Third-Party Logistics (3PL) plays a crucial role in supply chain movement. Businesses can save time and money by finding a 3PL provider they trust with expertise and experience in their specific industry. What should you look for in a 3PL partner? How does 3PL work? The right 3PL provider will provide customized suggestions, based on your needs, to help improve supply chain movement.
What is 3PL?
A 3PL provider offers a service, or multiple services, to help with supply chain movement. This could include warehousing, transportation, and/or distribution. A partner like Sunland Logistics Solutions will handle your inventory management with ease. Ultimately, an experienced partner will be able to provide services based on your needs and help streamline your supply chain movement.
How Does 3PL Work?
The full operation of working with a 3PL provider includes outsourcing supply chain functions and processes. Some key processes included in this operation are inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipping.
Overall, inventory management with a 3PL provider will help minimize cost and inventory waste. You’ll be able to gain visibility to top-selling products, along with slower-moving products, to help you stay in control of customer demand. Working with a 3PL provider gives you access to a warehouse management system providing insight on inventory levels, cycle counting, and bar code scanning abilities. Based on the inventory being stored, you’ll need to find a provider that meets the necessary protocols and standards for your specific type of materials.
Order fulfillment could include a range of additional services like processing any orders, picking orders, and packing. Depending on the type of inventory, there could be specific picking routes that are necessary along with a packing process that keeps inventory safe during shipment. Sunland Logistics Solutions uses engineer-designed operations allowing you to optimize storage and picking methodologies. This gives you ultimate control over cost and timeline.
The shipping process will vary depending on the location, the product, and the timeline. As a 3PL provider, Sunland works with global shipping partners to plan and manage shipping methods. Shipping optimization allows you to control the shipping methods helping cut cost and time. Take advantage of the ability to track and trace shipments throughout the entire life cycle of that specific shipment.
Types of 3PL Providers
When finding the right 3PL provider, you need to have an idea of what you need or would expect. What sort of services do you need? There are a few different types: asset-based, management-based, and integrated.
An asset-based 3PL provider will already own the physical assets you need: warehouses, trucks, distribution centers, and other physical assets. Access to these types of assets allows for more flexibility with timelines, making them more reliable since they can control the use of their products and overall operation.
Management-based 3PL providers won’t have the physical assets but they can help with communication between the endpoints whether that is the business or the client/customer. A management-based 3PL provider would be able to ensure deadlines are met by optimizing timelines and efficiency.
Integrated 3PL providers do exactly what it sounds like – integrating services to streamline a process. An integrated 3PL provider is likely capable of handling everything from transportation to warehousing and anything in between. Working with an integrated 3PL provider will save time and money because the systems are done in-house or with already-established partnerships.
When looking for a 3PL provider, it is also important to consider their warehousing services. Dedicated warehousing is essentially outsourcing your warehousing operations management and is also referred to as contract warehousing. Multi-client warehousing means the provider has multiple clients utilizing a single warehouse. Public warehousing, or shared warehouses, are typically rented out for a specific amount of time versus a provider outright owning the warehouse.
Why choose Sunland Logistics Solutions for 3PL?
Working with a logistics provider, like Sunland, for all 3PL needs gives you access to experts in the industry with unique services to fit your needs. Sunland offers services like multi-client warehousing, port logistics, value-added services, and plant and shuttle support. These services offer even more flexibility and customization to fit your business needs better. Not only does Sunland offer a diverse service selection, but you’ll also find expertise across multiple industries. From beverage and retail to chemical, industrial, and automotive, Sunland has the expertise to meet your 3PL needs.
Benefits of Partnering with Sunland
Aside from access to industry experts, partnering with Sunland Logistics Solutions gives you access to integrated systems with real-time inventory visibility, KPI Dashboards, and a Tier 1 Warehouse Management System. Sunland is continuously improving systems and the way clients are served. Our warehousing experts can ensure you’re getting all the necessary information needed from these systems and help make sure that data is working for you while keeping relationships and culture top of mind. The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) put together a resource highlighting the benefits of partnering with 3PL provider and the impact that partnership can have on performance.
Count on Sunland to take all the necessary factors into account when working to meet your goals. Whether you need to account for seasonality with inventory or specific timelines, our team can make sure everything works seamlessly.
Allowing Sunland to manage your logistics needs helps streamline communication and operational flow. This is reflected in improved performance on timed receipts and shipments along with business success and growth. Overall, working with Sunland Logistics Solutions brings efficacy, scalability, and supply chain visibility to light.
Find a Logistics Partner with Experience
Sunland’s goals are to meet your needs while offering a customized approach and remaining flexible to ensure your goals are met. You want to find a partner that will help improve your supply chain performance with lean warehouse solutions, connected technologies, and logistic services. Working with Sunland Logistics Solutions gives you access to a true partner working toward the same goals with technology and experience on your side.
