Blog Posts Shippers Find Value in 3PLs’ Analytics Capabilities
Today’s 3PLs are more knowledgeable than ever before, and they’re focused on helping clients accommodate business challenges and handle increasing operational complexity. Their analytics capabilities are particularly valuable for shippers, as an article in the latest issue of Inbound Logistics explains.
Parcel Analytics Help Improve Transit Time, Cost
Close analysis of historical data can help to identify opportunities for improvement when it comes to transportation. In fact, 60 percent of shippers say analytics are helpful for improving “freight costs per shipment” and 59 percent they are useful in addressing issues related to “transit time,” the 2020 Third-Party Logistics Study shows.
Parcel analytics software, for example, can help shippers to improve parcel management. Saddle Creek recently introduced a new cloud-based tool that gives shippers a unified database of all their carrier invoice data, allowing them to see when and where they’re shipping and at what cost. They’re also able to analyze how a variety of factors impact their parcel spend – location, service level, surcharges, etc.
Armed with this data, shippers can identify opportunities to increase efficiency and better manage shipping costs. They might see that switching from Smartpost to ground service reduces their cost per package or realize that avoidable accessorial charges are eating away at their profits.
Analytics also may reveal the need for better distribution network optimization, Perry Belcastro, Saddle Creek’s SVP of fulfillment services, tells Inbound Logistics. “With strategic network configuration, it’s possible to move products closer to end customers to reduce transit time and cost,” he explains.
To learn more ways that 3PLs are helping shippers strengthen their supply chains, read the full Inbound Logistics article starting on page 174.