LOGISTICS DONE RIGHT
Offering both traditional and e-commerce logistics, JP Logistics provides clients with a supply chain model customized exclusively for their businesses. John O’Neill, President, and Paul Goodwin, Vice President, tell us more about the company’s origins and plans for an expansive future
Writer: Lauren Kania | Project Manager: Poppi Burke
With 40 years of experience,
JP Logistics (JPL) doesn’t just anticipate clients’ logistics needs; it knows what it takes to understand businesses and industries inside and out.
Established in 1985 as a distribution center for major Canadian retailers, JPL quickly found success, expanding its offerings after customers requested additional services due to its outstanding abilities and prices.
Today, there is no job too big or too small; rather, it is about the relationships formed with clients. JPL is committed to taking care of all its customers’ logistics needs and acting as a valued partner to help streamline and manage operations with ease.
“We have grown through the decades with the mentality that a one-pallet client can turn into a 1,000-pallet client,” opens John O’Neill, President.
“In essence, we are a thirdparty logistics (3PL) provider that rarely says no and, in turn, services many industries from cosmetics, recreational, and construction to
business-to-business (B2B) retail, business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce, and everything in between.”
JPL boasts an incredibly diverse client base, including building supplies for distributors, retail packaging for stores, retail goods sold in stores, and e-commerce items to be shipped to consumers – making it a true one-stop 3PL.
With major hubs in Toronto, Ontario; Dallas, Texas; and Los Angeles, California, alongside smaller facilities scattered across the US, the company has expanded across North America as well as Europe and Asia.
“Our growth has been predicated on relationships, key partnerships, and associations from within the industry,” details Paul Goodwin, Vice President.
“As the younger generation works and socializes differently, the challenge in our expansion will be adapting to new buyers who are much more informed. Previously, you’d educate your customer on best practices; today, however, the
customer tests your best practices to see if there is something better.”
UNPRECEDENTED EVOLUTION
CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH YOUR CUSTOMIZED SUPPLY CHAIN MODEL AND HOW IT ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO DEVELOP COST-EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT SUPPLY CHAINS?
John O’Neill, President: “Our new customers are well-versed in the logistics world. We’ve always said – and it’s more important now than ever – that JPL needs to fit into the customer’s box, rather than the other way round.
“Suffice to say, it’s our job once presented with the customer’s scope of work is to design and implement the most costeffective, efficient, and personalized solution using all the tools at our disposal.”
With over four decades of supply chain experience, JPL has seen the industry evolve rapidly.
“The progression and evolution of technology is mind-blowing. When we started, the latest innovation was a spreadsheet from Lotus 1-2-3, pre-dating Microsoft, and my portable computer weighed 24 pounds and had a green monitor,” entertains O’Neill.
“Now, we’re able to provide services to our customers in multiple facilities across North America and the globe through a single interface.”
The most recent challenges the company has faced have been some of the toughest ones in its history.
Notably, the aggressive increase in lease rates on the continent after the surge in demand during and
after the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionate to what customers were accustomed to and what they –and JPL – could pass on.
However, the company has not let these hurdles intimidate it – rather, it is embracing the future head-on through the confident incorporation of new and emerging technologies.
“The opportunities that lie ahead will be achieved through implementing as much technology into our ecosystem as possible in order to reduce the need for manual work done by people,” insights O’Neill.
This ability to successfully utilize rapidly advancing technology will be critical for the company to stay on the cutting edge of the sector and remain the most efficient and reliable 3PL it can be – a feat it fully intends to emerge from victorious.
One of the technological opportunities JPL offers is its Warehouse
Management System (WMS), which is designed to maximize both workflows and visibility.
Receiving, storing, and shipping are all managed through WMS, with every facet of the logistics operation tracked from start to finish, allowing clients to see their operation in real-time.
FACING CHALLENGES WITH RESILIENCE
Currently, JPL is in the midst of developing a brand new 150,000-squarefoot building alongside investing a lot of capital in racking.
At the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many landlords and 3PLs thought there would be no end in sight to e-commerce, warehouse rental rates increased nearly threefold, causing myriad issues for companies looking to grow further.
“As our lease came up for renewal, we were faced with the most
JPL AT A GLANCE
Maximizing efficiencies at evey point across the supply chain, JP Logistics has proudly built a supply chain model exclusively designed to meet clients’ transportation, warehousing, and fulfillment needs, all supported by state-of-the-art technology to ensure communication, accuracy, and on-time delivery.
Read on to learn more about the company’s innovative history and expansive plans for the future.
challenging price increase we’ve ever seen in our many years of business,” informs Goodwin.
“We needed to face the challenge directly and figure out ways to make our new facility incredibly efficient to offset skyrocketing rental costs.”
The solution involved moving to a 40-foot building, obtaining taller racking, and finding new material handling equipment (MHE) to insert them in a manner that would maximize the company’s cubic square footage and minimize labor costs.
Having been in the new building for over a year now, JPL finds that new ideas and solutions present themselves regularly – so the work isn’t done as of yet.
“Nothing has been more difficult than the move; it has been a real test for us, but we’ve come out the other side stronger than ever,” details O’Neill.
In addition to the barriers faced with the new building, the company has demonstrated resilience in navigating other difficult industry challenges, such as the recent mail and port strikes.
JPL recognizes these occurrences are to be anticipated and that contingency plans must be in place to confidently and appropriately manage them.
“Once the rumors start that something disruptive may happen, we need to actively plan for it. We must be the solution provider, not part of the problem,” expands O’Neill.
IMPLEMENTING TOOLS FOR THE FUTURE
In order to meet the future of the supply chain industry with seamless fortitude, JPL is focusing on automation, integrating new technologies, and packaging.
“We are in the middle of implementing a new WMS that boasts an enterprise resource planning (ERP) component, which enables the information from WMS to automatically bill the customer for our services with no manual human intervention,” insights Goodwin.
JP Logistics doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to its family-like atmosphere, it walks the walk. Have a look at how the company recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day! Linkedin Post
Integrated Supply Chain Solutions
Phone: 732-333-3238
sales@bws-logistics.com www.bws-logistics.com
BWS Logistics is a non-asset based 3PL company offering comprehensive transportation and warehousing solutions across diverse industries. With over 50 years of combined logistics expertise, they provide full truckload logistics, crossdocking, white glove services, local delivery, specialized transport, and warehousing solutions. Their technology-driven approach ensures exceptional freight visibility through a user-friendly customer portal. From alcohol distribution to pharmaceuticals, retail, and manufacturing, BWS delivers customized supply chain management with a single point of contact for seamless operations.
CUT COSTS ENHANCE EFFICIENCY
“THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT LIE AHEAD WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH IMPLEMENTING AS MUCH TECHNOLOGY INTO OUR ECOSYSTEM AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE NEED FOR MANUAL WORK DONE BY PEOPLE”
– JOHN O’NEILL, PRESIDENT, JP LOCISTICS
This updated WMS will also be integrated behind the scenes into the company’s Transportation Management System (TMS) shopping courier costs, providing clients with the best and most cost-efficient freight rates.
The productivity gained will be monumental, and every single department in the organization will be positively impacted by this update.
Equally, as JPL continues to grow, it is highlighting its valued and priceless employees.
“We are lucky to have so many amazing long-term employees
supporting our goals as a business. Our job is to change their mindset from JPL being a mom-and-pop warehouse to a company that needs more processes and procedures in place in order to find success. To that end, we went out and hired a person to create, implement, and oversee all company procedures from desk to dock,” details O’Neill.
Having started a family business with his parents, O’Neill is tasked with implementing this mental transition to being an international company which will prove important to morale and growth in the years to come.
Despite this progression, however, JPL is still prioritizing a familylike atmosphere that values each team member and fosters a work environment where passion meets purpose.
This example of true leadership creates an ecosystem of appreciation and respect, driving an innovative future.
“Expansion is always the goal, as there will never be a finish line. As my son – who now works for me, making this a three-generational company – always says, ‘dad will stop working when he is in a box!’” O’Neill gleefully concludes.
Tel: 905-949-0046 sales@jpent.com www.jpent.com
