The Ultimate Guide to Logistics Operations

Table of Contents

More Logistics Content

Get the latest e-commerce industry news, best practices, and product updates!

Table of Contents

Share This

More Logistics Content

Get the latest e-commerce industry news, best practices, and product updates!

Logistics operations is the heart of a company’s operations, and is critical to boosting sales and planning for future expansion.The efficiency of your operations influences the capacity to satisfy consumer demand. E-commerce logistics frameworks that incorporate the appropriate methods, innovation, and logistics infrastructure are critical to ensuring that your customers receive a high-quality product.

Goods move through a network of roads, rails, air, and sea transportation, as well as intermediate warehouses that store goods before they reach forward sites. Multi-tier vendors, agents, and agencies are involved in the entire process, comprising shipping services, packers, customs departments, distributors, and third-party logistics providers, among others. As a result, logistics is an integral part of supply chain management.

We will understand the importance, functions, and processes of logistics operations further in this article.

Logistics Operations

What are Logistics Operations?

Logistics operations refer to the procedure of delivering completed goods from the manufacturer to the end-user and are an essential aspect of the supply chain. Managing e-commerce inventories, as well as fulfilling and delivering orders, are all part of the incoming and outbound logistics process.

Inventory control, warehousing, and order fulfillment are important facets of e-commerce logistics optimization. Larger organizations may employ specialist logistics managers to manage logistical operations, while smaller business owners often do it themselves.

Logistics Operations

The Relation Between Logistics Operations and Supply Chain Management

All business operations linked to procurement, production, distribution, and sales order fulfillment are covered by supply chain management. This includes planning, design, control, and execution. All of these operations entail different networks of suppliers and service providers integrated and coordinated by the organization’s supply chain experts to transfer products and raw materials from and to all corners of the globe.

Logistics is the foundation upon which supply chain operations are built. The administration of the movement of products and services involving information, data, and paperwork between two entities or sites is referred to as logistics. Logistics plays a vital role in delivering raw materials from the provider to the place of manufacturing and in managing the finished products’ supply chain from the manufacturer to the customer’s doorstep.

The supply chain is frequently confused with logistics operations and vice versa. Even while logistics and supply chain management are inextricably intertwined, they are not synonymous. ‘Supply Chain’ includes ‘Logistics’ as a sub-component and extension.

In an organization, supply chain design would describe, plan, and strategize sourcing strategy, production location selection, the distribution system and strategy for completed items, and so on. While logistics planning is concerned with the logistics of procurement, completed product distribution, sales order processing, and inventory management, among other things.

What is the Importance of Logistics Operations?

Any successful business leader recognises the importance of well-organized logistics. They understand those satisfying customer expectations and outperforming the competition require seamless logistics.

Once a company understands its customers’ expectations, it must design a strategy for meeting them through logistics. This necessitates a clear comprehension or assessment of the company’s strategic direction. We have listed below the reasons logistics operations are so vital:

Facilitates business objectives

A reputable third-party logistics provider will lessen your administrative burden. These professionals will develop innovative and practical solutions for improving the efficiency, clarity, and quantifiability of supply chain systems. A robust logistics plan is necessary to prevent transportation operations and retail locations from becoming out of hand.

Collaboration among stakeholders should be a key component of your entire logistics strategy. You should plan your sourcing methods to meet the changing demands of your customers. An efficient logistics strategy should include the following elements to produce excellent business results:

  • Have enough distribution networks or warehouses to keep up-to-date communication between people in the distribution chain and everyone who is affected by changes.
  • The pace at which products should be dispersed throughout warehouses or fulfillment centers in terms of productivity.
  • You must submit a monthly audit of your logistical connections.
  • Regularly revising for improvement

Enhances customer experience

Customers who are happy are a company’s greatest asset. They provide supply chains with their fundamental drive in all three phases: manufacturing, marketing, and logistics. As a result, every business owner must fully understand their consumers’ needs, preferences, and aspirations, and then work relentlessly to meet those needs.

Customers prioritize a few essential elements when buying products that ship straight to them: ease of searching, secure payment choices, excellent product reviews, and the general performance of a product or service on delivery. Customers also frequently express how important it is to have a swift and effortless experience receiving their purchased goods or services. They want orders to arrive quickly and on time, and they expect open communication from your company from the moment they place the order until they sign off on the delivery.

Customer satisfaction may suffer adversely if a company fails to meet these delivery goals, and business logistics is responsible for ensuring that it does not happen.

Increases the business’s value

Effective logistics strategies achieve more than just wonderful results for your company. Furthermore, these strategies add value to your customers, and your commodity may grow more valuable as it becomes more accessible to your customers.

Increasing customer value does not have to mean losing quality or quantity. It also has to do with accessibility. Because better logistics makes your products more available to a broader audience, intelligent business leaders consider logistics a crucial tool for delivering value to customers. As some items become more readily available, increased demand boosts their value.

If a problem negatively affects your customers, you should always rethink your strategy. You may add value to their lives by solving distribution or transportation issues. If issues like warehouse overload continue to impact some customers, you may need to adjust your service to increase customer happiness and fix the problem.

Ensures timely delivery of goods and services

Companies like Amazon rely on same-day shipment and delivering their products on time or ahead of schedule to stay afloat. They provide tracking information to customers to help prepare for product delivery, and this feature allows businesses to monitor their expectations.

Working with a third-party logistics provider may help keep your competitive edge and surpass customer expectations. One primary goal should be on-time delivery. Manage lead times, suppliers, and stocks to ensure that your products reach your customers on time. Logistics-driven businesses can handle short-notice requirements. By entrusting their products with a team of professionals, company owners can count on timely and secure shipping, warehousing, and distribution to clients. They may integrate such services in a way that creates value for their offers while also ensuring that their products arrive on time.

Improves efficiency and reduces costs

Logistics management helps firms cut costs in a range of areas, from shipping costs to the amount of inventory needed, by actively tracking stock levels. Logistics has developed into the heart of supply networks as global commerce has grown in prominence. Business leaders have realized that forging arrangements with firms that supply transportation and storage may help them save money.

Companies that outsource storage and transportation generally see a significant gain in overall company efficiency. Enabling these partners to manage the delivery of their products to end-users strengthens their brand and improves their reputation.

Minimizes operational costs

A well-thought-out logistics strategy eliminates previously overlooked expenditures. Organizations may now create far more strategic arriving and departing timetables, shipments, and routes while saving money. A company-oriented logistics, such as standardization, simplifying, productivity increases, and material economy, has reduced strategic overhead expenses:

  • Design and implementation of a database
  • Overhead costs, also known as per-unit costs
  • Predictable expenses, such as storage capacity, autos, and so on
  • Overall costs across the entire supply chain
E-commerce online shopper purchasing from an online store | Locad

The 4 Key Processes of Logistics Operations

From transferring items from the producer to the seller through last-mile delivery, logistics operations are composed of a number of activities that operate together to optimize the supply chain. Let us have a look at the four key processes of logistics operations:

1. Manufacturers and suppliers

The initial step in supply chain management is obtaining raw materials, which is handled by the supplier or manufacturer. A trustworthy manufacturer manages the work-in-process inventories phase (i.e., the flow of raw goods being processed into completed goods) to ensure that you receive an elevated, marketable product on time and at a reasonable price.

Choosing the correct supplier is critical; manufacturers that are unreliable in providing a quality product and sending the stock to the seller can weigh down operations right from the start.

2. Widespread fulfillment centers

Fulfillment centers are warehouses that keep goods near the end consumer, allowing each order to be chosen, packed, and sent as soon as placed, ensuring the quickest possible delivery. Many direct-to-consumer (DTC) firms rely on e-commerce fulfillment services provided by a third-party logistics (3PL) provider. They won’t be worried about fulfilling and delivering orders on their own this way.

The flexibility to shift goods between logistics hubs is another critical benefit of collaborating with a 3PL. A fulfillment firm with a sizable worldwide fulfillment center service enables merchants to spread inventory over many locations to form meaningful and trustworthy relations with their consumers. This lowers transportation expenses while also expediting delivery.

3. Warehousing

Warehousing is a critical phase in the logistics operations procedure that entails storing and managing physical commodities prior to their sale. The security and safety of stored items, inventory control methods that assist in optimizing stock storage, and other operations are all critical aspects of warehouse management.

These critical warehouse management systems keep track of where products are, when they arrive, and how long they’ve been there.

4. Shipping

How successfully you handle your logistics operations is reflected in how precisely and promptly you send orders to clients. Although the carrier is ultimately responsible for delivering items to their final destination, you can pick which shipping methods and destinations to give your clients (e.g., standard through the ground, expedited via air, etc). (domestic vs. international shipping).

You can also send items in-house, which usually entails waiting in line at the post office. You may also outsource fulfillment to a business that has access to low shipping charges from significant carriers and can handle the shipping process (and any other logistical operations) for you.

4 Logistics Procedures That Help You Manage Your Supply Chain Better

If you want to improve your logistics operations, you don’t have to do it alone. From inventory management to shipping orders, many e-commerce companies depend on a third-party logistics service provider like LOCAD to help them improve their supply chain.

Inventory control procedures

The inventory control software can assist you in keeping track of stock quantities in real-time. Built-in inventory management solutions in LOCAD’s technology enable you to optimize inventory levels, reduce inventory storage costs, create automated reorder points, and more.

Order fulfillment through automation

Picking, packaging and shipping orders take a lot of time and might distract you from other vital, money-making activities. With a 3PL partner, there are numerous options to automate the fulfillment process.

You may integrate your store with LOCAD’s fulfillment system and store your merchandise in one or more of our fulfillment centers. Orders are then fulfilled automatically from the location closest to the delivery destination. Your customer will receive tracking information after the item has been completed and sent.

Warehouse systems

A warehouse management system (WMS) may help you keep track of inventory and storage, boost production, and complete orders quickly. Automating time-consuming logistics operations activities results in considerable time savings and lowers human error.
LOCAD’s fulfillment facilities are run by our own warehouse management system, which keeps you up to date on what’s going on in the warehouse and where your items are held at all times.

Real-time tracking

Without access to precise and real-time data, it’s challenging to uncover methods to improve logistical operations. LOCAD offers a free reporting and analytics reporting platform that answers questions about fulfillment performance, shipping statistics, demand forecasting requirements, stock allocation, and more.  

You may use LOCAD’s tools to figure out how quickly orders are completed and sent, how much stock you need to purchase (and when) to keep up with demand, and where to store goods geographically, depending on the customer’s location. 

Conclusion

Customer characteristics, logistical components (i.e. warehousing and storage facilities), physical nature of the items, and external circumstances are all examples of operational aspects that must be considered when choosing a transportation mode. It might be tough and resource-intensive to optimize your company’s logistics operations. LOCAD, a trusted third-party logistics provider, can help you streamline your distribution network and take order fulfillment off your plate. That way, you may devote more time and effort to building your company rather than logistics.

Sign up today and leave the logistics to us

Sign up and we will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss what services would be best for your business needs. Or speak with us now and tell us what you need.

FAQs

The procedures of delivering completed items from the producer to a distribution center and subsequently to the ultimate customer are referred to as logistics operations. Inventory management, order fulfillment, and package transportation are all part of the logistics process. Stock control, warehousing, and order fulfillment are essential aspects of logistics operations optimization.

Inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipment are all parts of the supply chain that may be optimized to improve logistics operations. Business owners may improve logistics operations on their own or engage with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that can provide the required technology, knowledge, and network to compete with large companies and platforms.

Your e-commerce distribution network may make or break a business, depending on the structures and procedures in place. Inventory management becomes a difficulty without effective tools to monitor e-commerce inventories throughout the process since e-commerce logistics has so many moving elements. You might wind up with too many goods, resulting in deadstock and expensive carrying expenses, or too little product, resulting in stockouts and shipment delays.

Logistics operations managers are in charge of distribution centers, as well as shipping and order fulfillment. This entails ensuring that the correct items are provided to end consumers in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Some significant challenges faced by logistics operations are as follows:

  • Costs of fuel
  • Improvement of business operations
  • Enhancement of customer service
  • Impact of external factors
  • Technology planning and implementation

Exclusive benefits to ace your e-commerce game this 2023 with Locad’s desk calendar!