Cryptocurrency is a digital currency built with cryptographic protocols that make transactions secure and difficult to fake. It is a peer to peer electronic cash system.

Cryptocurrency is not a new concept, it has been around for around 10 years. Most people do not understand how it works and so far it has been used to process payments between individuals for services and products. It has not been adopted as a payment method for business transactions or at least not as it should be.

The logistics industry, including freight forwarders , order fulfillment centers  and trucking companies should start taking advantage of the secure nature of cryptocurrency. It is to eliminate fraud completely witch plagues the shipping industry. The fraud incidents in the logistics industry are very high and costly.

Many freight forwarding companies  have experienced charges being reversed by credit card companies due to fraud. A random customer pays for his shipment using a stolen credit card, picks up his shipment and disappears leaving the freight forwarder to deal with the reversal charges. The same scenario happens with trucking companies and 3Pl Companies who handle cross dock services.

Why Should logistics companies accept cryptocurrency?

1- It is extremely safe. it is impossible to commit fraud.

2- The transaction cannot be reversed or modified, once it is done, there is nothing anybody can do about it

3- It is quick. Within 2 minutes the transaction its complete.

4- It almost cost nothing, less than the traditional forms of payments especially credit cards.

Ten years after bitcoin launched its cryptocurrency, other tech giants are beginning to develop their own.

Facebook with cooperation from Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and other financial institutions are currently developing their own cryptocurrency named LIBRA.

Cryptocurrency is the money of the future

resources;

3Pl Companies accepting cryptocurrency

Logistics Companies

Omnichannel order fulfillment Or (Omni Channel) is the order fulfillment across multiple channels. To put it simply, it is about order completion.  It does not matter where the order is being shipped from as long as it is completed at the lowest cost to the retailer.

Omnichannel Fulfillment is about having inventory available across all channels from one location. In one case it is the retailer’s website.

Omnichannel Order fulfillment Simplified

You are a retailer who received an online order from a customer for one of your products. If the product is available in your Distribution Center or 3PL Warehouse, it ships from there, if not, it could ship from one of your retails outlets or a partner.

It is about completing the order and creating a great customer experience. Which  Order Fulfillment strategy should be used when an order is received? The answer is: The most cost effective fulfillment process.

Types of Fulfillment Channels

1- Straight order in warehouse fulfillment

This means that the order will be shipped from the warehouse, DC or 3PL Company as it is received. If the product is not available at that location, order is not shipped even though it might be available at a retail outlet or a drop ship from the vendor.

2- Multi Channel Fulfillment

Inventory is available at different locations from warehouses to retail outlets and vendors however it lacks integration. Multichannel is identified by a non-integrated way to approach customers and inventory.

3-Omnichannel Fulfillment.

Similar to multichannel with a major difference, It requires coherent and absolute inventory integration.

Challenges to Ominchannel fulfillment

A resistant culture. The retailer has to learn new methods of fulfillment which is not always easy and some top managers might resist.

Where to start?

Adopting Omni Channel fulfillment is not easy. You first have to choose an Ominchannel fulfillment strategy that is easiest for people to embrace.

Omni Channel fulfillment is about cutting costs and faster completion of orders. Adopting Omnichannel fulfillment means that that should one fulfillment route fail, the operations can pivot to an alternative.

When your order is placed with a retailer, the order is filled immediately from either the DC, 3PL company, the vendor or a partner without you even having to worry where the order is coming from. That is what Omnichannel fulfillment is all about.

International 3Pl has been a major partner with many retailers adopting Omnichannel fulfillment. We are an integral part of the strategies adopted by many retailers.

Resources:

Contract Logistics Companies

Order Fulfillment Companies

3Pl Warehouses

As more Doral Freight Forwarders come into the picture, so do many distributors who want to take advantage of the close proximity to Shipping companies in Doral

Traditionally most of the freight forwarders were located close to the Miami port, but as the area has become congested, new freight forwarding companies set up shop in Doral, Florida

Most of the buildings in Doral are fairly new. Doral has the edge when it comes to Inland Transportation as it is close to the major trucking routes, The Florida Turnpike and I-75. This also made Doral a major location for Cross docking companies in Doral.

Procurement is the processing of acquiring new products or services. It is a fancy name for obtaining or getting. The phrase has been used mostly by the Military. It took a new meaning once it became part of the supply chain and logistics arena.

Products could be procured or acquired locally or internationally. For a business to continue to thrive it has to constantly look for new products. The demand for new products by consumers continues to put pressure on companies to reach out to various manufacturers all over the world for new products.

International 3PL Procurement Services

As a Third Party Logistics Company, International 3PL, through its contract logistics division has decided to offer procurement services at no charge for its existing Order Fulfillment clients.

Let us assume that you are a company based in Colorado who handles distribution of cellular phone accessories and you are looking for new cutting edge technology, most likely you would search the Internet for new vendors from all over the world.

Most likely, you will strike gold and find what your looking for. In this case we can assist you in the  Freight Forwarding part of the shipment, customs clearance and delivery to your own warehouse or our warehouse.

In other cases, you are not that lucky and you can not find the right product. This is where we come in. We will source the product for you, make sure is what you are looking for and help you negotiate the agreement with your vendor.

The Logistics of Procurement

• We will find the product you need.
• Verify it matches the specifications you have spelled out
• Make sure the source is legitimate and in compliance with al local and international regulations.
• Make sure that the product is labeled according to requirement.
• If needed we can oversee the financial transaction.
• Arrange for Ocean or Air shipping, customs clearance and compliance.
• If asked, we can get involved with dispute resolution.

Our Contract logistics division located at 3500 NW 114th Avenue has been offering procurement services successfully to many of the local businesses.

resources:

Contract Logistics

4PL Companies

Freight Forwarders in Miami

If you plan on shipping to Europe, International 3PL offers  ocean freight services , air freight services and package delivery. Our services are fast and economical.

We can either pick up the cargo or you can deliver to one of our locations. With the required documents in place, we can deliver your cargo to many destinations in Europe. We offer door delivery services in many countries.

How shipping to Europe Works

E-mail us or call us with the following information:

1. Commodity
2. Dimensions and weight of each package or pallet you are shipping. in the case of full container loads, we require the total weight.
3. If you would like us to pick up, please provide the complete address.
4. Delivery point which could be the port, airport in the the country you are shipping to. in the case of door delivery, please provide the complete address.
5. Your shipping preference: Ocean or Air
6. Is insurance required.
7. When do you require the services.

Once we have above information, we will be able to send you a complete rate quote.

In addition to shipping to Europe, we can assist in shipping from Europe to the USA.

We are available via phone, E-mail: info@international3pl.com, or Via “Live chat” 

Or you can click on “Rate Request” 

resources:

3Pl Companies in Europe

Ocean freight to Europe  

Third party Logistics Companies in Miami

New 5G Wireless technology promises to make everything connected. The Next Generation 5G wireless  will supercharge cell phones, but its real potential lies it potential to power everything electronic other than smart phones.

The New technology with greatly influence a technology hungry field like Logistics.

Right now, GPS is used to track trucking companies who carry shipments that are loaded on trucks, wouldn’t be nice to be able to track your pallet live knowing exactly where it is? 5G wireless promises to be faster with less latency.

Warehouses use RF ( Radio frequency ) to transmit data through the warehouse to track an package from the time the order is placed until the package leave the warehouse, providing weight, dims to the WMS system?  How would you like to have that data available live from the time the order is entered until the end user signs for it under one platform. Imagine that application being applied to international shipments too.

What we are looking at is your 3PL company being able to offer all the information about your package from the time you end an order to ship until it is delivered.

5G wireless promises to be the holy grail of logistics.

Factories have relied in wires for along time since wireless technology is spotty and slow making it hard for machines to perform their functions. Now factories will benefit from the speed of 5G technology so will the shipping companies.

We are looking at being able to track the container while at see without having to rely on the internet portal of the shipping company  Your will be able to see the location of your container live on a map even if it being trucked from one location to another.

But don’t hold your breath, you will not see the full power of this technology until probably 5 years from now as cellular providers complete building the network.

Ms. Krys Siles, a spokesperson for International 3PL, a Miami Based 3Pl Company, stated that implementing 5G wireless is a priority for international 3Pl and it will be applied to both the freight forwarding division  and Contract Logistics division.

5G wireless costs will be passed on to the consumers, all 5G Wireless devices will cost more. Right now it is a race with time for German and Chinese Businesses trying to upgrade to 5G.

If you are planning on buying a 5G capable phone, you should wait. it will be 2 years at least before there is in enough coverage. 5G is faster but has less capability of penetrating walls.

resources:

3Pl conpanies:

International Shipping

Freight Forwarders

It is not a surprise that the best 3PL companies are not the largest, rather they are the midsize companies who focus on small and medium size customers with customer service in Mind.

As a customer of a 3PL company who handles your order fulfillment , you want the lines of communication open at all times. You need the flexibility that larger 3PL’s don’t offer. In most cases this will not be provided by the large size 3PL’s. They focus on revenue and they love to work with large customers.

Another reason why large 3PL’s might not be a good fit for small or medium size customers is because these 3PL companies are converted freight forwarders .

Their business revolves around ocean freight , Air Freight and warehousing services.

Best 3PL companies VS Freight Forwarders

Order fulfillment is a totally different animal that required better skill set. Freight Forwarding does not require the daily minute by minute involvement.

A shipment Via ocean from China to Miami does not require the constant attention until the cargo is about to arrive at the port. Order fulfillment ,on the other hand, requires involvement from the 3PL Company with the customer to make sure that the order is delivered as promised to the end user. That just one instance.

Here are some of the steps commonly followed in order fulfillment.

1-Customer initiates shipment to end user either via email or the 3PL ecommerce portal.

2- Order confirmed by the 3PL

3- 3PL prepares shipment ( “Pick and Pack” ) paying attention to special instructions.

4- Order is shipped

5- Both customer and end user ( Consignee )  are advised

6- Delivery is confirmed.

The above applies to any shipment large or small. A true 3PL company typically handles hundreds of such orders on daily basis.

One of the best 3pl Companies we have worked with is International 3PL in Miami, Florida

resources:

Best Logistics companies in Miami

Contract Logistics

7 Pl companies

Inventory Control is not only about making sure that the physical count matches what the WMS or ERP software shows, It is about having the right mix of products to sell, about not having too little inventory or too much inventory, it is about controlling the flow of inventory from the manufacturers.
This article is about the right practices to make sure you have what you think you have in stock.
These principles apply equally to manufacturers, distributors and Even 3PL Companies who handle inventory for other companies.
Whether a shipment is being delivered via Ocean Freight or Air Freight

Necessary Inventory Control Practices

1- Before the product is shipping to the warehouse make sure it is labeled properly. Bar codes are essential. Make sure the vendor or shipper send an SKU list with the complete description.

2- As you receive a shipment, make sure you have a packing list to receive against.

3- As the Inventory is received at the warehouse, verify that the BOL quantity matches what the packing list states in pallets or master cases. Record any discrepancies.

4- Record Damages to the BOL and the Warehouse receipt.

5-Advise shipper of any Discrepancies.

6-Receive product in WMS system and send to Shipper ( Customer ) to verify

7- If the inventory exists in stock, count what you have in stock and indicate on the receiving report

8-Label all boxes or pallets received with Warehouse receipt number. Record the location of the Cargo.

Inventory Control and Shipping

1- The warehouse gets a pick ticket, the items are picked accordingly.

2- pack the products in a way where you know what is being shipped. Avoid Mixing of products as much as you can.

3- Report Insufficient inventory to office immediately. This means a discrepancy. It could be a shipping mistake or you just can’t locate the product. This needs to be taken seriously.

4- As you pick the product from inventory and you notice low levels of inventory, report back to the office using a low inventory level form.

5- As you pick orders, make sure you do a random verification of the quantity available in stock and annotate on the pick ticket.

6- If possible, have one person pick, another pack and another ship. This will cut down on the mistakes.

7- the last step is for a random check: take the packing list and verify that what you have on the doc is what is on the packing list.

8- Make sure order entry department, closes order to deduct from Inventory.

9- Perform random inventory counts on regular basis. That will save hours of doing a total count. Technically within a period of 2 months of doing the random inventory count, you would have counted the whole inventory.

If the above steps are followed, you should not have any issues with inventory discrepancies. Most of the mistakes happen during shipping or receiving.

When do you think about freight forwarding? I hardly believe you think of it when you pick up a toy or a toaster oven from your local store. There is a 90% chance that a freight forwarder was involved somewhere to bring the product to your fingertips.

A freight forward is an important part of the supply chain. Now let’s describe the role of the freight forwarder; It’s basically an organization that uses the services of a shipping company or air cargo company to move cargo from point A to point B. Anywhere in the world a freight forwarder does not own the vessel or aircraft although some shipping companies are freight forwarders.

A freight forward is involved in multi-modal transportation, for example: a shipment of microwaves from the factory in China to London will involve inland transport from a factory to the airport or shipping port and once the cargo arrives in London, it will be transported by truck (Inland Transportation) to the final destination.
Freight forwarders are subject to regulations that vary by country. This makes freight forwarding a tricky business.

Years ago, freight forwarders offered limited services, they only focused on shipping, with time they started offering services such as custom clearance, warehousing, consolidation and other services. Some of these services were outsourced. This has given rise to third-party logistics companies (3PL companies).

Freight forwarders that have not adopted innovation in the past few years are experiencing a slowdown business.
The industry has changed a lot over the past 20 years. A forwarder has become a one stop shop for all our logistics needs. This came with opportunities and challenges.
As a Freight forwarder adds on services, they need to add new talent. People who have experience in packaging, order fulfillment and customer service.

Many freight forwarders try to shed their skin and put on the Logistics Provider skin with little services because basically they focus on freight forwarding, their core competency.

In this challenging market so many freight forwarders are fading because they have not adopted change and innovation. We will continue to witness the change and evolution in this industry.
The next time you pick up your blender or coffee maker, remember how much work was involved.

The term logistics remains an enigma, many people associate the term logistics with shipping. By definition logistics is the movement of goods or services from point A to point B however, the definition fails to add on all the other activities needed to facilitate such movement including custom clearance, drayage and final delivery to point B

To make matters more confusing, we have terms such as supply chain and procurement that are used in its place of logistics.  Too set the record straight, logistics, shipping, transportation, etc. are part of the supply chain umbrella and then came the term “third party logistics” which people somehow associate with warehousing.

The first 3PL companies started it out as freight forwarders who opened warehousing and delivery and then expanded to other services.

Any warehousing company or trucking company can call itself a 3PL that is why you need to check the services that company offers.

A true 3PL company offers a multitude of services such as:

1. Ocean and air freight services
2. Inland transportation
3. Order fulfillment or pick and pack
4. Warehousing services
5. Cross dock services
6. Customs clearance
7. Packaging services
8. Inventory control

Lately, many associate the term 3PL with order fulfillment.

Now, keep in mind that not all 3PL companies are created equal. In reality, only a few of the 3PL companies that show up on search engine searches are a true 3PL company; most of them just offer warehousing services.

A 3PL company should be able to take over your day to day fulfillment needs.

After a careful research you will find out, hopefully not the hard way, that only a few can deliver a solution.

A true 3PL company should be able to pick up the goods from your vendor and deliver them to the end user transparently with a continues flow of goods and information.

In a time where online shopping is blooming, thanks to Amazon, many small to medium size companies are outsourcing their fulfillment services to 3PL companies taking advantage of their expertise and off course cutting the operational cost.