Different logistics services to benefit your business
Here we continue with the different variants of services available within the logistics industry that may apply to your supply chain. It is important to fully understand the needs of your business in order to be able to assess which company would be best suited to complement your organisation with regard to the logistics of your products. Whether that be from the importation of the goods to the UK or the fulfilment and distribution to your market consumers.
Here we take a look at a few of the lesser known services available in the UK, due to their complexity and extremely specialised nature there are not as many 3PL/4PLs who offer such services.
Specialist logistics services
Bonded warehousing – these types of warehouses have to be approved by HMRC in order to store goods which are subject to the deferment of Duty. It is always advisable to speak to HMRC direct if you are looking to start importing/exporting products and would like to defer the Duty until the Point of Sale (P.O.S). We have a number of 3PLs within our network who can assist with the storage & distribution of such products as Beer, wine and spirits as well as high valued products such as electrical devices like TVs and audio equipment.
Freight forwarding – All organisations that import/export products from one country to another will need to comply with the relevant procedures and export documentation and shipping requirements. A freight forwarder can be utilised to assist you or take control of these processes to ensure the efficiency of the movement of goods from A to B. When looking for a forwarder you should assess their knowledge and experience of handling all areas to include the document requirements, procedures, transportation costs and banking practices. Whichwarehouse has a number of companies within the network who can offer forwarding services such as air & road freight and customs clearance as well as import/export services and we are sure if you make contact with them they will be pleased to offer guidance and advice.
Trunking movement & groupage services – Groupage (or consolidation) services is the process of scheduling and organising a variety of different shipments into one load heading for one destination or several locations but all of which are in the same region. This is to reduce costs and attain an economically viable process of moving goods from A to B. All parties involved will benefit from the cost reductions of moving their goods together with those from another company.
Trunking is a word used to describe the consistent journey that a driver of heavy goods vehicles will take on a regular basis in order to move goods around the country by utilising the motorways and dual carriageways. Our members are also able to offer rail freight as well as trunking movement and the option of shared site groupage for hauliers.
Grocery, food packaging & agriculture products – The production, storage and transportation of such goods is applicable to strict British Retail Consortium (BRC) standards which are in place to ensure the safety of all food and non-food products. These standards must be adhered and complied with by all suppliers of related products to safeguard the quality of the products they supply. The regulations apply to all aspects of the supply chain management for the storage and distribution of these products and it is recommended that 3PL/4PL who is specialised in these areas be employed to handle the supply chain process. A number of the companies listed in our directory specialise in the food retail industry offering high levels of service and commitment within BRC accredited and other food grade warehouse facilities. Also catering for different temperature ranges.
Cross-Docking – this is essentially what is referred to when logistics companies unload materials from incoming vehicles and reload directly onto outbound vehicles with little or no storage requirement in between.
Garment hanging – dedicated to the fashion industry there are warehouses that are set-up for the accommodation of garments/clothing only. Certain products within the fashion & beauty industry require specialist and experienced 3PLs to carry out the functionality of their logistics and many require garment hanging racks rather than standard pallet racking.
If your business is looking for any of the above warehousing facilities in the UK or if you are currently seeking a new 3PL partner or even if you are just starting to think about the future infrastructure for the expansion of your company contact us by phone or email to see how we can help and save you time to concentrate on other aspects of your business.