When referring to logistics, value added services are extra actions that a 3PL can provide to make the shipping process easier or more efficient. Depending on what your product is, this could be anything between the 3PL receiving the product, to when it arrives to your customer. This article reviews the services that can fall under value added and how they enhance your products and grow your business.
Packaging and Kitting-
Your product packaging is a critical part of your brand. Maybe it’s not just packaging—you may have memorabilia or promotional material that you want your customers to receive. A 3PL centralizes the packaging and kitting, so that all of your product components are shipped to one location to be assembled. This saves you money and creates a more streamlined process of assembling the products on-demand.
Cross-Docking-
We recently wrote another blog explaining the benefits of cross-docking and transloading. Cross-docking prepares the shipment to change from one mode of transportation to another while skipping the warehousing stage. This is done by moving the product from the trailer, dropping it off directly to the new trailer and shipping it out without ever having to store the product. This service speeds up delivery time and reduces your costs by eliminating storage
Pallet Restacking-
Sometimes your product will shift during shipment and will need to be restacked on the pallet before it can be shipped out again. This service is straight forward: A trailer is shipped to a 3PL, the product is taken off the truck to be restacked and then shipped back out to its original destination. This reduces your risk of having damaged product end up at a retailer or a customer’s door.
Quality Inspection-
You always want to make sure that the quality of your product is consistent every time you ship a new order. During the packaging and kitting process, if one of the pieces of the product is not up to your standard, it will be set aside and shipped back to the manufacturer for repair or replacement. Having an extra layer of quality control is essential to creating brand loyalty and reduces costly reverse logistics services.
As you can see, value added services are highly beneficial to your company success and your bottom line. Evans utilizes these services to customize the logistical pathway to meet the needs of your product and brand. Discover the difference with partnering with a 3PL provider like Evans to increase your margins and reduce headaches through optimization your supply chain.