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Helpful Articles - Entrepreneurship

As your company grows, your logistics needs will likely grow, too. You may outgrow a shipping vendor who only moves packages from origin to destination. Instead, you might find yourself searching for a solution to manage whole sections of your supply chain. At that juncture, you have a choice: Bring the expertise in house or outsource.   Outsourcing your transportation management offers several distinct advantages. It gives you near-instant access to expertise without having to train or hire a team member. Outsourcing can also help you simplify your operations, spot inefficiencies in your supply chain and solve logistical challenges to help your operations run even more smoothly.  To help you decide whether outsourcing your transportation management is right for...

Whether you’re manufacturing goods or distributing them for sale, your supply chain is critical to the operation of your business. Even a small disruption can grind your business to a halt. So when you’re just starting out, you may be focused on getting your supply chain up and running consistently, rather than analyzing exactly what each link costs you.  However, if you haven’t examined your expenses, you may overlook a few of the costs that are eating up your profits. In this article, we’ll walk you through three small business supply chain scenarios you might want to analyze more closely. By understanding the factors involved, you’ll be better equipped to take control of your supply chain costs, eliminate inefficient spending and increase your profits.  Scenario #1: Are You Using Your Seller’s Carrier for...

An efficient supply chain keeps all aspects of your business running smoothly. If you’re a manufacturer, you’ll have access to all the components you need—when you need them—to meet your delivery dates. If you’re a retailer, you’ll find it easy to keep the flow of inventory to your stores constant. And no matter what business you’re in, a supply chain that runs smoothly allows you to deliver consistently on the promises you make to your customers.   On the flip side, however, inefficiencies in your supply chain can cost your business in big ways. You might see symptoms like longer transit times on critical shipments, increasing your inventory carrying costs. For manufacturers, this could cause delays on the assembly line, which can push delivery...

A quick scroll through LinkedIn presents many supply chain experts. Experts who claim to have the ideal solution for supply chain planning. Unfortunately, what might work for one company may not be feasible for another. What works in the OEM industry might not work for retail. The demands of customers and clients, restrictions and tariffs at the final destination, and the availability of materials from vendors makes planning complex. Therefore, every company must prepare diligently to build a solution that works for the reality of their business. While there are plenty of quick tweaks that will boost your efficiency, a genuinely excellent supply chain is one...

Most freight providers have entire teams dedicated to providing spot quotes to shippers. Clients both new and old often require quick pricing on hot moves from origin to destination. Other times, the shipper will ask for pricing as an estimate. Spot quotes are an excellent way to get a general idea of the cost involved in shipping a product, but they won’t give you the best rates possible. By meeting with a 3PL provider, and discussing your freight, you’ll be able to secure better rates. One of the keys to an exceptional supply chain is early, extensive planning. Set pricing is a great way to fuel...

Why the cheapest international freight option isn’t always the best Everyone is trying to save money. Whether it’s for your vacation fund, or for a company-wide initiative to ratchet down unnecessary spending, more money in your pockets means more gains at the end of the year. But for freight, like most things in life, you usually get what you pay for with the cheapest carrier. When you cut corners, and hire a subpar freight carrier, the long-term negative effects can wreak havoc on your bottom line. Underqualified carriers entice shippers with rock-bottom prices, and shippers don’t properly weigh the disadvantages before choosing.  You might save...