The Importance of Logistics in the Import and Export Business
The most valuable and irreplaceable commodity in your life is your time. This means there is no practical or logical reason why you should waste it trying to figure out the safest, most efficient, and affordable way to ship your products, whether it be across state lines or oceans. Your time should be spent doing what you do best – providing exceptional service and products to your customers.
The importance of logistics in the import and export business is irrefutable and can arguably be one of the most important aspects to the success of your company. Often times the best way to ensure efficient, accurate, and robust supply of your products on time and in the same condition as they left either domestically or internationally, is to hire a third-party logistics company. Hiring a 3PL provider will not only give you back some of your sacred time, but it also gives you assurance that you will have the resources to promise consistent deliveries to your customer and real-time oversight of the entire process.
Need a few more reasons?
Multi-faceted 3PL companies have a lot to offer under one roof.
From designing customized freight spend management services, supply chain consulting, and providing both domestic and international transportation options, established third-party logistics companies can seamlessly manage all of your logistics needs. This can also include value-added services such as warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution. Experienced providers have also invested the capital to streamline their entire process, which would be cost prohibitive and require an immense level of expertise to try to replicate within your own company.
Land, Sea, and Air: 3PL service providers find the best way to get it there
Working collaboratively with airline, ship, rail, and trucking companies, a 3PL can work with their network to determine the most efficient, safe, and cost-effective way to get your product to the desired destination. Whether it needs to be transported via land, sea, or air, the right service provider can professionally handle, coordinate, and manage the port-to-port and door-to-door pick-up, tracking, delivery, and storage of your goods.
A combination of strengths creates the best 3PL company
To be a top logistics company in the market today, companies must consistently demonstrate certain strengths. This includes: exceptional communication and organizational skills, an ability to foresee (and eliminate) potentially-problematic areas of concern, investment in the right technology, and a zero tolerance for mistakes with a “no-excuses” mindset.
Success is in the details
While it is impossible to micro-manage every aspect of every individual (and their companies) involved in the shipment of your products, it is possible to demand nothing less than professional service every step of the way. Successful logistics companies establish and maintain open and ongoing communication with their clients, their providers, and the buyers’ representatives receiving the deliveries. This should give you peace-of-mind and ensure that you don’t have to waste energy worrying about where a shipment is, if it’s safe, and that it will be delivered on time.
Your product is important to you and getting it to its destination – on time, within budget, and undamaged – is critical. Focus on manufacturing and creating top-notch products and the best service possible for your customers. Let an established, quality-oriented logistics company handle the rest.
