It happens to businesses all the time, and it may be happening to yours. Your growth seems to have hit a plateau, stalling or slowing without any clear solutions. You’re working hard and you’re working smart, but something is keeping you from reaching the next level. That’s where a third-party logistics provider, or 3PL, can help.

A 3PL with the right expertise and capabilities can jumpstart the growth of your business, finding new efficiencies in your supply chain while allowing you the freedom to focus on what you do best – all while reducing your costs. Here are key ways a 3PL can fuel your growth. 

Expertise

A 3PL brings a laser-focused emphasis on supply chain logistics. Many businesses find their footing and initial success because of an excellent product, but then see their growth undermined by a rudimentary understanding of warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution. However, simply getting the job done can only take you so far. A 3PL that is plugged into your business can offer a roadmap to new growth.

From the outset of a relationship, a good 3PL can audit a business’ supply chain and identify ways to improve it in powerful ways. With a deep wellspring of industry knowledge, a 3PL’s team of experts will offer fresh insight into an operation. For businesses looking to expand their geographic reach, a 3PL can be the savvy guide they need to move into new markets seamlessly and successfully, helping bring shipping services to new locations (including international ones) and giving businesses the capacity to build or expand their customer base with the ambition and acumen their product deserves.

Efficiency

An effective 3PL will bring the kind of exacting efficiency to a business that enables new growth. A 3PL can take on a portion of your logistics, such as warehousing, distribution or fulfillment, or the entire shipping operation, and make them more streamlined and effective. Because a 3PL is built for logistics and has existing, established supply chains and multiple clients, it will scale your business in a way that you wouldn’t be able to do on your own, thereby saving you money. A good 3PL also has relationships in place to clear the way for more efficient distribution of your goods. 

In addition, a 3PL will sharpen your processes and incorporate new systems, streamlining the shipping process so that it can be completed more quickly and cost-effectively – leading to happier customers and more repeat business.

Resources

When you enlist a 3PL for support, their resources become your resources. That can mean access to everything from warehouse space and trucks to new, cutting-edge technology. A 3PL’s warehouse space means your company will not need to purchase or build the space necessary to accommodate new growth, nor will it need to hire the workforce or purchase the equipment needed to manage inventory. That’s the 3PL’s responsibility. 

And, in this day and age, technology can be the difference-maker in a company’s hopes for growing into something bigger. With a modern 3PL, companies can gain access to proven logistics technology solutions at a lower price than acquiring them would cost. In addition, the 3PL provides the personnel to manage the technology and absorbs the training and updates needed to maintain it. A 3PL also can ensure a smooth transition to integrating the tech into a company’s existing processes and systems. All of this saved expense means businesses can devote their capital in other ways.

Flexibility and freedom

Perhaps the most valuable asset that a 3PL can offer a business seeking growth is time. With a 3PL managing supply chain logistics, a company will have the freedom and peace of mind to focus its time and capital on other aspects of its business, building on its core competencies and what makes it distinctive from its competitors. A 3PL provides logistics support on demand for its clients, ensuring that they have the best possible service and dedicated budget no matter the machinations of the market and the ups and downs of customer demand. When interest in your company’s products grows, a 3PL can be sure you’re ready to accommodate that growth with both the space and staffing you need.

Ultimately, when you partner with a 3PL, you will discover critical new ways of achieving the growth your business needs.

Distribution Technology has been offering integrated logistics and transportation solutions for more than 50 years. We can enhance your operation and accelerate your company’s growth with inventory storage capacity, processes that improve efficiency, and technology that enables innovation. For more information, contact us today.