Месяц: Март 2021

“Looking at the world through a sustainability lens not only helps us ‘future proof’ our supply chain, it also fuels innovation and drives brand growth.” Paul Polman

Shipments that don’t fill an entire truck are called Less-than-Truckload (LTL) or Less-Than-Container-Load (LCL). These happen across the country every single day. It’s a great way to ship items because it allows for shippers to be more flexible. It can help save money, time, and be a more environmentally friendly option.

Helps Small Businesses

LTL is helpful for businesses that often don’t have shipments that require a full container to ship. Usually, these shipments are paid for based on volume, and they are consolidated into other shipments. It’s a tremendous option for small businesses because they can ship fewer items while spending less money. LTL brings with it the benefit of shipping with a professional freight company without the high price of unused space.

Environmentally Friendly

LTL also results in fewer trucks used, because multiple LTL shipments can be consolidated to create fuller truckloads. This in turn causes reduced emissions and lowers the carbon footprint for all businesses involved!

Perfect for Demand Fluctuations

With the demand increase that ecommerce has brought, businesses need to be ready to meet the needs of their customer base. When companies use LTL, it helps eliminate the need of waiting for each shipment to fill an entire truckload.

Consolidation

There are times when an LTL shipment can cost as much as a full truckload even if it only takes up ½ or ¾ of a truck. This is when it’s important to build a relationship with a shipping partner that can handle consolidation. This means that multiple LTL shipments from several suppliers will be combined at a cross docking warehouse like Unibox, into a single truck that is headed to the same retailer. Most consolidation programs will have a consistent schedule and will need a connected lead time for retailer expectations.

There are many benefits to consolidation that coincide with LTL. Cost savings, speed to market so your freight gets delivered on time, and environmental friendliness are just a few. When dock space is limited, consolidation ensures that less trucks are required for pickups, rather than needing to accommodate several LTL shipments from multiple providers.

Unibox Warehouse can be treated as a consolidation center to help reduce costs and increase efficiency. With a close proximity to the Port of Chicago, our cross dock is often used for pallet fixing and redelivery, as well as consolidation or LTL shipments.

There are rigorous guidelines for food storage and transportation. Moving food from the farm to the processor, to the store, can be quite the process. A food-grade warehouse brings a much-needed link between these steps. When deciding which of the three types of warehouses you might need (Cold or Frozen Storage, Dry Storage, Chilled or Refrigerated Storage), and establishing a connection with a specific warehouse, there are some aspects to look at before making the final decision.

Temperature Controlled Storage

The fact that your food products need to be stored and shipped at specific temperatures is obvious. Some aspects, however, aren’t so easy. For instance, did you know that the ideal temperature for ice cream to be stored according to the International Ice Cream Association (IICA) is -20° F? There are also so many different types of products that may require cold storage like artwork, candles, plants, film, cologne, cosmetics, and seeds. When these products can be stored together and when they need to be kept separate from certain foods is something food-grade warehouse experts can help with.

Timing & Distribution

Some foods and beverages can stay in dry storage for years, and others will need to be refrigerated and shipped within a few days. With the many differences involved in food grade storage, a warehouse will bring a helpful expertise when it comes to creating a storage and distribution plan. Every food-grade warehouse should have a system in place for tracking “first in, first out” to ensure inventory is rotated properly.

Dedicated Transportation

Time management in the food industry is extremely important, which means that the correct means of transportation must be always ready. Fleets of dedicated dry van and refrigerated options are an essential part of what makes a food-grade warehouse successful. From storage, to cross-docking, to final delivery, there’s no time to waste trying to procure transportation options from someone else’s fleet. Set up a food-grade transportation system with a warehouse that has specific dedicated assets of their own.

Cross-Docking

Many fruits and vegetables won’t be stored at all. They will go from one truck to another using a cross-dock to reach their final destination in the least amount of time. This requires a system that keeps track of what is being unloaded and what is being loaded. There are laws in place that require certain foods do not travel with other foods. Moving food is more than just efficiency. The cross-docking warehouse needs to be an expert in food moving of all kinds.

Food retailers know the seasonal fluctuations involved with the industry. Whether that be the increase of certain beverages during the summer, or the decrease of certain fruits in the winter, certain aspects of the food selling cycle will always repeat themselves (unless of course a world-wide pandemic occurs). Utilizing a food-grade warehouse to weather the different seasons can be extremely cost effective and eliminate a lot of the stressors that may come.