Anyone who has ever bought a fresh piece of produce from a store or enjoyed a chilled glass of milk from a grocery store owes that experience to third party logistics. Food doesn’t just teleport to a store, nor does it always have an easy path to reach that destination you bought it from. The majority of packaged food is sent off from manufacturers through a third party logistics source. This means an outside company considers both transport and storage of the product. In a typical shipping scenario, a product changes hands a few times before it hits the store, from the original producers to the storage company, to the transport company, to the store workers themselves.
However, there’s a problem that can arise if the hands that the product is changing between all work for different companies, instead of a third-party logistics company. Each company can have a different standard for both timely and safe processes when handling products. This can lead to complications that make the product health suffer. The easiest solution is for the initial producer to use a third-party logistics center that can assimilate all of the steps into one company, under one process and with one standard of product care. This solution cuts down on communication delays and will lead to faster service and safer care of the product.
However, just choosing a third-party logistics company isn’t enough of a consideration. A producer should also consider the location, cost, and product handling standards of their third party logistics company. The location being close to the end location for the product will save both time and money. The price is a consideration because it’s often a direct correlation to the quality of the third-party logistics company’s storage facilities. The third-party logistics company’s product handling standards should be personally inspected by a qualified inspector from the state or the original product manufacturer. The facility, vehicles, and working conditions should be a satisfactory environment for the product to be handled in.
Suppose all of these elements are closely inspected and considered. In that case, a product will likely arrive at its final destination as fast as possible, in as favorable a condition as possible for the best consumer enjoyment. This consideration will lead to a better consumer experience, saved money, and reduced stress as well.
Between all mentioned above, the science of product shipping and fulfillment is more impactful to the consumer than one might consider.
Western Gateway Cold Storage is the premiere third-party logistics company located in the Midwest Americas.
