Five Essential Benefits of a 3PL Warehouse for Your Small Business

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When you are trying to grow your small business, handling all of the tasks involved in your supply chain can be challenging and time-consuming. The use of third-party logistics (3PL), such as a fulfillment warehouse, can take these tasks off your hands, so you can focus on other aspects of your business. Using 3PL warehouse solutions offers the following benefits for small businesses.

Better Customer Satisfaction

Using a 3PL warehouse means your customers can receive their packages on time. This helps your business build a reputation for being reliable. Timely package shipping and deliveries result in customers who are more satisfied with your business.

Reduced Costs

A 3PL warehouse solution can help your small business save on operating costs and other expenses. Using this type of service means you will not have to spend money on renting a warehouse, transporting goods, and handling other logistics tasks on your own.

Expanded Markets

Using a 3PL warehouse can make it easier and more cost-effective for your business to expand into new markets. You will have greater access to other markets, while saving money on the cost of managing inventory in these markets.

Increased Scalability

When you use 3PL solutions, you will have the adjust the use of supply chain resources based on how busy your business currently is. This scalability helps reduce waste when business is slow or quickly meet customer needs when business picks up.

Knowledge and Expertise

Relying on a 3PL warehouse to handle your fulfillment needs means you can depend on their expertise and guidance. They can help you expand into new markets, including overseas markets, while ensuring compliance with international regulations.

If you need a dependable fulfillment warehouse to help your business grow, please contact Medallion Fulfillment and Logistics to learn more about our services.

Essential Warehousing Safety Tips from Osha

Warehouse Safety

Warehouses are busy workplaces that involve a lot of traffic as workers load and unload items, stock inventory, and fulfill orders. Running a fulfillment warehouse means knowing how to keep workers as safe as possible from accidents, including slips, trips, and falls. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers the following warehouse safety tips to reduce the risk of these injuries.

Provide Training and Retraining

Ensure that all workers receive training on safety issues, such as properly using personal protective equipment and other safety equipment. Plan on retraining workers as needed, such as workplace changes take place. Training and retraining are important parts of reducing the risk of accidents and injuries in warehouses.

Use Ladders Safely

Warehouse workers should have three points of contact when going up and down ladders. They should also avoid carrying loads that can throw off their balance on ladders. Ensure that all ladders are regularly inspected, and only use portable ladders on surfaces that are flat and stable. These steps can help reduce the risk of falls and other accidents involving ladders in warehouses.

Maintain Safe Floors

Cords and other clutter on warehouse floors can lead to trips and falls, which can result in serious injuries. Maintain clear floors at all times to help prevent these kinds of injuries and accidents. Use rubber mats or other dry surfaces for warehouse workers to stand and walk on when floors are damp or slippery.

Make Loading Docks Safe and Secure

Have fall protection systems in place on loading dock platforms that have unprotected sides. Any portable dockboards that are in use should have handholds to prevent falls and other accidents.

If you’re exploring options to improve efficiency and boost your business, such as partnering with a fulfillment warehouse, please contact Medallion Fulfillment and Logistics.

Warehousing or Fulfillment Service – Understanding Your Needs

Warehouse Worker Pulling Boxes Down to Fulfill an Order.

As the operator of a virtual storefront, your eCommerce business needs storage for your products and a way to fulfill orders. Which will better satisfy your needs: a warehouse or a fulfillment company? Take a closer look at how each one works.

Difference Between Warehouse and Fulfillment Center

  • Warehouses are widely used by both eCommerce shops and brick-and-mortar stores. These large facilities provide storage for a company’s inventory until it’s sold. Individual SKUs (stock keeping units) are kept on shelves or in storage bins and containers to facilitate order-picking.
  • On the other hand, a fulfillment center is a more comprehensive operation. In addition to storing product, a fulfillment center generally handles the entire process, from inventory management to order filling and shipping. These centers are sometimes referred to as a third-party logistics provider, or 3PL.

Benefits of a Fulfillment Company

  • In business, larger volume means better pricing. A fulfillment center manages a number of customers, allowing them to receive more advantageous pricing on supplies and transportation than you could ever obtain on your own.
  • Are you finding it difficult to keep up with the ever-increasing number of orders? Is it taking too long for customers to receive their products? Fulfillment centers have streamlined processes that can be scaled to accommodate company growth.
  • Order fulfillment involves many moving parts. Managing this side of your business on your own is cumbersome and time-consuming. When you partner with a fulfillment warehouse, it frees you up to spend your time and energy growing your business.

A Fulfillment Company Invested in Your Success

At Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics, your success means our success. We have a variety of services, including start-up and Amazon replenishment warehousing, that can be tailored to fit your individual needs. Contact us today for more information.

3PL or 4PL What’s the Difference?

Young Businesswoman Under the Stress of Organizing Business Logistics

 

So how much difference does a single digit make? In the case of 3PL and 4PL, the answer can have a significant impact on your choice of fulfillment company. Here’s a look at what this means for your business.

What is a 3PL?

third-party logistics provider, also referred to as 3PL, is a valuable solution for many eComm businesses. A 3PL handles some or all of your company’s shipping needs, such as transportation and information technology (IT).

Benefits of a 3PL

  • As an entrepreneur, you understand the business side. 3PLs have extensive experience with supply chain logistics, which frees you up to focus on the main goal of growing sales.
  • Supply chain functions are costly in terms of time, space and labor. When you partner with a fulfillment company, they provide these elements for a fraction of the price you would pay if you did everything on your own.
  • The needs of an eComm business can vary from year to year, and even from season to season. A 3PL can scale their services to accommodate seasonal spikes, market fluctuations and company growth.

Do you need a 4PL?

A 4PL, or fourth-party logistics provider, adds another layer to the operations of a 3PL. While a 3PL executes supply chain activities, a 4PL goes a step further by taking charge of overall supply chain management.

If you want to take a complete hands-off position with your supply chain operation, a 4PL can be a great option. The 4PL will work with your 3PL, including fulfillment warehouse and carriers, creating a centralized contact that enables strong communication and smooth procedures from start to finish.

Fulfillment Company Services for Any Applications

Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics brings years of industry experience to provide solutions for all your eComm needs. Contact us today to learn more.

4 Reasons to Trust Medallion Fulfilment For Your Small Business

Fulfillment Warehouse Worker Preparing an Order

Have you been burned by a fulfillment company that gave all their attention to the bigger clients? No matter what size your business, you don’t deserve to be treated like an afterthought. Here are four significant reasons why Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics is the right partner for your eCommerce business.

1. We provide full service from start to finish.

What’s the point of teaming up with a fulfillment company if they handle only part of your needs? Farming different functions out to different companies is costly and counterproductive. Medallion Fulfillment offers a comprehensive assortment of services, from warehousing and order processing to shipping and customer care.

2. Our services are customized and scalable.

Many fulfillment warehouses have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, offering a fixed package of services with no deviations. Medallion Fulfillment lets you tailor your package to your specific needs and budget, and as your business grows, we scale along with you.

3. We have facilities on both coasts.

Medallion Fulfillment has warehouses in Boston, MA and the greater Los Angeles, CA area, putting us in the center of two of the country’s biggest transportation hubs. Both facilities are monitored by 24-hour surveillance cameras and armed-guard alarm response services.

4. We can match your business with the right shipping solutions.

No matter how well your products sell, it means nothing if you can’t deliver them to the customers. Medallion’s facilities are compatible with UPS, FedEx and other major shippers, and we can accommodate LTL (less-than-truckload) shipments as well. We’re experts at finding cost-effective shipping methods to fit any requirements.

The Only Fulfillment Company You Need

Keep your focus on growing your sales and let us take care of your fulfillment and logistics needs. Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics today to learn more about our Amazon replenishment warehousing service and other unique programs.