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partner that can meet their specific and unique needs. “In the current market environment, it is critical that beverage producers seek out 3PLs with carrier relationships [that] give them access to capacity where and when they need it. It’s also critical that your 3PL partner has strong retail experience,” says JJ Lewis, vice president of national sales at GlobalTranz. “While many retailers waived late fees at the height of consumer demand, these penalties are being re-implemented as the market trends back to seasonal norms. A strong 3PL partner can also provide beverage producers with TMS technology they need to gain visibility, drive efficiencies and manage costs. And, lastly but perhaps more importantly, shippers should seek out a 3PL with a highly experienced team to provide the hands-on service and solutions that shippers need to navigate the current marketplace.” Whether or not it will be “business as usual” following COVID-19, functional beverage brands are likely to continue growing in popularity alongside the wellness trend. And, 3PLs will remain an important part of the distribution process, as these brands look to scale and get closer to their customers.
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For third-party logistics (3PLs) that handle functional beverages, the technology is mostly similar to any other beverage shipment, only that expiration is usually more of an issue since the ingredients are so fresh. During the severe cold, many 3PLs tap antifreeze technology in transportation systems that keep beverages from freezing and vice versa for the warmer months. Some 3PLs control oxygen levels and other gases to keep fruit from ripening, and this technology can also be used with these fresh beverages if need be. However, these beverages are typically sealed airtight. Technology in both personal and professional lives has pushed individual’s expectations on extreme transparency. Customers in the business-to-business world have the same concerns as those at home, maybe even more so, and want to know where their shipments are at all times and how long it will take to get to its destination. That means that the 3PL partner’s transportation management systems (TMS) must have clear visibility, allowing the customer to see all aspects of the transportation and shipping process. The need for visibility is important in the container as well. Being able to track the environment of a container remotely while in motion can mean the difference between a spoiled shipment and a perfect one. In terms of trucking, this can also save the driver time by eliminating the need to manually check the back of a truck on a continual basis. This is where the antifreeze as well as refrigeration technology comes in; sensors track the temperature of the container and can determine what temperature to keep the shipment. For antifreeze, technology such as heated compartments and protective blankets are used. While the wide range of technology, sensors and solutions provide clear visibility on shipments, they also offer something just as valuable if not more so to both the customer and the 3PL—data. With every aspect of the logistics process being tracked, companies can tap into this data to find out what parts of the process are pain points and how to better predict or be prepared for the future.
As these technologies become more sophisticated and advanced, the need for paper diminishes. It is now possible for partners to handle all aspects of their relationship in a digital matter, including requesting quotes and publishing estimates, proof-of-delivery documents, the bill of lading and other more. Many cloud-based solutions allow for the protection of these documents and for partners to easily search for and find them when needed, no matter the location. “In the current market environment, it is critical that beverage producers seek out 3PLs with carrier relationships [that] give them access to capacity where and when they need it,” says JJ Lewis, vice president of national sales at GlobalTranz. “It’s also critical that your 3PL partner has strong retail experience. While many retailers waived late fees at the height of consumer demand, these penalties are being re-implemented as the market trends back to seasonal norms. “A strong 3PL partner can also provide beverage producers with TMS technology they need to gain visibility, drive efficiencies and manage costs,” he adds. “And, lastly but perhaps more importantly, shippers should seek out a 3PL with a highly experienced team to provide the hands-on service and solutions that shippers need to navigate the current marketplace.” In order to keep up with modern expectations, 3PLs need to continually invest in technologies such as environmental monitoring, visibility, data acquisition and cloud-based document handling. In addition to customer-based solutions, 3PLs use in-warehouse technology to help make their operations run easier. Technology such as layer picking is a growing theme. Layer picking picks an entire layer or more at one time to save a significant amount of time. “Several 3PLs have or are about to invest in layer pick technology,” says Michael Wohlwen, managing principal at Alpine Solutions. “Rather than have a picker go to a location and pick cases of product, there are several different types of technology that allow for the picking of a layer or multiple layers of a pallet at one time.”
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