Distribution Archives - Fulco Fulfillment

How Your Product is Packed in Shipping Containers Could Save You Money

When it comes to e-commerce fulfillment, there are different ways to load and pack shipping containers with your product. Shippers are either utilizing palletized or floor loaded shipments. The shipment can either be full truck load (FTL), or less than a full truck load (LTL). Using our top-of-the-line work force, Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI) can handle either method efficiently, and probably save you some money. Here’s some information on what the difference is between floor loaded vs. palletized shipping, and why you should know which your product is currently using.

Palletizing Shipping Containers

Palletizing your products means to simply stack and ship your products on wooden pallets. With pallets you will find there is more ease of movement and is a safer way of transmitting items from one place to the next, but it can be quite expensive as well.

Your decision to palletize will depend on factors such as fragility of your cargo, the destination of your cargo, and the mode of transit by which your cargo is being shipped. The pallet provides a stable and load-bearing bottom for each unit, which can then easily be moved and loaded with a pallet jack, forklift, or other handling equipment. Once the products are stacked together, they are held up using straps or plastic wrapping. After this, it is ready for shipping.

Pros and Cons of Palletizing Shipping Containers

Pro: pallets are great for shipping products both nationally and internationally.
Pro: pallets can protect more delicate cargo. Using pallets allows the shipper to turn a bundle of smaller sized boxes into a stronger single unit that will be able to provide more support.
Pro: pallets are faster and easier to load and unload because you can use machinery to move them.
Pro: pallets can protect cargo from water damage. The pallets protect the shipment en route by keeping product off the floor with its elevated surface, creating a barrier for the products inside from soaking in the event of a leak from an overseas voyage.
Pro: palletization can work for both LTL and FTL freight.
Con: palletizing can come with significant cost implications since the pallet itself increases the weight of overseas shipping containers.
Con: you can fit less product in each shipping container because the pallet takes up extra space.

Floor Loading Shipping Containers

In contrast, floor loaded containers are when the contents are loaded onto the floor of the container directly. This can also be known as floor stacking and it allows you to fill the entire container from the floor to the ceiling with the contents.

With floor loading, you will be able to load larger items at a significantly lower cost. Typically this would be more time consuming because manual loading and unloading is required, but with Fulco Fulfillment’s experienced team, this issue is absolutely minimal.

Pros and Cons of Floor Loading Shipping Containers

Pro: floor loading your products significantly decreases freight costs because the entire container is being used to ship the products in question.
Pro: you save money by not paying for pallet. You will also be less likely to need more containers when shipping out your product.
Pro: you reduce the carbon footprint of shipping your products because each container is packed as efficiently as possible.
Con: more delicate products can be damaged. Floor loading your products is not the most suitable option for every product that you may be offering. With floor loading comes an increase in the likelihood that the products could get damaged during transit. Because of this, floor loading is typically done with heavier and bulkier items such as construction equipment, furniture, etc.
Pro: palletization can work for both LTL and FTL freight.
Con: there are additional labor costs associated with loading and unloading a freight shipment off of the container. It also takes extra time to load and unload the shipment in question.
Pro: however, experienced warehouses like FFI are efficient floor loaders. We keep these additional costs to a minimum with our top-of-the-line work force who have years of expertise handling floor loaded shipments.

FFI Can Help You Optimize How Your Shipping Containers are Packed

The most important thing to remember when choosing between the two options is to do an in depth cost-benefit analysis to see what works best for your business. With FFI as your e-commerce fulfillment partner, we can help you determine whether palletization or floor loading is the best option for getting your products quickly and safely to your customers. To get started, fill out our contact form or give us a call at 973.361.1700.

Trends in Warehousing and Distribution

The role of third-party logistics companies has been shifting against the backdrop of steady disruption and game-changing technology. Leading warehouse and distribution centers like Fulco Fulfillment Inc (FFI) have seen consistent trends in 5 distinct areas:

Supply Chain Integration
Outsourced Delivery Services
Sustainability in Warehouse and Distribution Services
The Amazon Effect
E-commerce Will Accelerate

Supply Chain Integration

Improved Communication

Technology improves many logistical tasks. The goal is to determine how best to utilize technological advancements to simplify and streamline the communication process. There are several Warehouse Management Solutions that utilize API electronic data exchanges to improve communication and increase transparency.

Proactive fulfillment centers and 3PLs understand the importance of having the best communication platforms available. These platforms support customers by providing real-time updates on order fulfillment, package tracking, inventory levels, historical data, and more.

Warehouse and distribution centers will look to leverage integration to build value-added services within their fundamental workflows and software. It is possible to integrate picking and packing using barcode scanning technology which communicates directly to shipping software. This reduces the costs and eliminates lost time and inevitable errors. API integrations automate order fulfillment workflows leading to improved communication. Supply chain integration through data sharing encourages visibility, transparency, and accountability by all parties involved.

Outsourced Delivery Services

Focusing on Core Competencies

The power of third-party delivery services is basically an opportunity for warehousing and distribution centers to deliver products to customers using independent contractors. This outsourcing eliminates the responsibility of maintaining a fleet of trucks and all the additional costs that incurs. While several 3PLs and fulfillment centers are expanding their fulfillment and distribution platforms to smaller, regionally focused networks, hiring and building their in-house delivery network takes time and money. To ensure they can efficiently deliver to customers, many warehouse and distribution centers are contracting delivery services.

Packaging Supplies Will Go Green

Customers Reduce Their Impact on the Environment

To be eco-friendly, 3PLs have been integrating environmentally-conscious practices into their operations. Optimization of packaging supplies has become an imperative eco-conscious strategy for shippers.

The 3PLs are working with new ways of designing and producing their products, attempting to lessen their carbon and environmental footprint, while simultaneously saving on costs. Consumers rate sustainability as important and will select companies that support green initiatives. Trends have shown an overall shift among the broad customer base today towards a more eco-aware business model.

Green packaging has brought a wave of new eco-friendly alternatives to traditional packaging materials. Here at FFI, we see a rise in biodegradable packing peanuts, corrugated bubble wrap, and air pillows made of recycled materials.

There are many packaging options available to the environmentally conscious business.

The Amazon Effect

Warehouse and Distribution Centers to the Rescue

“The Amazon Effect,” which has ushered in the expectation of rapid delivery with minimum effort and the desire for a seamless order experience, is one that every customer has the right to expect. The dominance that Amazon has on the U.S. e-commerce space isn’t without its pitfalls. Amazon sellers have had to find alternative shipping options, relying on warehouse and distribution services like FFI to prepare their goods for Fulfillment by Amazon and allow them to live up to their brand promise. This meant developing closer relationships with their outside fulfillment team; warehouse and distribution centers rescued them.

We can expect to see more brands turning from basic service providers to more comprehensive fulfillment partners. The latter will offer a wider range of services and take the time to understand individual businesses, which puts them in a better position to bend to the needs of that brand and help it to scale more effectively.

E-commerce Will Accelerate

E-commerce has created a world in which consumers can shop almost anywhere, anytime. Supply chain integration can enable quicker response times to consumer requests.

This increase in demand will continue to put pressure on warehouse technology. We’ve already seen shipping times grow at major e-commerce retailers, and the postal service burdened as smaller retailers try to pivot to online. Additionally, this will result in an increased demand for warehouse space that will likely result in more refurbishment of older buildings. Being able to build and flex warehouse capacity to support customer demand is a strength FFI offers our customers.

Stay Prepared with Fulco Fulfillment Inc.

Understanding the shifts in the e-commerce landscape will set you up for success. Get ahead of the warehouse and distribution trends before they get ahead of you! FFI can help you with all of your warehousing and distribution needs. Call 973.361.1700 or fill out our contact form.

Warehousing and Distribution for the Holiday Season

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, but with all those holly jolly times, make sure your 3PL service can handle increased capacity. Holiday fulfillment can make or break your e-commerce business. Great holiday fulfillment is the key to great holiday sales. Already high customer expectations are rightfully higher around the holidays since everyone wants their gift to arrive on time. Standards for expedited turnaround are higher than ever; customers just do not tolerate a backordered inventory. This year especially, we are faced with even more challenges and lots of unknowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has reshaped the way consumers shop, increasing online and e-commerce sales. Retailers and e-commerce companies solve this bottleneck by working with a third party logistics company to help them take a load off their busy holiday season. Your holiday fulfillment operations are the key to success during this busy time, and a good partner can make your holiday fulfillment operations run smoothly.

Fulco Fulfillment Inc. is the 3PL service to provide the extra value you need all season long.

Your space may slowly be getting filled with stacked boxes reaching the ceiling in places like your office, hallways, and dare I say it, even your bathroom. When you choose to outsource your holiday warehousing and distribution to give you a safer workspace, that is not at risk of boxes collapsing on top of you and becoming an episode of Hoarders along with the extra staff that is needed so you don’t have to do any heavy lifting yourself. Once partnered with a 3PL service like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. for the big holiday rush that is ahead, then you will be free to order exactly what you are looking for right when you need it without any fear of where you will have to fit it in your cramped space. Maintaining accurate and up-to-date inventory only works when customers are notified of low inventory levels in a timely manner. You need to provide e-commerce customers information quickly to protect them from getting frustrated during a joyful time, so customer service response time is paramount.

On Demand Storage Space

Juggling storage space at this time of year is the worst, but after you have teamed up with a 3PL like Fulco Fulfillment Inc., you are quite literally renting out the space you need only when you need it.

Seasonal Demand

The hiring period during the holidays can be frustrating and highly competitive, but with a 3PL service like FFI by your side, you don’t have to worry about seasonal help. Rather than hiring your own people, you can rely on your 3PL service for some assistance for however long you need it and only when you need it. This ability can save your business a ton of both time and money since the warehouse staff is already trained and experienced at fulfillment, distributions, and pick & pack demands. When it comes to warehousing, e-commerce is continuously the driving force of growth. Planning for surge events like the holidays ensures there is space available. Utilizing past data and analyzing sales history provides insights that will help things run more smoothly. The historical data allows your fulfillment center to plan ahead to have enough staff on hand to anticipate the peaks and troughs of seasonal demand.

Accurate and Up-to-date Inventory

3PL’s like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. use a computerized system that is able to check products in and out of the inventory which provides you with a real-time inventory tracking system to make sure none of the products in the warehouse are out of place. You will not have to struggle with backordering when your company knows the precise moment to restock product.

Customer Service Response Time

During the holiday rush there will always be a few issues in order fulfillment. What is important is how customer service resolves the issues and how quickly. Fulco Fulfillment’s client service managers are extremely reliable and responsive when our customers contact us with questions, requests for assistance, or problems. Every one of our clients has their own dedicated client service support person to pick up the phone and call because customer experience needs to sit at the forefront. Our online order management systems (OMS) provide updates via email throughout the lifecycle of the order so that the customer is kept up to date with the progress of their order. This increases the confidence the customer has with their fulfillment company.

Looking for a 3PL Provider in NJ?

Do you think you will be stuffed with business this holiday season? It may be time to call a reliable 3PL service today, like Fulco Fulfillment Inc. located in Dover, NJ. With our help, we will guarantee that your holiday season will be headache free. Money will be saved, space will be freed, and you will be left feeling merry and bright! Give us a call at 973.361.1700 to discuss your needs.