Keeping Up with Demand: Supply Chain, 3PL Solutions and Warehousing Trends

With big data informing the development of new products and services, supply chain, warehousing and logistics are advancing at warp speed. According to BCG, cross-border eCommerce will rise from $80 billion in 2014 to about $300 billion by 2025.

That huge jump doesn’t come without careful preparation and thoughtful growth. The buzzword that sums it up is “sustainability.” A sustainable supply chain means your company is fine-tuned its operations weighing growth and profit against all the risks, costs and impact of offering more, faster. The companies that last grow their business carefully, mindful of their customers and environmental impact as well as the bottom line.

How do you create a sustainable supply chain? Here are some key trends happening now.

Intelligent Technology

Smart glasses, drones, artificial intelligence for automation and transactional procurement are all ways companies get more efficient and accurate in order fulfillment. Citi-Cargo, for example, offers customers leading-edge inventory software so our logistics teams have the power to view and change from anywhere.

“Elastic” Logistics

Demand ebbs and flows, and being able to adjust your logistics infrastructure — amount of warehouse space, your fleet, etc. — ensures that you aren’t scrambling for resources or paying for things you don’t need. You need a 360 view of your entire supply chain in order to identify ways to optimize logistics. At Citi-Cargo, we have long-time relationships with third-party logistics services to meet this need. The goal is to have enough agility to meet demands wherever they are, including last minute changes.

Customer Happiness

Today’s customer wants their goods and services when and how they want them. Having an efficient way to offer flexible, customizable delivery of products and solutions is a big win. In 2018, companies are measuring the POI – Perfect Order Index – to ensure customer satisfaction and get ideas for new revenue streams. To do this, companies leverage big data in a geographically small way. They can pinpoint which locations have a higher or lower demand for certain products or services, so they can meet those needs.

Sustainability Goals

Individually packaging and delivering items to a customer can impact the environment in a big way. Smart companies set aggressive goals to limit the amount of waste and pollution involved in meeting their customers needs, from intelligent package design to electric transportation. Customers may expect great service, but they also value sustainability and respond positively to companies that believe in reducing their carbon footprint.

Industry leaders have identified these as just a few of the top trends in 2018. At Citi-Cargo, we have experts in every stage of the supply chain. Contact us to talk about custom solutions to offer the visibility, control you need to improve performance.

Learn more about Citi-Cargo & Storage solutions in Minneapolis, Fargo/Moorhead, and all of Minnesota and North Dakota.