Industries have undergone a rapid transformation throughout the last decade, and in the wide-sweeping changes, logistics has emerged as a competitive advantage for healthcare shippers.
Those who can exercise control and uncover visibility into key supply chain processes have begun to fare better than competitors. Some of the largest shippers have taken note, viewing logistics as not just a cost of doing business and have instead chosen to view it as an investment that can help them scale their businesses.
As a result, the most forward-thinking enterprises have evolved their view of third-party logistics providers. They have begun working with them on a more strategic level to unlock mutual partnership benefits.
Many across different sectors have realized that long-term logistics partnerships can offer more visibility, uncover synergies in the supply chain, reduce costs, and increase profitability.
Why Healthcare Shippers Should Look to Strategic Logistics Partnerships
Successful brands, irrespective of industry, all have one thing in common—an efficient supply chain. Wielding one can both reduce costs and improve company-wide performance.
For many brands outside the scope of a few of the largest industry leaders, an effective relationship with a true logistics partnership can be the optimal way to achieve those seemingly conflicting goals of lower costs and better performance.
According to a report from Gartner about 3PL relationships, “Customer attitudes toward their third-party logistics outsource providers are changing for the better, however, that pace of change needs to accelerate.”
It continues, “Some companies must address their inherent mistrust of 3PLs. Otherwise they will never unlock all of the added value that a more strategic, rather than transactional, 3PL relationship can bring to their logistics operation.”
For enterprises without extensive logistics infrastructure and personnel, which can be cost-prohibitive, third-party providers can fill a much-needed gap, augmenting healthcare shippers’ delivery performance. They do this through specialization, technology stems, understanding of complex logistics functions, and value-added service.
What Can You Expect from a Logistics Partnership?
There are many benefits to the right logistics partnership. Often, healthcare shippers need greater supply chain visibility and KPI monitoring. Both of which a true logistics partner can undoubtedly provide.
A logistics provider should come equipped with advanced industry technology—often a transportation management system—that can give your organization more visibility into its supply chain.
This access can allow healthcare shippers to drill into a shipment, which provides both trackability and traceability—both critical competencies in the supply chain improvement process.
A true logistics partner can also provide your organization with time-saving benefits that can free up personnel to focus on other more core business issues. Value-added logistics providers can take responsibilities off your plate, add efficiencies, solve problems, and save you money.
Through specialized services, a logistics provider can provide a consultative approach that can be a catalyst to furthering your organization’s growth. Because of their understanding of complex supply chain functions and specialized industry knowledge, value-added logistics providers can help enterprises better understand how their operation needs to perform to meet customer demand.
Investing in Logistics to Improve Performance for Healthcare Shippers
As modern commerce has evolved, logistics has followed suit. This development has transformed logistics from a cost of doing business to a proven way to differentiate your business from your competitors’.
Healthcare shippers, and others in many other industries, should no longer view logistics as a simple expense. Instead, it should be approached as an investment that can help lower overall costs, improve customer relationships, and add to profitability.
As specialists in the industry, logistics providers should offer more than transactional arrangements for your organization.
With extensive industry knowledge and expertise, a logistics provider can make network recommendations that can also cut costs.
A logistics provider, equipped with the latest shipping technology, can make distribution network suggestions that can reduce overall spend and improve on-time percentages. Improvement opportunities, like consolidation programs or warehouse reconfigurations, can go a long way to substantially reducing transportation costs.
Work with a Specialized Logistics Provider
Zipline Logistics is built to enable healthcare shippers to succeed at delivering their products to their important customers.
Through a specialized approach to moving time-sensitive and high service-level products, we work with brands of all sizes to meet receivers’ growing demands.
Zipline can help you find supply chain improvement opportunities through our consultative approach to logistics.
We provide value-added logistics services by delivering on promises, reducing supply chain costs, modernizing best practices, increasing logistics flexibility, and providing needed visibility into operations.
Reach out to Discuss Partnership Today
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