The demand for a solid third-party logistics (3PL) provider has never been greater.  Last year, the global market for these companies’ services reached $1.47 trillion USD, and while this is nearly double what it was in 2016, it marks a 14.5 percent increase on 2021. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this stratospheric growth cannot be ignored. The ‘sink or swim’ scenario forced businesses to move towards e-commerce and put pressure on their logistics providers. A new necessity for swift order processing, delivery, and returns management also demanded a raised level of efficiency across all industries.

Recognizing the need for specialized expertise and infrastructure to navigate the complexities of e-commerce, an increasing number of companies have transitioned from second-party logistics (2PL) and a self-managed supply chain, to leveraging the services of 3PL providers. The shift lets companies tap into the vast experience and resources of established logistics partners who possess the necessary technological capabilities and network reach to handle the intricacies of e-commerce operations, particularly when international.

By outsourcing their logistics functions, businesses can focus on their core goals while benefiting from the expertise of these specialized partners. The 3PL team will streamline processes, optimize inventory management, and enhance overall supply chain efficiency without any time or energy from company executives commissioning their services.

Source: KCH Transportation

Not only did this transition to 3PL alleviate the burden on companies to invest in and manage their own logistics infrastructure, but it also allowed them to adapt to the dynamic e-commerce landscape, responding swiftly to changing market demands and scaling operations as required.

Saying that, not all 3PL providers are created equal. Last September, the CartonCloud Logistics Index whitepaper found that the most common ways companies provide additional support on top of their standard operations are increased visibility, order tracking, and customer integrations. Examples of the latter are automating data entry and sending frequent order updates. However, 35 percent of respondents also revealed that, in reality, their company lacks the resources to capture and track the data required for these features.

While the report added that many of the participating organizations plan to investigate fleet and warehouse technology updates in the future, it is crucial for the customer to consider the capabilities they provide today. Given that there are currently over 570,000 long-distance freight trucking businesses in the US to choose from, it is essential to assess them from a  technological view to ensure that specific logistics needs are met efficiently.

Businesses stand to benefit greatly from pairing with a 3PL provider that utilizes advanced digital systems. An online portal brings convenience and transparency to managing the logistics process for end-users who aren’t massively digitally fluent. With simple visibility into shipment status and updates, customers can proactively manage their inventory and address any potential issues. Choosing to outsource to a 3PL over managing your own transport network has significant advantages that come from the deep insights technology brings.

Source: KCH Transportation

One 3PL company that offers tech-driven benefits and more is KCH Transportation. Established in 2004, the company provides freight services for loads of any shape or size, from liquid bulk to oversized equipment, across the US and beyond. Its portal presents data from an industry-standard transportation management system (TMS) that looks at each aspect of the shipping process. Real-time data on the status of a delivery replaces the unreliable trackers offered by transport service providers that update only periodically, for example. This also makes handover at shift change easy, as the new handler will have all the shipment information they require at hand.

KCH Transportation leverages advanced routing and weather monitoring systems by using the Trucker Tools app. This ensures trucks are not delayed by road closures or adverse weather conditions (or if they are, you know about it in real-time), allowing them to maintain reliable delivery schedules. Avoiding these seemingly small obstacles is all the more critical today, given the widescale disruption caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID-related bottlenecks, and labor shortages. The Trucker Tools app also indicates the cheapest fuel along a driver’s route, allowing them to reduce their overall transportation cost. KCH Transportation passes on these savings to the customer.

This isn’t the only way the 3PL company saves its customers money. It uses an integrated intelligence system that matches shipments to the most cost-effective and reliable carriers. KCH Transportation also makes use of sophisticated transportation software for greater control over LTL shipments (where the truck carries the deliveries of multiple companies). The feature combines the visibility and service one would expect from a full truckload with the lower price of an LTL. These tools, and more, allow for seamless pickup, shipping, and delivery of customers’ goods all over the world.

Find out how KCH Transportation can upgrade your logistics by getting in touch with one of its advisors.

The post Track your parcel: Why 3PL visibility is essential for smooth-running international logistics appeared first on TechHQ.

Getting products from point A to point B usually involves a whole alphabet of trouble. Even when you’ve organized transport with the cheapest or fastest providers you can find, too much time still gets spent on short-term firefighting.

We all know 3PL. But let’s consider 2PL. Running second-party logistics (2PL) means managing your own network of transport companies as if they were your own. Transport operations shouldn’t be the focus of your company but let’s look at some of the troubles that happen when you run logistics by the seat of your pants:

– tracking trucks on third-party sites via fragile APIs

– sorting invoices from multiple services providers

– chasing over-charges and matching paperwork

– making full loads out of multiple parts

All that time spent putting out fires means expensive professionals can’t give their best value. And the people with experience in the company are too busy to strategize and plan. Even if new opportunities come knocking at the door, traffic managers and IT departments are at capacity, stuck in Excel docs, or troubleshooting legacy systems.

SMEs using 2PL probably aren’t hiring new employees, and we know training staff is impossible for overstretched businesses, especially when the needed skillset is best learned on the job. And who has time to train new hires when you’re barely getting ahead of shipments as it is?

KCH is a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) provider that takes the worry away. Established in 2004, the company has grown organically to provide freight services across the US. You could hire, train, and manage a new team, but why? And why pay more? For a lower cost, you can outsource to KCH, and by doing so, you outsource your headaches, too!

Source: KCH Transportation

Consider some of the advantages. If they weren’t wasting time debugging and fighting fires, IT professionals could do the specialized work that you pay them to. KCH leverages an industry-standard transport management system (TMS) to bring each aspect of freight transportation together in one easy-to-use portal.

Through the portal, businesses can get real-time information on the whereabouts of their products and the progress of deliveries. This means companies no longer need to use unreliable trackers on service provider websites or “updates” that are 24 hours out of date.

The Trucker Tools app that KCH uses has other benefits, too. Trucks are less likely to be held up by road closure with weather tracking and monitored traffic patterns. Best of all, Trucker Tools makes sure that drivers refill at the lowest possible prices, and those savings on fuel are passed back to you, the customer.

A specialty that KCH offers is intermodal shipping solutions. They take over the stress of negotiating with multiple parties just to get product where it should be, when it should be. Instead of juggling prices and likely several Excel sheets to negotiate the best value, you can see it right there on a single screen.

Another time and energy-saving service is LTL coordination with the range of options, transparency, and cost that you’d expect from FTL.

In 2023 there are already 597,802 long-distance freight trucking businesses in the US. Maybe you’ve been exhausting yourself looking for better deals or had sleepless nights worrying about operational details that only you know. KCH uses pre-screened asset-based carrier partners to set those worries at rest.

Shipping services enabled through KCH are as reliable booked two hours ahead of time as booked two months in advance. Solutions are personalized, fast, and friendly and are provided by a company staffed with personnel who are logistics specialists. Whatever your specific needs, the KCH Transportation team will have heard of it (or something like it), and they already speak your language. When CKS Packaging approached KCH with a last-minute request, KCH’s rescue event launched less than 10 minutes after the request.

Customer service at KCH is important: they deliver a “white glove” service to fulfill your company’s product transportation. We’ve all gotten used to hold music, but superfast call-back support by KCH customer service means being second in the queue is over.

Source: KCH Transportation

KCH can also handle shipments that need special treatment. Getting an over-dimensional or HAZMAT shipment to where it needs to be won’t take extra planning or worry. KCH handles (for instance) permits ahead of schedule and meets safety requirements in every State that your product goes through.

The scope of KCH’s services doesn’t mean a hard-to-learn system for brokering transportation. Remember, the team is about logistics, not high-end tech! The customer portal has all the information needed to keep you up to date: what’s where, when will it arrive, when can it be picked up. Because the site is so simple, the handover of responsibility at shift change can happen smoothly and without delaying any product movement.

Dependable shipping, as a given, means you can start growing your business. KCH is an affiliate of FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), which has a no-fail expectation for any mission. Read how FEMA’s Hurricane Ida response relied on KCH’s system of tracking and documentation to ensure no-fail.

To read full case studies on KCH’s shipping solutions and customer testimonials or to get a quote within minutes, visit the website at https://kchtrans.com/.

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