Good business relationships with your third party supply chain and logistics partners are important for both personal and professional success. Careful relationship management with your outsourced logistics partners will improve productivity, avoid communication difficulties, and help ensure stability in your supply chains. Outsourcing will not automatically improve supply chain or 3PL e-commerce fulfilment by default; however, you can take some steps to ensure efficient use of a 3PL provider.

We all know that running a warehouse can be difficult. The hours are long, the products can be heavy, and the work repetitive. But for some companies, it has become even more challenging as they try to keep up with demand while maintaining low operating costs. Outsourcing your distribution or warehousing functions to a third-party logistics provider can help improve business efficiency by lowering your costs and boosting productivity. But when can outsourcing help you achieve these goals?

Warehouse management is a multi-faceted operation with plenty of scope for inefficient and wasteful practices to creep in, often without being noticed. Warehouse management requires managing inventory, route management, ensuring efficient workflows and maintaining quality control. If efficiency dips noticeably – for instance if pick KPIs decrease or there are delays with unpacking – the go to solution is often to put more boots on the ground in the warehouse.

In the wake of COP26, we see that all aspects of life and business will increasingly need to be viewed through a green lens. This certainly includes distribution and logistics. As roads become ever more congested, even switching to electric vehicles or other green fuel sources will not overcome all the challenges ahead. Rail freight, so long a neglected cousin of road transport, is increasingly coming under the spotlight for its eco-friendly credentials, but is it yet a practical option for UK businesses?

The COP26 convention has thrown many aspects of logistics planning and management into sharp relief, highlighting the need to enhance the industry's green credentials. At all levels of the supply chain, from hauliers to retailers, empty running causes waste and inefficiency. This is now being recognised with a new campaign to end empty running with the potential benefit to both businesses and the planet, "It's What's Inside That Matters".

Automation is revolutionising industries across the globe. But some small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are reluctant to embrace it fully. There's a great deal of potential in automating warehouse environments, for instance, and this would benefit entire supply chains. Yet, small warehouse businesses often fail to understand the types of automation available to them and their benefits.

Supply chain professionals have been faced with mounting challenges this year. As we advance toward the holiday season, these challenges are starting to permeate some sectors and have a knock-on effect on the wider industry. But what's causing the dominoes to topple and how can businesses break the cycle of supply chain disruptions – either this year or in the future?

While the coronavirus pandemic has harmed some sectors, such as the travel and hospitality industries, many online retailers and companies selling essential goods have experienced a dramatic increase in sales during 2020.

With the predicted online retail boom in full swing and the High Street experiencing a boom in demand following the second national lockdown, 3PLs need to have practical, Covid-secure transport strategies in place if they want to impress customers and reap the rewards of the economic recovery. Here are three steps that 3PLs can take to optimise their transport strategy to reduce delivery times and maximise throughput.