If you are one of those who think that a logistics operator is someone who is only in charge of taking merchandise from one place to another, you are very wrong. Although transport is one of the most common logistics tasks, companies are increasingly including more solutions to meet the needs of their customers. Today we are going to review some of the more traditional transport services and also those complementary services that have been added over time to complete the logistics offer.
Traditional Transport Services
Full load
The use of a trailer loaded with the merchandise of a single client to take it directly to its destination. Full load is one of the most used services due to its simplicity and for offering good prices for those companies capable of filling an entire truck for their shipments.
groupage
Groupage is the little brother of full load. Designed for those companies or those shipments in which the load does not occupy an entire trailer, groupage offers the possibility of improving the cost in exchange for having to share space with other merchandise.
urgent pallet shop
The constant reduction in the size of the batches has generated a new market niche with the shipment of small batches of pallets, below what is generally known as groupage. This new service, which is experiencing tremendous growth in recent years, has served both large companies -which have increased the frequency of their batches to minimize inventory costs– and small ones, which do not reach the volumes of the full charge.
The urgent shipment of pallets is also experiencing a great development in delivery times. With initiatives such as a.m. (before noon) and TODAY (on the same day) of our Palibex network, the terms are being reduced to get closer to those of the courier.
parcel
Parcel is another of the transport services that is experiencing a sweet moment. The explosion of electronic commerce has an indispensable ally in the development of parcels. Ecommerce has forced parcels to transform and they have responded by providing new forms of delivery and deadlines that were unimaginable until recently.
Storage
Between the time of manufacture and the time of distribution, the goods need to be housed somewhere. As we have already commented, firms want to reduce their stock levels, since these represent an expense. However, reducing them does not mean that they can always be eliminated. The alternative that the company in charge of transport is also the one that stores the product is still a very common solution and one of the most used transport services.
intermodal
Despite the reign of the road, both air and rail are claimed as alternatives for transport services. From certain distances the plane is unbeatable in delivery speed. And the same happens with the boat when we talk about the price, despite the fact that we have to extend the delivery period. These methods of transport usually end up resorting to the road as a last resort, but the drive for intermodal logistics is a reality to be taken into account by all those in charge of designing a supply chain.
10 transport and logistics services to complement customer service
Logistics operators have never stayed in the previous points, but have always been adding products and services to complete their offer. Let’s see some of these activities that add value to customers:
Pallet preparation
If we want our pallet to arrive safely at its destination, we need to prepare it carefully. Logistics operators are specialists in making sure that the merchandise that passes through their hands comes out in the best conditions. The steps to prepare a pallet range from reviewing the pallet itself to fixing the merchandise on it and the order of placement of its components, according to their weight and dimensions.
Inventory control
If storage was one of the traditional logistics services, its development implies a whole series of functions that add value to the user company. Among them is the control of inventories, which makes it easier for the client to know their stocks, the speed of rotation, the supply of demand, etc.
depalletization
The need for door-to-door deliveries is growing in a market where deliveries to individuals continue to rise. Many times it is no longer enough to take the merchandise to an address, but rather the recipient requires that it be delivered depalletized.
The logistics operator is currently a key business ally for the success of companies
packaging
Logistics operators can also get involved in the work of packaging. Both when it comes to preparing orders and conditioning pallets so that they travel safely, as well as acting as consultants with their clients, helping them decide the ideal way to pack their goods and make them travel more safely.
order preparation
The more complex the logistical needs of a company are, the more difficult and important the preparation of their orders usually entails. And it is another of the areas that has benefited the most from technological advances and process automation, such as assisted picking and warehouse automation. However, it is important to know how to assess the investment that we are going to make in these tools, since making them profitable will depend to a large extent on the volumes that we are going to have to treat.
Risk management
Once again, we find ourselves with a transport service that is gaining importance as the complexity of the supply chain grows. Smaller customers sometimes do not feel the need or believe they do not have the resources to create a risk plan that analyzes their processes. Either because they seem simple enough or because they cannot allocate the necessary effort, time and resources (staff assigned to create it, duplication of materials or facilities, etc.).
However, companies need to know what their potential risks are and what times they could manage in the event of a ‘logistical crisis’. This is where the logistics operator can help companies anticipate difficulties and calculate replacement periods, necessary safety stock levels, etc.
If there is a transport service that by definition goes beyond delivery: reverse logistics. This encompasses the actions that occur after the product has reached its destination. The ability of logistics operators to collaborate in the reverse logistics of their clients (collection, classification, return, etc.) in a service with increasing demand in recent years. And, again, currently promoted by electronic commerce, with all the tasks associated with the return of shipments.
Delivery at convenience points
Another new service related to the ecommerce explosion. Home deliveries, although they are still the preferred option, have the difficulty that the recipient is often absent. Logistics companies have devised these solutions in which they leave the merchandise in a place -public establishment, business, etc.- so that it can be picked up by the buyer when it is most convenient for him. Again, a case where transportation services go beyond traditional delivery.
big data
Technology is one of the factors that is most influencing supply chains. Shippers are implementing big data to gain insight into their own customers, the markets in which they compete, and also their logistics capabilities and performance. Transport companies can help in this task by offering a wealth of data on the supply chain.
Indicators of performance
To translate all the Big Data figures we need to design performance indicators. Logistics partners can collaborate both when designing which indicators are the most relevant for the company and in the task of providing said data. Know the orders that we are able to process in a certain time, the delivery times, the percentage of erroneous orders, etc. it will be much easier to achieve with the help of your logistics operator.
All these examples make clear the distance that exists between a comprehensive logistics operator today and mere conventional transport services. Today the logistics operator is not a mere messenger for the merchandise but a key business ally for the success of the companies and a vital support for the logistics of the companies.
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