We get it. If you have the right product and pricing, but no name recognition or organization, Fulfillment By Amazon gets you the basic organization and the marketing clout to quickly build sales, determine which products are your keys to growth, and build that track record and revenue stream. IDS can support your inbound shipments to Amazon, help reduce storage costs, and look for consolidation opportunities to lower these costs. Our Midwest location, and proximity to two Fulfillment By Amazon distribution centers can help lower your transportation expenses.
But you’re not starting a business just to help Amazon get bigger. Real success comes when you can build your own brand and mind-share with the market: when people seek out your name, whether at your own website, Amazon, or other retailers. If you have the products developed, the right sources, and the marketing in place, IDS provides you with your own distribution center. This means:
- Lower costs than selling through Fulfillment By Amazon – more of the margin goes to you (after all, you created the value – keep more of it!) And of course, no revenue sharing.
- Flexibility – from IDS you can sell through your own website, allow other sites (including Amazon) to sell through your site, and ship to retailers or others. IDS can service all the distribution channels. (That includes compliant shipping to the major retailers.)
- Great service – fast shipping, more personalized service to you (you will actually know the people supporting your business!).
- All the bells and whistles: gift messaging, kitting, custom packaging if desired, on-line and real-time data access, and more.
- Parcel shipping discounts and inbound freight management programs plus a low cost ship-from location means more opportunities to reduce costs and build your margins.
- You get to build value in a business that is branded and not reliant or beholden to any one retailer. That’s the key to building your business value and net worth.
IDS can support your initial start-up either through IDS or supporting your Fulfillment By Amazon program. More importantly, IDS has the tools and experience you need to support your business’s growth into an independent retail force. IDS delivers your competitive advantage!
Mike Jones, COO
Integrated Distribution Services, Inc.
www.teamidslogistics.com
In previous blog posts we have discussed order fulfillment being one of the most important aspects to achieve great customer service with your ecommerce customers. Sometimes just getting the package to the customer accurately and on time is not enough to get those customers to keep shopping with you. This blog post will discuss tips on ways you can entice customers to become  repeat shoppers through your order fulfillment operations.
Catalogs and Brochures
This may seem obvious to many e-tailers, but adding a catalog or brochure with information on your products can go a long way. What better time to hit a customer with more information than after they have purchased from you. If a catalog is not something that you offer or the cost to produce is too much than placing a brochure with several featured products can be just as effective.
Coupons
Placing a coupon with every order is a great way to incentivize shoppers to come back and spend more money. The coupons do not have to be much and having several different coupons being randomly placed into in every order is a good way to ensure loyal customers get something different each time. Several ideas for coupons:
- X% off your next order
- Free shipping on your next order
- Buy one get one free
- Get a free _______ with your next purchase
Add a Personal Touch
Letting your customers know that their package was packed with care especially for them is a great way to show them that you care about all of your customers. Adding a personal touch to each one of your orders can be done several ways. Inserting a card into each order stating “Packed with care by” and have the employee that packed the box sign their name. Include a special note on each one of your pack slips stating the person’s name and telling your customers that you appreciate the business.
When it comes to order fulfillment, ecommerce customers only care that their orders are fulfilled accurately and shipped timely. Many times that might not be enough to keep them coming back and by adding brochures, coupons, and a personal touch to your orders you can turn those one time shoppers into repeat customers.
For more information on how IDS Fulfillment Services can help you with your fulfillment needs please contact us.
Michael C. DeFabis
Sales and Marketing Coordinator | Integrated Distribution Services | www.teamidslogistics.com
E-mail: mcdefabis@teamidslogistics.com | Office: 317-203-8721
3100 Reeves Rd. Plainfield, IN 46168
Drop Shipping with a Fulfillment Company
For many wholesalers drop shipping can be a tremendous benefit and a great source of revenue for your company. It can also be a tremendous hassle and cause some difficulties in your supply chain. This blog post will discuss how working with a fulfillment company like Integrated Distribution Services (IDS) can help relieve some of those headaches and make drop shipping a viable source of revenue for your company.
 Drop Shipping Drop shipping is a technique in which the retailer does not hold goods or products in stock, but instead sends customer orders directly to the wholesaler or manufacturer, who then ships the products directly to the end consumer. This process may seem fairly simple on the surface, but every retailer has their own drop shipping requirements. Those requirements range from customized pack slips, shipping labels, packaging requirements, ect. Not to mention the need to integrate with all of the retailers to receive the orders.
When drop shipping, the integration with retailers is a critical piece that requires close monitoring, each retailer is different when it comes to integration and data formats are always changing. Working with a company like SPS Commerce can help with the integration process. SPS Commerce integrates directly with 1,000′s of retailers and can easily send shipping and order details directly to your order fulfillment company.
Once the integration with the retailers is established and you the wholesaler/manufacturer are able to receive orders, the next critical step is insuring that the drop shipped orders are fulfilled correctly. Each retailer has different requirements when it comes to drop shipping. They can have unique pack slips, packaging requirements, labeling, and shipping methods. This is where working with an order fulfillment company, like IDS that has experience with drop shipping can be beneficial. Fulfillment companies that have experience know the stringent requirements that retailers have for manufactures/wholesalers. Knowing these requirements can save time and money when starting a drop ship program.
Drop shipping programs must be streamlined, simple, and flexible in order to be cost effective. IDS can take the complexities out of drop shipping and offer a simplified fulfillment program for wholesalers and allow them to focus on what is important, selling more products.
For more information on Drop Shipping with IDS please Contact Us
Michael C. DeFabis
Sales and Marketing Coordinator | Integrated Distribution Services | www.teamidslogistics.com
E-mail: mcdefabis@teamidslogistics.com | Office: 317-203-8721
3100 Reeves Rd. Plainfield, IN 46168
Take the challenge out of finding the right fulfillment company
 Fulfillment Company Over the last several weeks I attended a couple of very interesting trade shows. At both trade shows my company Integrated Distribution Services (IDS) was an exhibitor. For anyone who has attended or exhibited at a trade shows knows that the hours are long (sometimes 10 to 12 hour days) and time seems to stand still at points. At both trade shows the IDS booth generated some excellent traffic and many companies were interested in our fulfillment services. Although this was a great thing for IDS there were also many of our fulfillment company competitors exhibiting at these shows and they generated just as much traffic at their booths.
For companies attending the show and looking for a fulfillment company provider it can be a daunting task to find one that fits your company and their needs. After talking with companies searching for a fulfillment company it became clear to me that many of them do not know what they are looking for in their fulfillment company other than they want to the lowest price. Finding a fulfillment company who provides the lowest price is one thing, but finding one that fits your needs is a completely different challenge.
This blog will discuss what companies should look for when searching for a fulfillment company that meets their needs.
What’s your story?
Every fulfillment company has a story to tell and many of them enjoy telling it. Asking for the fulfillment company background can give you some good insight into what they are all about. If the fulfillment company has been in business for many years, but has recently been closing warehouses or downsizing this could be a good indication that they may not be the best fit for you.
Do you have a niche?
Fulfillment companies (and any company for that matter) generally have a niche or a specialized segment that they are good it. Finding out what a fulfillment company specializes in can be a great indicator of whether or not they would make a good partner with your company. If you are looking for a company to help pick, pack, and ship your apparel orders and you are talking with a company who specializes in contract warehousing they may not be a good fit. Also, if a company tells you they do a little bit of everything then how can they be the best at any one thing?
What separates you from your competition?
The answer to this question can give you a tremendous amount of information about a fulfillment company. Not only will it give you specific information about their company, but it will also show you how much they know about their competition. A fulfillment company that knows what separates them from their competition often tells you that they have a competitive advantage.
At both trade shows that I attended IDS made sure to tell all the companies that stopped by our booth our story, our niche, and what separates us from our competition. We did this without being probed, because we want to ensure that customers are a good fit for our operations. Finding the company that offers the lowest price on order fulfillment is just one part. Look for a fulfillment partner who knows your business, your industry, and can work with the nuances of your company.
Several companies stopping by our booth who were not an appropriate fit for our operations and some were shocked to hear us say that. Our objective at IDS is to find customers that we can provide the most value.
Whether you are looking for a fulfillment company or for new office furniture price should not always be the deciding factor. Look for a company that can provide you the most value and be sure to ask the right questions when talking with them.
Contact Us to hear IDS’s story, niche, and what separates them from their competition.
Michael C. DeFabis
Sales and Marketing Coordinator | Integrated Distribution Services, Inc. | www.teamidslogistics.com
Office: 317-203-8721 | E-mail: mcdefabis@teamidslogistics.com
3100 Reeves Rd. Plainfield, IN 46168
As a part of my morning routine, I typically scour the internet across various websites and social media outlets to catch up on the current events in our industry. Over the past couple weeks, there has been one topic that has captured the headlines of numerous industry articles and created a real buzz online.
On May 11th The American Trucking Association (ATA) issued a report titled ATA US Freight Transportation Forecast to 2021. The report indicates that the US freight economy, particularly the trucking industry, is poised to take off as the nation recovers from the worst recession in the post-war era.
After seeing several statistics in the report, I began to question the validity and legitimacy of it contents regarding the future of the trucking and intermodal industries.
Here are a couple key points of the report that I explored further:
• The report was written by the American Trucking Association (ATA).
• Trucking’s total share of the freight transportation market will bump up to 70 percent by 2022.
• Rail’s overall share of tonnage will fall to 14.6 percent in 2022 from 15.3 percent in the baseline year of 2010
Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain
It’s no secret the ATA is one of the largest promoters of the trucking industry. Just Google “American Trucking Association” and you will see that they describe themselves as “…the national image and advocacy organization for the US trucking industry”.
Now, I am not downplaying the important role the ATA has as a leader in the trucking industry, I am however not so blind to see where their intentions lie within the literature. After all, they have been “The Voice of the Industry that Moves America’s Freight” for over 75 years. (http://www.truckline.com/Pages/Home.aspx)
Caution: Speed Bump Ahead
In my research, I came across a figure published by the U.S. Department of Transportation titled National Rail Plan: A Progress Report which states as of Sept. 2010 the trucking industry controlled almost 76 percent of domestic freight tonnage while the rail controlled only 16 percent. How then, is it possible that trucking’s total share of the freight transportation market would bump up to 70 percent by 2022 when it’s currently above that mark now?
Let’s forget the numbers for a second and look strictly at recent trends and hard facts that show the trucking industry actually losing traction rather than gaining ground.
It is widely known the trucking industry continues to face growing capacity concerns as carriers have been slow to replace the 10 to 15 percent of their fleet that they parked during the recession. The problem is compounded as drivers are in high demand but short supply given the anticipated changes to the Hours of Service guidelines and CSA 2010.
Experts anticipate a shortage of almost 400,000 drivers by the end of the 2011. And, it makes sense that drivers aren’t running back to the truck. The recession and proposed changes in legislation have many drivers realizing they can make the same amount of money waiting tables at their local restaurant as they can behind the wheel. Throw in the fact that they have the opportunity to see their families every night and the choice is a no brainer.
Another real problem facing the trucking industry is the rising fuel prices and the pressure to go “green”. Shippers are seeing fuel surcharges up to 50 percent of their bill on long haul truck moves, and when other solutions, such as rail, are saving up to 50 percent on fuel surcharges alone, the problem is hard to ignore.
On the UP and UP
Along with a plethora of other statistics, the ATA report indicates that while overall domestic freight tonnage is expected to raise another 24 percent by 2022 the rail’s overall share of freight tonnage will fall from 15.3 percent to 14.6 percent during that time period. Given the bright future of the intermodal industry and the economic swing away from long haul trucking these figures just don’t seem to correlate.
While the recession was in full swing and truckload carriers were parking trucks, the railroads were investing billions in infrastructure projects, additional capacity, and other strategic investments. For example the BNSF (Burlington North Santa Fe) bought 331 new locomotives in 2009 and the UP (Union Pacific) added 127.
The UP and other rail lines aren’t stopping there. In April of this year, the UP announced they would be adding another intermodal center in Santa Teresa, NM. The project will add 250,000 intermodal containers to the market while alleviating previous capacity and equipment shortages in Southern California.
The figure below from the 2010 US DOT National Rail Plan shows the expected shift away from long haul trucking to intermodal.
While all of these additions are great for the domestic rail lines, how do these changes benefit shippers? Currently, the base price of an intermodal container is 10 to 15 percent below truckload. Couple that with the savings a shipper can realize as fuel prices increase and the price gap between the two modes can only figure to increase.
Another benefit intermodal can bring to shippers is the ability to add “green” to the supply chain. The popular figure is a freight train can carry one ton of freight 423 miles on a single gallon of diesel. This number is an 80 percent increase from 1980 levels. With the current number of trucks on the highway, it’s estimated that highway congestion costs Americans over $78 billion dollars a year and over 2.9 billion gallons of fuel.
All Aboard
In the end, people much more intelligent than I have gone on the record pointing to the bright future of the freight industry and future trends of the trucking sector in the ATA report. While I am no expert on the trucking industry and this article reflects my opinions, the facts and trends highlighted in this article are in fact truths and not opinions.
Given this data, it should be no surprise the future of freight transportation will be riding the rails to new heights rather than heading down a traditional road. While many shippers are beginning to experience first hand the advantages intermodal can bring to their transportation arsenal, there are still a vast number that only see the rail as a way to move coal around the country. So climb aboard and become educated. Let IDS explain how intermodal can fit into your supply chain.
Jimmy Ladd
Business Development | IDS Transportation | www.TeamIDSLogistics.com
O: 317 203 8720 ext. 233 | C: 317 945 8145 | EMail: JLadd@teamidslogistics.com
3100 Reeves Rd. Plainfield, IN 46168
Below is an article written by Fred Smith, FedEx President & CEO, which first appeared in The Financial Times on May 9, 2011. We’ve taken the liberty of providing additional comments to consider as fuel continues to rise.
It is tempting to say that the headlines about rising fuel prices, Libya and other events in the Middle East will be a wake-up call to the dangers of oil dependence. But such calls have been repeated for almost 40 years, and yet the vulnerability – both in the US and across the globe – remains.
Our mobile economy remains defenseless against oil-price shocks and supply interruptions. In the US, transport accounts for 70 per cent of petroleum consumed. 97 per cent of transport fuel in the US is derived from oil, and there are no plausible substitutes. When prices go up, there are only two choices: drive less or pay more. If supplies are disrupted for any reason, the choices are even worse. This must change.
Every American recession over the past 35 years has been preceded by – or occurred concurrently with – an oil-price spike. The last time this happened, just a few years ago, the average retail price of gasoline in the US increased from $1.46 to $3.27, costing typical households $2,115 a year in increased fuel expenses. That price spike contributed greatly to the recession and financial crisis which the world is still struggling to recover from.
This addiction has also led the US to commit its young men and women in uniform to protecting the world’s oil infrastructure. And it means that western diplomacy is handicapped by the need to placate oil-producing nations, including those that do not share America’s views or values.
So what can be done? First the US should produce more oil at home. Increased safety and environmental standards must come hand-in-hand with this increased production, but such standards – along with stalled permit processes and endless litigation – must not stop the US from exploiting its domestic resources.
Drilling is not the sole answer to this problem, far from it; but considering that last year the US sent more than $260bn overseas to pay for oil, and it is highly likely it will surpass that number in 2011, the wisdom of producing more domestically becomes clear.
Second, America must continue on the path started by George W. Bush and continued by President Barack Obama to make cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles more fuel-efficient. The less oil used to drive the transport system, the less effect a price spike will have.
But these are interim measures. The only way to truly end the threat is to move toward millions of vehicles that are powered not by oil, but by a vast diversity of domestic power sources. And the best way to do that is with a large electrified transport sector.
Only electricity can give the transport sector the flexibility to switch fuels when one or more become too expensive. Electricity from homegrown sources – wind or solar, coal or hydro, natural gas or nuclear – would free America’s mobile economy from dependence on a single source. And unlike some alternatives, the infrastructure backbone for “refueling” electric vehicles already exists in the US national grid, which offers significant spare generating capacity at night, when it is needed for this purpose.
I am not someone who tends to advocate for increased government involvement in the private sector. Free-market solutions to these economic threats would be ideal. But there is no free market for oil. To the contrary, today more than 90 per cent of proved conventional global oil reserves are held by national oil companies that are either fully or partially controlled by foreign governments, whose interests often have as much or more to do with geopolitical considerations than free-market principles.
Every time we make an investment decision at FedEx, we ask ourselves: “What is the return on this investment?” That is the question we must ask here. The Electrification Coalition, an organization of which I am a member, has put forward a plan to deploy electric vehicles at scale throughout the US. These policies would cost far less over all of the years of their implementation than the hundreds of billions of dollars America sends overseas to pay for oil in a single year. In almost every conceivable area, the coalition’s plan represents a positive return on investment, from a $127bn improvement in the US balance of trade to millions of new jobs.
We cannot fix today’s gasoline price spike. But we can finally put ourselves on the path to a future in which we are in much stronger control of the fuel supply that drives our vehicles – and our economy. Little has been done to address this problem for the past 40 years. The time to do so without truly calamitous consequences is rapidly running out.
The above is a great article and perspective from Fred Smith, President CEO of FedEx. The frustration we share is while political unrest and natural disasters cause the spikes everyone pays attention to; there has not been an active move to changing our dependency. Why we need to look at alternatives is the supply and demand dynamics driven by the developing countries (particularly China) have a long term upward pressure on fuel prices that will not go away anytime soon, unless as a country we actively develop new alternatives as Mr. Smith shared.
There are various alternatives being discussed to move the country off current fuel needs, but all unfortunately are going to take time. There is however actions companies can take to reduce fuel usage and cut costs. The IDS strategy to help companies with fuel is around intermodal and outsourcing freight activities. On the intermodal front, our solution is to provide 53′ domestic intermodal service as an alternative to truckload moves over 750 miles. The second part of the IDS transportation service model to address fuel is freight management. Through our tier one TMS, we can dramatically cut fuel costs on LTL shipments through consolidations and pooling, while not impacting service. The freight management service IDS offers is on a variable cost basis. It allows customers to use their rates, our rates or combinations of both to not only work the consolidations, but when consolidations are not an option can come in with the best rate. The other advantage of freight management is it opens up communication with all stakeholders to work together to find alternatives that were never able to be reviewed because of the lack of data and visibility.
To close, Fred Smith made great points in that our country needs to do something to develop true alternatives to ease our economy’s dependence on oil. While there is not a silver bullet to immediately address fuel’s general upward trend caused by no alternatives and increasing world consumption, there are alternatives out there today that can help as bigger solutions are developed.
Rick LaGore
IDS Transportation | www.TeamIDSLogistics.com
O: 317 203 8714 | EMail: RLaGore@teamidslogistics.com
3100 Reeves Rd. Plainfield, IN 46168
The importance of logistics and order fulfillment has never been greater. Customers are demanding their products as quickly as possible and many of them do not want to pay for shipping. For many companies and CEO’s there comes a time to either outsource their logistics to a third party or keep their fulfillment and distribution in-house. This blog post discusses the advantages and disadvantages to both an in-house logistics program vs. an outsourced approach.
Keeping your fulfillment and warehousing in-house has several advantages. Having complete control over your product and how it is shipped is one. For companies wanting to see, touch, and feel their products this is a great approach.
However, keeping fulfillment and warehousing in-house can be very expensive. The cost of maintaining, staffing, and equipping a fully functional warehouse is quite high and requires capital that could be better deployed elsewhere, such as inventory purchase or marketing. Much of these costs are also fixed, which can be good during times of high order volume but in off-peak times it leads to higher per order cost.
Outsourcing your logistics needs to a Third Party has many advantages. The predominant advantage is the variable cost structure offered by a 3PL.
Most 3PLs offer a variable pricing structure based on a cost per order or cost per unit shipped. Storage is generally based on the number of units in inventory during the month. Having the ability to keep costs variable and only paying for space and services you use is a significant advantage. If your company is growing or has seasonal peaks, having the ability to utilize more space during busy times and less space during slower times provides tremendous cost savings.
Using a 3PL also allows you to focus on your company’s core competencies. Most retail companies are great at selling their product. . If warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution is not your company’s strong suite then look at an outsourced approach. Feel free to contact Integrated Distribution Servics (IDS) to see if outsourcing your fulfillment operations is best for your company. IDS understands that an outsourced solution is not for everyone, but helping our customers and prospects to make an informed decision is our main focus.
Spring has arrived and soon April showers will turn into May flowers. As we begin to get into gear for the spring and summer this is also a good time for many companies to begin to do a little spring cleaning of their supply chain. Examining current processes, refreshing your staff, and finding ways to move old inventory are all great ways to improve your supply chain.
Many times the days seem to run together and many of the simple processes are often over looked. Taking some time to re-examine your current supply chain processes might open your eyes to some cost saving changes. If you are using a third party for your fulfillment needs now is an excellent time to meet with them to examine your processes together. Walk the warehouse looking for inefficiencies that might exist in your current operations.
If you have not done an operational review for a while, now would be the perfect time. Don’t let complacency rule your supply chain. Without constant review and analysis, many processes which you think are being adhered to as a matter of routine may start to be overlooked. It is always good to sit down with your staff discuss what is expected and review current processes for compliance and improvement.
Many companies have changed over to spring and summer inventory, but still have much of their older inventory in storage. Looking for ways to move this old inventory can really help save on storage costs and cut down on your cost per SKU. Outlets such as eBay and Overstock.com can help you liquidate older inventory. Sometimes even giving away or donating old inventory is justified to help save on storage.
Soon summer will turn into fall and we will be right back into the busy 3rd and 4th quarter. Take some time now to examine your supply chain and look for ways to improve. Keep in mind that every dollar saved within a companies supply chain goes directly to the bottom line.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has started the process to reduce the hours of service for truck drivers by one hour. While a one hour reduction in the hours a truck driver may drive on a daily basis does not seem like much, it has a significant impact on transportation cost for all shippers.
As a part of its rule making process in connection with the Hours of Service (HOS) regulation the FMCSA has asked for comment on the proposed rule. The International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) with the assistance of IDS President Mark DeFabis, recently joined many other organizations such as the America Truckers Association to provide input. The following is an excerpt of the comments submitted by the IWLA.
The International Warehouse Logistics Association, the largest association representing the warehouse-based 3rd Party Logistics Providers respectfully urges the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to retain the current hours of service (HOS) rule. IWLA members comprise over 800 million square feet of public and contract warehousing space and represent over 50% of the purchase of 3rd party logistic services in the United States. As agents for both shippers and receivers, warehousers frequently provide for the surface transportation needs of their depositors, generally by contracting with motor carriers. As such, our interests are most closely aligned with the shippers and receivers of freight, versus the providers of freight services. .
We respectfully oppose the recommended changes in the current hours of service regulations for motor carrier drivers.
Motor carrier accidents are declining: We ask that the FMCSA take note of the facts on motor carrier safety. Between 2004 and 2008, the number of trucking related fatalities declined by 19 percent, truck occupied fatalities declined by 16 percent, and truck involved injured decline by 21 percent, according to the American Trucking Association. In that same timeframe, FMCSA reports that HOS compliance has improved dramatically. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Road Check is showing the highest-ever compliance rate of 96 percent. The current HOS rule is working; and there exists no research provided in the rulemaking which correlates a reduction in the operating hours of the driver to a further reduction in the rate of frequency and severity of motor carrier accidents.
The revisions pull flexibility from a struggling economy: The available research shows that reduction in the hours of service will remove capacity from the nation’s truck transportation. The math is simple: remove the supply of hours available per driver and there are less total driver hours to be allocated to move freight. While wishful thinking may posit an increase in employment and equipment to fill that reduction, the financial reality is the supply chain, under intense foreign competition, does not have the luxury of adding costs and capacity in “hopes of” an economic recovery. Reduction is this capacity will damage the nascent attempts of our economy to claw back from our nation’s worst economic recession since the Great Depression. It is imperative that these rules remain unchanged because our economy cannot withstand another choke point in our supply chain.
The revisions reduce competition in market service areas: The impact of reducing truck driver hours of service, particularly in the truckload freight shipper, reduces the market areas of our customers. Currently, our customers can service the USA market with 3 to 4 distribution centers to provide overnight truckload delivery. By taking hours away from the productive time of the truck and driver, the regulation also stops the competitive reach of the manufacturer whose freight is inside the truck. Manufactures will have to reconfigure and add more distribution points to their supply chains to maintain the current service and competitive areas, sustaining an additional cost in a fragile economy.
IWLA desires safe roads, safe drivers and a growing economy; the proposed revision does not achieve either safer roads or safer drivers and it harms the economy: The supply chain partners have dramatically reduced the frequency of accidents and this has happened through smarter and more effective application of the principles of loss control and loss prevention. Should FMCSA depart from a program that data has proven to work, it would be a grave mistake that puts further at risk an already frustratingly slow recovery. We respectfully oppose the proposed revision and ask that the FMCSA reject the proposed revisions.
IDS will continue to work with our industry to combat regulatory efforts that will have an adverse impact on cost as we strive to provide the most cost effective supply chain for our customers.
In today’s fast moving and high paced economy customer service is everything when it comes to a companies supply chain. One chink in the chain can have dramatic effects not only logistically, but throughout the entire company and ultimately affecting the end user. Companies depend on their logistics providers to execute perfectly, all while acting as an extension to their business. That is why 3PLs like Integrated Distribution Services (IDS) are taking a collaborative approach when it comes to shippers and their supply chain.
In order to meet the demanding expectation of shippers, logistics providers must take time to understand their customers business and the nuances that are involved. Forming a collaborative partnership with your 3PL provider by keeping them informed of changes in your supply chain, such as updating them on promotions, and other major business changes that can lead to increased order volumes or velocity will help ensure no degradation in customer service throughout the supply chain. For logistics companies, having this information in advance allows them to determine what changes might need to be made in the supply chain network and what might need to be altered to continue to effectively serve its shippers.
Companies like IDS work with their shippers to establish, monitor, and achieve well defined performance metrics. Performance metrics are an excellent way to hold your logistics company accountable and to keep them aware of your expectations. Monitoring and analyzing performance metrics can help keep your logistics provider accountable and ensure they are having a positive impact on the supply chain.
Eliminating inefficiencies, reducing costs, and improving service to you, the end user, is what providing great customer service is all about. Taking a collaborative approach with your logistics provider can make all the difference in the world when it comes to ensuring that your supply chain is serving your customers.
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basic organization and the marketing clout to quickly build sales, determine which products are your keys to growth, and build that track record and revenue stream. IDS can support your inbound shipments to Amazon, help reduce storage costs, and look for consolidation opportunities to lower these costs. Our Midwest location, and proximity to two Fulfillment By Amazon distribution centers can help lower your transportation expenses.
