Category: 3PL

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.