Logistics strategy can often be an afterthought, or at least not an area of focus, for new brands. Product development and marketing take center stage and shipping is seen as a necessary (but aggravating) part of doing business. However, when brands start to think about logistics from a strategic standpoint, particularly in the early stages […]
Read MoreTopic: Cost Savings Strategies
Which Transportation Strategy? CPU vs. Delivered Pricing
How a consumer product company gets its goods to buyers and on to retail shelves is an integral part of the cost equation. Decisions made around delivery can make the difference between costly transportation and healthy margins. There are two popular scenarios for delivery: Retailers will pick up the product, using their own fleet or […]
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5 Ways Logistics Operations Can Support a Growing Brand
What your business is today is not what it will be in the future. Emerging brands want to get big – big companies want to get bigger. One thing they all have in common is the need for logistics operations that can enable growth – and this takes foresight. It also includes anticipating the capabilities […]
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Transportation Solutions for Refrigerated Freight
Would you ever ship dry, non-perishable goods on a temperature controlled trailer? Most often, the answer would be no. Temperature-controlled trucks can present higher costs and lower capacity than traditional vehicles. Reefers are 10-20% more expensive and cold chain as a whole can be as much as 50% more expensive. Note: Temperature controlled vehicles, including […]
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Freight Misclassification and Avoiding Accessorial Charges
The most avoidable reason for accessorial charges on less-than-truckload (LTL) freight is the inaccuracy of information included with a shipment and the subsequent need for freight reclassification. Too often, freight brokers ask too few questions and send carriers incomplete order details. And when a carrier suspects that the weight or classification of your freight is […]
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Control of Your Inbound Transportation Charges
Inbound transportation charges – fees related to the delivery of goods into a business – are often overlooked. Why? Unfortunately, when product is shipped, the freight cost can be buried in a supplier invoice, combined with the cost of goods purchased. Combining costs in this way may be simpler to manage from an administrative perspective, […]
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LTL Freight Consolidation and Its Benefits to Shippers
There is a core principle behind shipping costs; as volume goes up, per unit shipping costs go down. In practical terms, this means it is often to shippers’ advantage to combine shipments (consolidate) whenever possible to get a higher total volume, which will, in turn, lower overall transportation expenditures. Benefits of Freight Consolidation While saving […]
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Transportation Chargebacks: How Beverage Manufacturers Can Avoid Extra Expenses
A version of this article originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of Beverage World Magazine. While it’s safe to say beverage companies watch their trucking costs closely, unplanned delivery related expenses still manage to pile up. These incurred costs include the chargebacks and other penalties that every beverage company shipping to large ‘big box’ retailers […]
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Walmart’s New Standards: Overcoming Retail Compliance Challenges
https://sfa.ziplinelogistics.com/blog/walmart-otif-may-2019/ Andrew Lynch, Co-Founder and President of Zipline Logistics, shares with Logistics Management how companies can overcome the challenges presented by Walmart’s new on-time delivery standards. Effective February 2017, Walmart is going to require its suppliers (shippers) to meet a two-day shipping window instead of its previous four-day window, as well as up its required […]
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Shifting Away from Generalist Strategies in Logistics
A version of this article originally appeared in the August/September 2016 issue of Global Trade Magazine. Remarkably, the term third-party logistics (3PL) made its way into industry vocabulary just over 20 years ago. New transportation and warehousing companies seemed to materialize overnight and solutions to complex supply chain issues abounded. We entered into an age […]
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