This is part two in a two-part series. You can read part one here.
In part one of this two-part series about the value that a 3PL can bring to any size of business, we discussed some of the basic benefits fulfillment houses can provide almost any type of company.
In part two, we’ll address companies that are looking to expand or find ways to grow—because your 3PL can help you do this in ways you’ve never imagined.
You may not even know it, but partnering with the right 3PL could be your ticket to that bigger building you’ve been dreaming of. Even if your company is small today, your big dreams can become reality with the boost of a 3PL.
There are plenty of ways they can help you expand exponentially, but these three are really pretty remarkable:
- Accessing inaccessible markets. There are certain markets that are difficult for the average business to reach into because of cost limitations. These include places like non-coastal China, as well as parts of Africa, India and the Middle East.Depending on what you’ve got to sell, you may very well have a ready market waiting for your products, but the problem is that the delivery companies who have contracts in these areas are limited. Your 3PL may not be able to reach every point on Earth, but many can use their shipping partner connections to get your packages a lot further than you might imagine possible.
- Handling imports and exports. When you’re doing international business, there’s a lot of paperwork to track for your imports and exports. Whether you’re shipping locally made products to Germany or receiving shipments from Japan, you’ll need someone who can manage your cargo manifests, bills of lading, customs forms and other necessary documents so your packages get where they need to go.
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). If you’re trying to build your business as a supplier to other businesses, you may quickly find doors closing in your face if you don’t have access to EDI. Unfortunately, setting up your own system is costly and time consuming, plus you’ll need special training to place and retrieve orders. A good 3PL, on the other hand, should already have an EDI team in place to help you with that task. So, instead of having to tell yet another potential client that you can’t accept their orders, you’ll be happily giving them the information to submit their first request.
Fulfillment services houses can perform a huge variety of tasks, depending on exactly what it takes to make your business successful. If that means you need cargo sent to Sri Lanka, then they’ll find a way to make it happen, but if you simply need access to EDI, that’s possible, too. There’s a reason 60 percent of businesses choose 3PL. 3PL works for businesses big and small.
