johnzicke

Third party logistics also known as 3PL companies are gaining importance these days in the field of supply chain. And every big business should be informed about this new emerging area. This article is to help you understand the basic concepts of third party logistics companies and their functions.
These companies provide services to the customer that allows their businesses to outsource some part or all of their supply chain management. This allows the companies to avail the expertise of logistics professionals. This is basically an opportunity to have those professional logistics experts closer look of your logistics requirements and challenges. And hence they provide you with very low cost, no-obligation suggestions, solutions, and any required information depending upon your request Usually Reverse logistics company provide various different types of services their customers. Commonly these services are combined together, by the provider. Along with various other services 3PL companies may offer various services such as Transloading trucking, fulfillment, drayage, warehousing, bulk transloading, cross dock, shipping, warehousing, order fulfillment and freight forwarding. There are various 3rd Party Logistics providers that provide a one-stop, and high quality logistics solution.
Despite of the fact that third party logistics has lots and lots of benefits, still deciding to make use of a third party logistics company is a decision that relies on a number of factors that may differ a lot from business to business and company to company. Final decision of whether to outsource certain business functions or not will depend on the specific company; it goals, types of product, etc.
And once that all important decision has actually been made to really outsource certain business functions then the company will actually begin hunting for the correct and reputed 3PL provider that fits all of their requirements at affordable prices. While selecting a Third party logistic provider always keep in mind that there are three types of Third Party Logistics Company that you may come across while searching for a provider.
* Asset Based
* Management Based
* Integrated Providers

Asset based third party logistics companies make use of their own trucks, warehouses and personnel to operate the business functions.
Management based 3pl companies only provide the technological and management functions to actually operate the logistics operations of their clients, but they operate using the assets of some other company. The third category, Integrated 3pl Providers, can be both assets based and management based company that can make use of any resources available to fulfill the requirement of the customer.
Always make sure while selecting a 3PL, that your request for information (RFI) or request for quotation (RFQ) should be as thorough as possible. The 3pl company that you select should be capable of fulfilling all of the logistics requirements that you require and that particular thing can only be 100% assured if each and every requirement is discussed in detail with the potential companies. The RFI must include a very detailed description and information of the field areas that are to be outsourced.

SupplyTimes

Additional 3rd Party Logistics information can be found at this URL below. Hope that helps!

Third Party Logistics | 3PL

Niamh-Allan

Hello Friends,

I have not that much knowledge about logistics, as I started work recently with this field. I have just want to know that is freight forwarding is the part of logistics services.

Don@trans-union.com

Good Morning, It is my experience that the expertice is not always available at these companies. I would suggest forming a relationship with a Customs Brokerage so that
you will have a logistics specialist with understanding of all the various aspects of the
industry. A brokerage can act in your behalf while keeping you on top of all of the
latest industry regulations and requirements.