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.

If you want to get 2021 off to a flying start – and let's face it, who doesn't after the year we've had – you'll need to keep up to date with the latest developments in the logistics industry. However, there's so much going on in this fast-moving sector that it can be difficult for busy business owners and warehouse managers to know what to focus on. Here's a quick guide to three of the hottest trends and why you should be embracing them if you want your company to thrive during the Covid recovery.

The following article is based on a real study carried out for a successful subscription model business. However, the principles apply to any business running a distribution operation comprising own fleet and carriers.

The following article is based on a real study carried out for businesses with country wide sales premises. However, the principles apply to any business with multiple distribution centres than need rationalising.

Utilising logistics consultants can be a highly effective way of boosting your company's efficiency.

However, if you want them to help you to find and implement a new warehouse management system (WMS), you'll need to work together.

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.

An efficient transport, warehousing and distribution network delivers a competitive edge and crucial customer satisfaction. It’s the part of the operation that fulfils the sales contract and the needs of customers. Therefore it must be constantly monitored to keep it lean and streamlined.

Logistics is the biggest influencer on your customer satisfaction ratings. If that seems like a blanket statement, then think of it from your customers’ perspective. Happiness is getting the product they ordered quickly or at least on time. Their opinion of your business is rapidly broadcast across social media and review sites. What they say influences potential customers and therefore the growth of your business. The tricky bit is balancing 5-star fulfilment with tightly controlled costs and efficiencies.

What tactics and processes do logistics consultants utilise to improve the efficiency of a client’s supply chain? And how can recommendations be implemented by a manager? While the end results are improved logistics planning processes, let’s examine how a typical consultant would approach the challenge of correctly identifying areas worthy of attention and improvement.