When partnering with a third party logistics (3PL) company, value is certainly a concern, but what does a low price mean for your business in the long run? While you should certainly keep an eye on your bottom line, the reality is that not all potential Southern California 3PL partners are created equal. Risk management should be a chief concern when evaluating potential 3PL partnerships, so ask yourself if it makes sense to trust your entire supply and shipping chain to the lowest bidder, or protect your investment by siding with an established leader in Southern California third party logistics.
In the ecommerce world, your business is only as strong as your promise to the end-user. Today’s internet shoppers want to know exactly when their product will arrive, and they want it sooner, rather than later. Furthermore, they expect their order to be perfect, with little patience for shipping back returns for incorrect or damaged orders. And with the plethora of ecommerce options available, consumers are all too willing to jump ship to a competitor if they’re not happy with the handling or expediency of a single order.
Outsourcing your logistics to a third party can streamline your entire shipping and fulfillment process, but it also means that you’re placing a huge bet on the reliability of the 3PL. For this reason, it is important to assess the risks posed by your chosen 3PL and their possible effects on your supply chain. What sort of transportation methods does the company use, and what is the track record of their transportation partners? What contingencies are in place to account for hindrances, and prevent delays? Furthermore, what does their physical facility look like? Is their shipping center clean and organized, with efficient and streamlined inventory and fulfillment systems? Or is there room for error in the way product is stored, handled, and shipped out?
All of these elements introduce risk to your shipping chain, and ultimately affect the speed and accuracy with which your customers receive their product. The potential consequence of a mishandled order means your customer retention and market share rests heavily on the risk management of your chosen 3PL partner. By these criteria, Westset Logistics provides a strong choice for businesses seeking a reliable Southern California 3PL. Their family owned and operated business has become a trusted name in non-perishable warehousing and distribution. Their location in La Mirada, CA, places them near the major ports on the West Coast, and positions them as an effective shipping hub for numerous Southern California population centers.
Their success in the industry has opened opportunities for steady growth and expansion, including a recent acquisition doubling their Class A warehouse space in La Mirada. Beyond adding additional square footage, Westset has proven to be a constant innovator in organization and efficiency throughout their logistics chain. A new racking system and improved loading mechanisms minimize space needed for storage, and speeds up access to the product. Meanwhile, operators are equipped with handheld scanners to provide fast and accurate inventory counts, logging everything in a central database, while supervisors use tablet computers linked to GPS navigation to direct operators in real time. Finally, the majority of Westset’s shipping is handled by their sister company, Total Transportation, as opposed to a secondary shipping company. This further serves to streamline processing, and makes it easy for Westset to locate lost packages, or deal with other issues that may arise at any point in the process.
While it’s true that partnering with a cheaper 3PL could mean savings passed on to the consumer, choosing an un-vetted company to handle your logistics could introduce risk to your shipping chain, and ultimately compromise your standing with your customer base.