5 Benefits of Using a 3PL Company in India

Increasing global trade, e commerce, shorter deliverables has made the traditional business model of handling many or all operations in-house not very productive. Third-party logistics, also known as 3PL, is a system where a third party provides logistics services to businesses in need of inventory management and distribution.

 

 A 3PL can perform parts or all logistics-related activities for the client some of which include inventory storage, inventory management, freight forwarding, shipping, distribution, customs clearance and declaration, packaging, warehousing, and many more such activities. Outsourcing to a 3PL company in India would allow businesses to focus on marketing, growth, and customer satisfaction

There are many benefits to outsourcing fulfillment to a third party logistics company in India as they offer solutions that ultimately provide reliable logistics and help to maximize profitability for a business.

 

5 key benefits of using 3PL services are:

 

Reduce Costs and Saves Time

 

As businesses grow, fulfilling orders become expensive as it requires warehouse space, machinery to handle lifting services, investment in technology, manpower, and insurance.  Using 3PL logistics firms is helpful as they already have an extensive network to handle logistics thus reducing your overhead costs. 

 

By partnering with a 3PL company in India you can avoid making huge infrastructure investments as it can provide transportation, warehouse space, manpower, software support, and tracking technology, among other things. Working with a 3PL gives you time to focus on more strategic initiatives, such as product development and marketing.

 

Leverage Industry Expertise and Experience

 

A business does not need to be well-versed in every detail of shipping and logistics. By outsourcing to a 3PL service provider they will have the knowledge and experience in matters such as transport documentation, import and export, international compliance and economic regulations, etc. 

 

They would be knowledgeable and up-to-date with the latest industry trends and complexities.  It would be an ideal opportunity for businesses looking to expand into new markets as they can benefit from the logistics support provided by the 3PL service provider. It would help to reduce costly delays, cutting down the cycle time, and making entry into a new market smooth and easy.

 

Safexpress, one of the largest and fastest logistics company, is an established 3PL logistics and inventory management provider in India.  With their intensive usage of technology and adherence to standards, they are the best in the industry to handle your logistic requirement.

 

Safexpress, with its well-established country-wide network all over India, safe warehousing, and inter-modal express distribution services, would be an ideal 3PL logistics provider for your business.

 

Focus on Core Competencies

 

Outsourcing logistics will give your businesses time to focus on its core competencies and thus reducing strain on the business. 3PL service providers have the technical resources and partner network that can include marketing agencies, custom packaging providers, and more allowing the improvement in the efficiency of the supply chain.

 

Gain Flexibility and Scalability

 

3PL service providers are the ideal solution for business that needs to scale their supply operations depending on market demand without investing in additional infrastructure. The flexibility to increase or decrease your inventory depending on demands ensures that the supply and distribution of your products remain constant as per current business needs.

 

Improve Customer Satisfaction

 

3PL services provider would help to provide improved services and response time, timely deliveries, and greater brand reliability. This translates to satisfied customers and ensures brand loyalty.

 

Businesses can partner with a third party logistics company in India  to scale their business leveraging upon the expertise of a 3PL company to handle all logistics. 

Importance of Book Delivery Logistics in India

The demand for faster, efficient, and track-able delivery is soaring and competition is severe when it comes to the delivery of printed products, which can include books, courseware, business documents, examination papers, periodicals, and stationery. The worst nightmare of any delivery service provider is late deliveries. Apart from providing timely deliverable, a logistics company in India need to ensure that the security and confidentiality of the printed materials are maintained at all costs.

 So, here are a few things that books delivery logistics in India needs to tackle well:

 · Secure delivery of confidential printed material

Most businesses work with sensitive and confidential information. Any leakage of confidential matter might lead to business loss and trust, which makes it very important for the logistics provider to keep all such information secure. A tracked service helps you to keep a tab on your documents when they are in transit for that extra confidence.

 · Ability to provide timely, simultaneous delivery across multiple locations

Examinations are conducted simultaneously at various locations. Institutions conducting examinations grapple with examination paper security. Question paper leakage can mar their reputation and hinder the chances of a deserving student. It can also be a simple case of delivering enrollment forms to different locations before the cut-off date is reached. Delivery logistics in India needs to be well-equipped to handle the delivery of time-sensitive papers to various locations.

 · Being flexible

At times, business documents neither fit the normal consumer courier service nor do they fall under the heavy cargo category. You need to be flexible enough to provide customized logistic services to businesses that fall under this category.

 · Enable order tracking

Order tracking helps customers and suppliers to track goods from the moment the order is placed to when they are physically delivered to the destination location. It provides customers a high level of visibility into their orders.

 · Customer service

Value-adds such as receiving an estimated delivery date, tracking number, and delivery notifications throughout the process help to build trust in your customers. They can rest assured that their documents are properly handled and taken care of.

Safexpress, one of the largest and fastest logistics companies in India, with its existing 42 3PL locations is well-equipped to cater to the need for fast and efficient delivery fulfillment. With Safexpress’s ability to provide technology-enabled and real-time monitoring capabilities, it can ensure safe and timely deliverable to its customers. Safexpress is well-equipped to handle the logistics of sensitive and confidential documents, examination papers, or items like calendars or stationery related to corporate gifting across the country.

 Top benefits of book delivery logistics in India

 · Reduction in transport expenses

  Book delivery logistics helps you to manage company deliveries of important documents. This way, you can save on vehicle expenses that include fuel, maintenance, and repair costs. It also helps reduce the cost of hiring personnel to operate the delivery system.

 · Fast delivery services

The right kind of logistics service would be able to offer fast delivery services, which means huge benefits so that your packages and documents reach where they are meant to quickly.

 · Parcels Are Safe and Secure 

Many book delivery logistic services also offer tracking software, so you can watch your package move from your hands to its destination. They offer email or SMS delivery notifications too.

  · Great value for money

Depending on your business requirements, customized delivery services are also available, making it easily affordable and great value for money.

 In Conclusion

Books delivery logistics in India is a more affordable option as compared to an in-house delivery fleet, making it more cost-effective and efficient for business in the long run.

 

Source: -

https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/o1tupu/importance_of_book_delivery_logistics_in_india/ 

Increasing Demand for E-Commerce Logistics in India and How to Choose Right

Logistics plays an important role in the success of any e-commerce business. E-commerce logistics, or e-logistics, represents the logistics of internet sales. E-commerce logistics includes many aspects like product handling, production, packaging, billing, labeling, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, cash on delivery, payment, product return & exchange, and much more. But the main goal is to provide timely and efficient delivery of goods or products. 

This ensures customer satisfaction and return sales. The e-commerce logistics in India is flourishing due to an increase in internet penetration, a rise in the adoption of smartphones, favorable demographics, acceptability of online payment, and the emergence of several new e-commerce players. In fact, the Indian e-commerce logistics market is expected to reach US$ 11.48 billion by 2027 from US$ 2.93 billion in 2019.

So, here are a few factors businesses need to consider when it comes to e-commerce logistics:

 

· To Outsource Logistics or Not

 

Businesses interested in e-commerce need to consider whether or not to outsource their e-commerce logistics to a third-party logistics provider (3PL).  It all comes down to how your existing supply chain can manage the influx of new orders. The fear of losing control if handled through a 3PL is one of the major concerns of businesses. However, there are enormous advantages to outsourcing. 3PL has an abundance of capabilities like technology, manpower, geographic spread, and expertise.

 

One of the top logistics companies in India, Safexpress, is a market leader in supply chain and logistics. They offer solutions ranging from warehousing to timely distribution of goods across India.  Safexpress B2C specializes in e-commerce logistics and supply chain management. This service ensures real-time data capturing to facilitate time-sensitive, hassle-free, safe warehousing and inter-modal express distribution of goods.

 

· Decide Which E-Commerce Logistics Capabilities Are Critical

 

Following capabilities are a requirement if you want to implement cost-effective e-commerce logistics.

 

Inventory localization

 

With shorter and flexible delivery timelines being the need of the hour in the e-commerce industry, businesses need to distribute their inventory and keep their products in smaller warehouses closer to population centers to reduce delivery times. It also allows usage of regional carriers for local distribution, which are often cheaper and help to keep costs low.

 

Big data and smart analytics

 

By using big data to perform smart analytics, a business can identify demand patterns and trends that were previously invisible. Predictive software can help in optimizing route planning to ensure that businesses can meet their promised deliverables.

 

Automation

 

The implementation of automation technologies, techniques and processes improve the efficiency, reliability, and speed of many tasks that were previously performed by humans. Automated systems help to notify customers when delays occur along the supply chain. Real-time data provided through automation provides visibility into the operation and enables you to make better business decisions based on trends and history.

 

Managing returns

 

Returns management is a process in the e-commerce industry that involves interfacing with customers who wish to return a product, and then collecting, organizing, and restocking inventory that has been returned or exchanged.

The costs and mechanisms for handling reverse logistics need to be incorporated into your e-commerce logistics plans.

 

Last mile

 

The most complicated and difficult component of e-commerce logistics is the “last mile.” This is that stage in the delivery process when the package travels the last part of the journey to the customer’s door. The last mile is challenging due to few reasons like inadequate route planning and unpredictable elements.

 

In Conclusion

 

By providing strong ecommerce logistics in India businesses can maximize efficiency, reduce shipping costs, and provide a great customer experience.

 

Source:-https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/nwjxby/increasing_demand_for_ecommerce_logistics_in/

 

How technology is changing the future of logistics companies in India

In the logistics industry, where activities not only include physical movements of goods, but also involve managing relationships with suppliers and customers, technology plays an important role in enhancing performance and business competitiveness. The best logistics company in India is hence one that uses technology to enhance the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the logistics system.

Few technology advances that are changing the future of the logistics industry

 

Internet and technological advancements have made it possible to keep track of your shipments and also provide real-time information to customers 24/7.

·         Internet of Things (IoT)

 

Many devices are designed with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors. The easy access to Wi-Fi and the internet connects everyone to everything, which is why it’s called the Internet of Things. Sensors like GPS are built into transportation modes that are connected to an alarm system or dispatcher, making it possible to monitor and track at all times. It provides more accurate in-transit visibility and delivery of goods. With GPS software, there’s no worry about drivers getting lost and consumers experiencing delivery delays.

·         Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

 

RFID technology uses a tag or sensor which is placed on the product and radio waves are sent out. RFID data delivery is of superior speed and data processing helps to monitor the movement of cargo. RFID can be used for tracking containers, packages, cartons or a truck carrying the cargo on time-bound dispatches to customers. The benefits of RFID include accuracy, cost-savings, speed, and convenience of data storage and processing of information.

 

·         Artificial and Augmented Intelligence

 

Logistics companies in India can save a lot of time and money if they can incorporate solutions that provide intelligent transportation, route planning, and demand planning into their operations. AI has made a huge difference in logistics mainly in the areas of last-mile delivery, warehouse automated picking systems, and predictive optimization software. Augmented intelligence combines human intelligence with AI automated processes, thus combining inputs from human experience and customer service to ease out repetitive and tedious work. 

 

Big data analytics are being used in logistics to analyze large volumes of data through which you can identify the issues that occur during the supply chain. Predictive and prescriptive analytics, combined with demand and capacity forecasting, allows logistic service providers to accurately understand what future demands are likely to be. This insight ensures proper fleet and carrier procurement and management to ensure there’s enough capacity to meet future customer needs.

 

·         Augmented reality

 

Augmented reality is the space between physical reality and virtual reality. AR is an enhanced version of the real physical world that is achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli delivered via technology. It is useful for employees to navigate through large warehouses and aid them to identify the type and location of a particular product. It can reduce time consumption and takes away the possibility of error.

 

Safexpress, a market leader in supply chain and logistics in India, provides a range of supply chain solutions, quality service, and logistics assistance to customers across 8 different industrial verticals. With Safexpress’s ability to provide technology-enabled and real-time monitoring capabilities, safe and timely delivery to customers is guaranteed.

 

In Conclusion

 

The adoption of the latest technology in the logistics industry can enable logistics companies in India to remain competitive and enhance efficiency. Technology will pave the way to smoother, faster travel times and meet consumer demands more efficiently.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/nm5x99/how_technology_is_changing_the_future_of/

Logistics in Post-Pandemic India

 Modern businesses are built on the principle of specialization. Their finished products may often be consisted of critical components or sophisticated materials that require technological skills to make. For example, a car at the showroom floor is unthinkable without an AC, an   LCD panel or touch screen none of which is manufactured by the automotive company. Apart from these highly sophisticated products, other spares - from simple nuts-bolts to BSV1 compliant engine-parts- are sourced from SUPPLIERS specializing in their manufacturing. These suppliers could be spread in different parts of the country or even continents. Connecting the sourcing units to the manufacturer and the manufacturer to the end user is the important role the logistics & supply chain industry performs. Of late however, logistics industry is going through a phase of uncertainty. The supply shock that started in February last year in China was followed by a demand shock the world over as the global economy shut down, have exposed the sourcing units, manufacturing companies and the logistics, 3PL and supply chain partners to uncouth vulnerabilities.

In the years subsequent to economic depression in 2008-09, amidst widespread unemployment and rising inequality between rural poor and urban middle classes, populist regimes riding the nativist slogans came to power in many countries the world over. They centralized power to

·         Encourage domestic production to create employment

·         Imposed a tariff barrier (import substitution) making cross-border trade an expensive affair

Economic nationalism thus developed has resulted in a huge disequilibrium in demand and supply. Manufacturing companies, dependent as they are, on a variety of sourcing companies spread across the globe, will resort to procuring from domestic suppliers which often lack resources, and credit availability to scale up. This will escalate the product prices and at the same time quality could be questionable. Nonetheless, a vast consumer-base across nationalities, already exposed to the quality and efficiency of the products, would continue to look and demand the same. In the immediate to medium term, though, there would be pressure on the manufacturing to logistics companies to invest heavily in value-chain while being competitive at the same time. Easier said than done.

As we have seen since the late last year and what has come to be known as “Vaccine Nationalism,” a group of chemicals which are used for developing DNA and mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines and DNA-based drug therapies are sourced mainly from China and South Korea. Because of rising nativism, many vaccine producing countries and companies have become vulnerable. This has disrupted the vaccine manufacturing, and India which used to source raw materials to manufacture vaccine for the world, is faced with an unprecedented crisis.

With localized lockdowns in the face of epidemic and devastating second wave that is ravaging India has put Indian logistics firms and 3pl players in a perilous position. Manufacturing units kept the machines running and when the lockdowns announced, they were caught unawares flush with a lot of inventory. There is a scarcity in demand especially for discretionary items and warehouses are full to the brim with little possibility of normal operations anytime soon. Whatever the pent up demand created last year after lockdown was lifted would be harder to come by this time around. Obviously, when it rains it pours.

3PL and logistics partners would be required investing big to stay in the game. To start with,

·         End-to-end logistics and integration of value chain across spectrum. Logistics companies  have to invest further in hub-and-spoke concentrically operating, to connect sourcing/supplying units with manufacturing plants and then to the consumer across board

·         With self-reliance in manufacturing a theme, tertiary and secondary units will be encouraged to build themselves around larger manufacturing plants. They will have little capacity to hold the inventory and would require a 3PL partner. How quickly the 3PL and express distribution partners will invest in and around manufacturing belts and SEZ areas would be able to reap the benefits

·         Technological innovations and finding a right balance between human force and automation would be another key element for 3PL & express distribution companies

·         Uncover and address hidden risks in operations and invest in creating human capital up for such exigencies in future.

Importantly, manufacturing, 3PL & distribution partners would be forced to innovate and move to decentralizing their facilities so that in exigencies, their other units are operational.

 

Source: https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/nhjth5/logistics_in_postpandemic_india/

 

Logistics in Covid Times

Hindsight does play tricks. Facts do not. The Covid-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world from the beginning of the last year and after having undergone several mutations seems to have made India its current theatre of devastation. The epochal loss of lives and sheer helplessness that it has brought in its wake is unprecedented. At the same time, devastation it has caused to the businesses is unimaginable. 

According to a recent study by CMIE (Business Standard; May 6, 2021), the second wave of Covid-19 in India and the resultant localized lockdowns have already claimed over 7.5 million jobs taking the unemployment rate to a four-month high of 8%. Coming on the back of 24% unemployment during the last year that also claimed 25% MSMEs which had to close down, it is easy to understand the misery and penury that millions of families have been reduced to. 

Covid-19 pandemic, however, is by no means the first to have befallen upon us. And it will not be the last either.Since the beginning of the new Millennium, world has seen several natural disasters. Starting with Earthquake in Gujarat in 2001 which claimed over 20000 lives as per official records, to the Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami of 2004 (claimed more than 227,000 lives), not a single year has passed without leaving in its wake, a trail of tragedy and devastation. 

World over, more than 5 million lives have been lost to these disasters; the destruction to the ecosystem and loss of livelihood that they have left in their ugly trail, is unimaginable. The severe disruption in supply chain and distribution that these events cause is difficult to grapple with. Question arises as to what the industry bodies, logistics, and logistics & distribution companies learn from these disasters and what are the action plans they have been able to develop to come out of them.

Logistics as a means involves a producer-manufacturer and a supplier-distributor. Anecdotal evidences suggest that while the response of producer-manufacturer to dealing with crises like this has, by and far, been brusque; it is always the supplier-distributor that has to grapple with the reality and often unrealized escalating costs. 

Mahesh Vyas, Director and Chief Executive, CMIE suggests, “MSMEs have suffered as they are unable to survive the severity of pandemic, the sudden and prolonged lockdown and the consequent shrinking of overall businesses. Large companies are not only better placed to ride out of storm but also gain by cannibalizing markets of the withering smaller companies.” Logistics & distribution players are no exceptions.

For the supply chain and logistics industry, initial months of the pandemic was a time when its’ importance was thrown into stark relief. After all, what is the use of all the multi-billion dollars advertising and marketing strategies if the fanciful products and life-saving drugs doesn’t move and aren’t available to the end user in their time of need. 

As highlighted in the summary of Harvard Business Review, “Corona virus is a wakeup call for supply chain management;”…“To make sure same thing doesn’t happen the next time around, they should map their supply chain in depth, which includes identifying alternative sources of items, changing the way they assess the performance of their procurement functions to include revenue assurance and not just cost savings; and include disruption-related metrics in their evaluation of suppliers.”

Logistics, logistics & distribution companies despite the way things are unfolding and falling apart, are doing the most and are standing up to the evolving situation. Logistics & distribution companies still have to keep sourcing the products and keep distributing it in order to keep the inventories from piling up. This is because the logistics companies know there are many things that are not going to change. 

Consumers will continue to want low prices (especially in a recession-like scenario), and logistics players won’t be able to charge more just because they are at the frontline, dealing with this precarious situation. Competition will ensure that. In addition the pressure on the logistics players to operate efficiently, and use Capex frugally will remain unrelenting.

Is There a Demand for Virtual Warehousing Services in India?

The constantly evolving product demand has made suppliers choose virtual warehousing to deliver orders to customers as soon as possible. Decentralization of the supply chain is the key to meeting increasing consumer demand. Virtual warehousing allows inventory to be physically housed anywhere such as a distribution center, a temporary facility, or the back room of a store, and then distributed on an as-needed basis. 

Virtual warehouses are a type of distribution and fulfillment center. Distribution of products stored in these virtual warehouses is done through 3PL services to fulfill orders faster and meet customer expectations.

 

With virtual warehousing, all your distribution centers or fulfillment centers are considered as a network and this network is then considered for fulfillment. So, when an order arrives, the network is consulted, irrespective of where the product is stored to identify the best possible way to fulfill the order based on the geographical location of the customer, as quickly as possible. 

 

A virtual warehouse is made more efficient with the use of a platform that provides visibility to inventory assets in real-time. A virtual warehouse can be used to serve omni-channels and create a more efficient supply chain network. This helps to increase profit margins while reducing business costs.

 

Advantages of using virtual warehousing services

The warehouse is an integral part of any retail supply chain and its retail operations. The Indian Warehousing Market is expected to be an estimated $12.2 billion in 2020, growing to $19.5 billion by 2025.

·         Cost-reduction

The location of a warehouse is becoming increasingly important to facilitate free cargo movement and to ensure time-bound operations. By outsourcing to 3PL services, the need to maintain a physical structure, security, maintenance, permits, and many other costs, are avoided.

·         Efficient Logistics Supply

The shipping time and cost associated with a traditional physical warehouse are in efficient and expensive. Virtual warehousing enables faster fulfillment of customer orders because distribution centers can be built closer to customers. These methods reduce costs and ensure faster delivery times that customers expect from retailers.

·         Avoid Dependency on a Single Distribution Center

With virtual warehousing built on an inherently distributed network of inventory, retailers can avoid having a single point of failure. Retailers can, therefore, increase the pool of inventory available to them without the costly process of investing in more warehouses and buying more stock.

·         Inventory Flexibility

Frequent changes in product demand often lead to insufficiencies in available inventory. A virtual warehouse provides flexibility to access multiple distribution centers for the same type of inventory. With a virtual warehouse, it becomes easier to cope with fluctuating customer demands because you don't have to stock more than what is needed.

·         Sustainability

Virtual warehousing ensures an optimized supply chain by not holding unnecessary stock that may go out of season quickly, thus reducing waste. This is beneficial for the environment and to promote sustainability. With visibility and accurate inventory by location provided through virtual warehousing, decisions can be made for effective forecasting of inventory to counter erratic and seasonal demands.

Safexpress, one of the largest and fastest logistics companies in India, with its existing 42 3PL locations, is well-equipped to cater to the need for fast and efficient delivery fulfillment for their customers. With its multi-state warehouse and robust IT systems, operational efficiency and inventory visibility are easily achievable to promote fast last-mile delivery and order fulfillment.

In Conclusion

The Indian government, with its supportive policies, such as the establishment of logistic parks and free trade warehouse zones, is expected to spur the market growth for virtual warehousing services in India.