The Value of Logistics

Cost center, or differentiator? There are many areas of a business that struggle to answer this question.  We know that many organizations traditionally consider supply chain an area where money is spent – rather that one that can actually increase the revenue generated.  But just like business itself, that attitude is evolving.

Many things have changed, but some things haven’t.  One trend that we notice time and time again is lofty customer expectations.  Not only that, we find that with the Amazon Effect, the standards a customer expects a company to meet only increase.  This means there is a tremendous opportunity for your logistics processes to actually help your company stand out, increasing market share and your bottom line.  The question is: How?

Simply put, there are a lot of benefits to trusting a credible logistics company – a 3PL partner in particular.  A good 3PL will have a complete understanding of a client’s end-to-end supply chain, including demand cycle, shipping requirements, and delivery requirements.  This complete view enables the 3PL to optimize loads, identify efficiencies, respond to volume fluctuations and reduce transportation costs.  The 3PL can be your strategic partner that is constantly auditing transportation spend performance, providing greater visibility to a client’s supply chain, and making it easier to address adverse trends like overspending, delays and other inefficiencies.

A great 3PL partner, like ALS, has processes in place to manage fluctuating factors that are hard to predict.  It’s our job to make sure safeguards are in place to protect your business in the event of unforeseen occurrences.  Perhaps most critical, the right provider has an entire team in place to focus on your business.  We can execute on your strategy and apply resources to getting the best results – without adding hiring and staffing overhead to your expenses.

All of these factors combine to create real value for your organization.  An effective and efficient supply chain leads to more satisfied customers.  Satisfied customers become repeat customers – good for any company.  Not only that, ALS’ 3PL solution means that you’ll have a continuous improvement roadmap (CIR) in place, guiding day-to-day strategy that aligns with your corporate goals.  We offer improved capabilities that make your job easier and lead to a stronger ROI on your supply chain investments.

We have a terrific information session taking place later this month, where we’ll explore this topic further.  If there’s questions we can answer for you, or you want to hear more about this in person – or even if you just want to chat with other, like-minded businesses – take a look at what the event is all about.