage of numerous elements of their services. Based on client needs, a 3PL can provide a single service to support the supply chain or deliver a bundle of services that can manage the entire process start to finish.

Understanding the 3PL Order Fulfillment Process

The 3PL order fulfillment process includes receiving, storing, picking and packing the order, shipping services and returns. Some 3PL companies also provide other logistics services referred to as value-added services: These include Amazon FBA prep services, kitting and specialty packaging and others. A 3PL provider will allow companies to leverage large networks of resources so they can develop a complete solution for this process.

Receiving

Pallet loaded receipts, UPS/FedEx/USPS small packages or floor-loaded containers are physically received at the warehouse and all material arrives with a packing list. Product IDs, quantities and descriptions are entered into the order management system (OMS) by the 3PL’s client service manager. A receiving report notification is automatically generated via email so all parties involved in the process are made aware of receipt.

Storage

Products are stored on flow shelves for ease of picking and any overflow is stored on full pallets. Storage combines bulk, racked and high-velocity pick areas for efficient storage and picking.

Picking and Packing

After orders are received and entered into the order management system a pick slip is generated. This indicates the products’ location so the picker can easily pick the order and pack it into the appropriately sized carton. A packing slip is also packed into the carton to indicate the contents before a label is applied with shipping information.

Shipping

Your 3PL should look for the best shipping rates on every package that leaves the warehouse. This requires them to be aware of the best current rates from all carriers including FedEx, UPS, USPS or LTL freight.

Returns

Returns can be a hassle if you don’t have the capacity or order management system in place to handle items ordered by mistake, damaged during the shipping process, or other various reasons. Handling returns with ease should be part of your part of your 3PL’s process and an important part of the customer experience.

Taking Advantage of value-added 3PL services

Kitting and Assembly

Kitting and assembly are often required for distributions that a client may have. You can rely on a 3PL such as Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. to execute and manage the kitting flawlessly.

Specialty Packaging

Your 3PL is experienced in dealing with a variety of packages, so they can help you save money through their established network of material suppliers. They know how to make your package secure and make sure the contents are protected during shipping.

Amazon FBA Prep Services

Is your business selling on Amazon? Fulco Fulfillment are specialists in dealing with confusing Amazon processes and can walk you through best practices and make sure you are meeting all of the FBA requirements.

A 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. will Save your Organization Time & Money

Many forward-thinking companies realize the benefits of outsourcing to a 3PL. By not spending money on extra square footage and warehousing, and by investing in a partnership with a reliable 3PL they can expect to save money. Having more space in your office building is another benefit of a 3PL. Overflow storage kept at a 3PL warehouse eliminates office clutter and chaos. Outsourcing to a 3PL can mean significant benefits for a business as it grows and faces more complex supply-chain management and logistics challenges. This partnership eliminates the need to buy or rent warehouse space. Without this partnership and continued company growth, internal costs would continue to escalate including order management system, equipment costs, employee insurance, etc.

Save Time

Time consuming events that can be eliminated, including: packing boxes, arranging logistics, LTL and transportation, setting up technologies and hiring additional labor can free your organization up so you can focus more time on your core business.

As your business expands, managing the supply chain can become difficult and costly. Mistakes made in logistics can damage the customer experience, stunt your business’ growth, and eat into your profits. That’s why it’s important to select a 3PL partner with outstanding references and a substantial track record of success.

Making the most of Peak Seasons

If holiday or other peak seasons are your busiest and most important times of the year, a 3PL provider can manage the processes seamlessly so you can maximize profits during your peak seasons. Regardless of when that peak season occurs, taking orders, picking them, packing them, and shipping them can be extremely time consuming, especially while trying to run your business as a whole. The stress of keeping on top of shipments, along with everything else, can really put a damper on your business. The easiest, and most efficient, way to get through the peak season rush is with a 3PL provider. Preparing for this in advance, and understanding why a 3PL provider is so important, will put your business ahead of the game, and it will allow you to get everything in order before the holiday seasons really begin.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. Helps Business Succeed Year-round

While it might feel strange relinquishing control of the fulfillment process to an outside company, by working with an experienced 3PL such as Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. you can leave all the operational details to us, freeing you up to focus more on other aspects of your supply chain and your core business goals. Let’s discuss your logistics needs. Our warehouse is conveniently located in Northern New Jersey near major highways easily accessible from New England to the Mid-Atlantic. To learn more, call 973.361.1700 or request a quote by filling out the contact form.


How Do Modern 3PL Providers Reduce Packaging Costs and Streamline Time to Market?


Every corporate logistics manager wants to find a better way to manage their packaging workflows and speed their products to market. After all, time is money!

Located in Dover, NJ, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is a full-service 3PL provider that aims to answer both needs, as well as many more.

By providing clients with an integrated solution and one point of contact to manage vendors and cut out middlemen, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is able to coordinate the design, assembly, purchasing and delivery of a wide range of packaging materials; in the end saving production and distribution costs that can make a big difference for a client’s bottom line.

Managing packaging work flow every step of the way.

Only the most equipped 3PL providers have the capacity to manage packaging projects and all they entail from start to finish. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. specializes in helping clients reduce administrative costs and streamline logistics resulting in everything from quicker turnaround to reduced freight costs.

If you’re presently shipping your products out to a packaging provider only to have them sent back to you to store in your warehouse, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. can help you skip the extra freight costs and speed the cycle time by handling every aspect of your package design, packing, warehousing and distribution needs.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.’s custom-designed Order Management System enables clients to assign understock levels to avoid packaging supplies from being depleted. When packaging inventory reaches the replenishment level an alert is triggered and emails are generated. The client and their Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. client representative are notified that packaging is running low and it’s time to reorder, thereby avoiding delays and keeping back orders to a minimum, if not eliminated all together.

FFI’s 3PL services provide many multi-level benefits worth considering:

  • Reduction in product turnaround time and speed cycle time
  • One point of contact when utilizing a single facility for your complete packaging
  • Eliminate middlemen and maintain control of project management
  • Eliminate packaging supply out of stock or backorder situations
  • Reduce administration and freight costs
  • Stunning package design and flawless execution to maximize savings.

Why is a 3PL the right choice for your packaging solutions?

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. works with experienced package designers who are steeped in packaging guidelines that conform to specifications as set by the client’s industry. Every design is checked carefully throughout the design and production process to make sure they qualify for the lowest freight options and avoid dimensional weight charges. While packaging is a unique part of the company’s comprehensive menu of logistics services, the true advantage is when you combine all of these services under one roof. Working with one single contact affords greater clarity and communication throughout the process thereby mitigating any chance of surprises emerging along the way. This coordination allows shipping deadlines to be met.

From start to finish, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. keeps clients engaged in the process ensuring that the prototypes produced accurately represent not only what the client’s package will look like but how it covers all the bases from regulatory requirements to freight charges.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.’s unique cutting-edge technologies enable a streamlined end-to-end production process guided by one-vendor accountability to meet all of your print and packaging needs, including:

  • Specific pallets to meet your requirements
  • Gift boxes
  • Customized packing tape
  • Glue dots
  • Polybags
  • Kits
  • Belly bands
  • Inserts
  • Labels
  • Test samples
  • Shrink wrap
  • Tubes
  • Cartons and more.

Specialty packaging: Is your 3PL provider fully equipped to do the job?

Throughout the year and particularly leading up to the holidays, brand managers need to plan far in advance to ensure their specialty packaging needs are ready to meet timely delivery. Attempting to fulfill these processes and meet these timelines in-house is out of the question for most retailers and consumer goods manufacturers. That’s why many choose to outsource their gift and promotional packaging to a 3PL provider who can source all of the elements that are needed, assemble them into the final deliverable, and then warehouse and distribute them.

A fully capable 3PL should be able to manage the entire design, production, packing, warehousing and distribution processes preferably all under one roof to eliminate the extra costs associated with transporting materials back and forth. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. manages every aspect associated with specialty packaging going so far as to include applying secondary packaging such as gift wraps or packing special theme kits to assist in customer retention and to drive sales growth.

There are benefits to choosing a 3PL provider in a centralized location.

The closer a 3PL provider is to several or more transportation hubs the better freight costs can be managed. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc., for example, is located at the veritable crossroads of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, virtually sitting alongside I-80 where it intersects with I-287. The company is within driving distance of every important commercial center within the critical radius that spans from Boston to Washington, D.C., and its fulfillment center is just 45 minutes from mid-town Manhattan.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.’s convenient location is just one reason why it is the custom warehousing and fulfillment solutions provider for some of the most well-known brands in the world. With expertise gained over 20 years serving multiple industries, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is able to fast track your packaging processes in the most creative, cost-effective, and business savvy ways possible. To learn more, call 973.361.1700 or email hello@ffiweb.com.


Third-Party Logistics (3PL): Because Logistics and Supply Chain Management Matters More than Ever


There are many reasons why turning over your company’s logistics and supply chain management to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider makes total sense. Chief among these is that it lets your company do what it does best: make and sell products rather than distributing, warehousing and fulfilling orders. That’s what Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. does better than anyone.

Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. is the 3PL of choice for some of the largest, most widely recognized companies in the world. We support leading industries where fulfillment, warehousing, sales force distribution, kitting and other services are keys to success, including pharmaceuticals and healthcare, ecommerce, manufacturing, education, and many more.

We are a conduit for our customers to large networks of resources enabling them to take advantage of our complete solutions for assembling, packaging, warehousing, distribution and transportation support. Working from a 161,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center in Dover, NJ, Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. provides:

  • Unparalleled supply chain management experience
  • Faster turnaround
  • More cost-efficient assembling, packaging, warehousing and distribution
  • Wide-ranging resources to support every distribution initiative
  • Scalability and flexibility, and more.

An experienced 3PL can make all the difference in your logistics performance.

Are you certain that your internal logistics department has sufficient access to all of the modern resources and relationships that have been cultivated by Fulco Fulfillment, Inc., an organization that specializes in streamlining supply chain management 24/7/365? If not don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, we help our clients leverage our expertise and the relationships we’ve built to access volume discounts that can lower overhead costs and enact faster turnaround.

Consider the benefits of outsourcing your logistics to Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.

Better supply chain management, convenience and cost savings are just a few of the initial benefits offered by Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. But there’s much more:

  • Expertise. We have the organizational experience and depth of knowledge that far surpasses your internal fulfillment operations. For over 20 years we have been fine-tuning our logistics and supply chain management services so that you can realize the greatest cost efficiencies.
  • Dedicated service manager. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. will assign you a dedicated client service manager who can guide you through everything from figuring out the filler material and the box best suited for an order, to packing and dispatching your orders in a timely manner most considerate of your budget.
  • IT systems. Our data management systems are unparalleled, including order management and warehouse management systems that are constantly updated and adapted to match the requirements of your business and its suppliers.
  • Space saving. Free up your warehousing and shipping/receiving space as well as the clutter inherent in these operations for more billable business activities. By moving these services to Fulco Fulfillment, Inc., you’ll save time and money as you grow your business.
  • Save on postal and freight services. We will present you with the best way to save money on postage and shipping charges, such as taking advantage of zone skipping when shipments allow.
  • Crunch times or seasonal slowdowns, we’re ready. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.’s services are highly scalable, meaning you’re not locked into costs that can stymie flexibility during off-season, holiday, or transitional periods when business ebbs and flows.
  • Focus on what you do best. Our logistics services allow your company to focus on your core business, leaving the fulfillment, inventory management, pick, pack and ship to us.
  • Packaged your way. You don’t need to sacrifice the quality of your branded packaging. Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. ensures the quality of your packaging is maintained always.

Why choose Fulco Fulfillment, Inc. for your 3PL?

The better question might be: why wouldn’t you choose us? For beginners, we have the business volume, references, past performance and technology that are proven to be unsurpassed in the industry. Our problem solving and client communication skills are key attributes that help us deliver for our clients every day.

We understand that every client’s expectations are constantly evolving and we pride ourselves on meeting those expectations head on. As a highly reliable 3PL partner to our clients, we can handle your business volumes no matter how large or small your business is and how much you need stored, packaged, and shipped. Furthermore, we are expert planners and can easily maintain our day-to-day operations no matter whether your product numbers go up or down.

Our references speak for themselves.

Much of our business comes from referrals, which means we must be doing something right! We understand with each referral we receive there is a client on the other end who is putting their reputation on the line, and so we dedicate ourselves to protect that client in everything we do. We strive to be an excellent asset to our customers and to help them build their businesses with every project undertaken.

Do you require a 3PL you can count on? Choose Fulco Fulfillment, Inc.

We invite you to come visit our offices and 161,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center, conveniently located nearby routes 80, 287, 280, 78 and 46 in Dover, NJ. You’ll see for yourself how well-organized, detail-oriented fulfillment services and warehousing can have an immediate impact on your sales and marketing processes. To schedule an appointment, call 973.361.1700.