As e-commerce continues to expand, so will the use of third party logistics (3PL). To make sure your freight business is the one chosen by suppliers, what are the expected market trends to watch for in 2019?

You could insert Brexit, but that would be a bit narrow minded. There is a wide choice to choose from including Trump, Iran, Boris, Italy, China, EU, tariffs, border delays, as well as Brexit. What they all have in common is an impact or potential impact on trading and your business if you use something that originates over the water. No one knows how Brexit will work out is practice - the only guarantee is there will be a lot of hot air generated about it. But with plenty of potential for disruption from elsewhere you should look at strengthening you supply chain anyway, if you have not already done it.

Warehouse management systems are becoming more innovative by the month. Automation improves productivity and accuracy in ways that weren’t possible only a year ago. Orders can be grouped intelligently enough to reduce travel time, and that pace can be further enhanced by high-speed sorting, automatic storage and retrieval systems.

Few aspects of the buying journey are evolving as rapidly as supply chain networks. New technologies are emerging to support what is quickly becoming a global network for even the tiniest of businesses. Buyers can access digital shopping carts from their homes and shop for offshore products set for delivery within mere days. Networks are interconnected and demand-driven, forcing organisations to not only carry their supply networks online, but also adjust their strategies continuously with the analysis of daily data. Social media channels have introduced real-time feedback to the mix, so brands who fail to keep up with demand can attract lasting reputation damage.

Most transport planning has a degree of reliance upon tried and tested skeleton routes and supply chains. These familiar friends can make planning easier, but they can be hiding significant inefficiencies. When it comes to transport, minutes matter, so reviewing the integrated transport planning strategy (ITPS) is the foundation of good productivity.

2019 is shaping up to be an interesting year in logistics and supply chain management. Trendsetting and predictions are an interesting activity for the end of the year, but it is also good to keep track of how things are changing during the year. These are the main developments we’ve seen shaping the way logistics companies do business in 2019 so far.

When it comes to warehouses, ‘design’ can be a misleading term. You’ll find plenty of articles telling you to make more use of the vertical space, or to invest in better shelving – and these basic points can help. However, great warehouse design is about improving efficiency, such as shortening pick routes and positioning your fast-moving units where you most need them. Here are some no-nonsense tips.

Every aspect of warehouse automation is controlled by your IT system. Warehouse management systems (WMS) can’t function without accurate data input, and they shouldn’t be left to their tasks without the support of analytics. The best systems improve efficiency, speed, and cost. It’s tempting to rush into warehouse automation thinking that if it’s technologically evolved, it must be better than what you’ve been using until now, but your software should be built around your strategy. Your strategy should not be built around your software. WMS platforms are complex. They must be honed to suit your unique inventory and the rest of your business processes.

How efficient and adaptive is your logistics strategy? To develop a plan, or assess the efficiency of an existing one, every element of your logistics operation should be assessed and monitored to establish costs. KPIs and identify areas where savings can be made. Whether this is something you are doing for the first time, or as part of an ongoing strategy of improvement, you may find the following eight steps useful – each focusing on a different area of your business.

What does ‘smart’ logistics actually mean? While the actual way a business structures its logistics and supply chain varies from company to company, there are three basic principles that underpin an effective, smart logistics strategy. We will look at each in turn in this article: connectivity, data and efficiency.