May 4, 2020
This is Chapter 6 of 13 in our eBook on eCommerce Fulfillment for 3PL Warehouses. See the link below to download the full ebook With the configuration of the pick aisle now complete, there needs to be a plan for the flow of products from bulk storage to the pick aisle. This process is called Replenishment. The timing and exactness of replenishment is key. Replenish too early or too much and there is wasted space which leads to inefficient storage usage over time. Replenish too little or too late and […]
April 30, 2020
As we reflect on what has happened the first part of this year, we must consider the sacrifice and the hard work from all the heroes in our global medical community. We want to thank them all for their efforts to help us contain and survive this pandemic. Meanwhile, many of us have been affected and are waiting at home, figuring out when to get a haircut or go see a movie, take our minds off of the new reality we are living. But one thing is for sure, we […]
April 17, 2020
What effect has COVID-19 had on 3PL warehouse operations? With some businesses, like grocery and personal protection equipment, seeing massive spikes in demand and other industries like brick-and-mortar retail completely frozen, we wanted to find out what affects COVID-19 was having on our customers. So we asked. In early April 2020, using a short online survey, we asked our customers a few questions to see how they are being impacted. 16 percent of responders said COVID-19 has not affected their business. Of the 84 percent that are experiencing an impact, […]
April 16, 2020
This is Chapter 5 of 13 in our eBook on eCommerce Fulfillment for 3PL Warehouses. See the link below to download the full ebook. eCommerce fulfillment has shifted demand from Retail storefronts to warehouses which indirectly has put a strain on available warehousing space. With the increased demand for Warehouse space, this has increased the cost of adding more warehouse space. In order to keep storage costs affordable and delay the need to expand warehouse space, warehouses may choose to optimize their warehouse configuration. This is important to avoid having […]
March 30, 2020
This is Chapter 4 of 13 in our eBook on eCommerce Fulfillment for 3PL Warehouses. See the link below to download the full ebook. The next step in the fulfillment process is to pick the inventory for the orders. The process of picking orders from storage may vary. This process will happen after the orders have been batched. Some operations may use a pick aisle as the packing station, where the timing can be more independent. However, for the purpose of this chapter, we will assume the picking is happening […]
March 5, 2020
This is Chapter 3 of 13 in our eBook on eCommerce Fulfillment for 3PL Warehouses. See the link below to download the full ebook. The ultimate magic in efficient operations happens during Order Planning and is the next principle: All work is done in batches. A warehouse may receive orders all day long (or overnight for 24/7 Ops) and must determine when an order is “Ready to Process”. The client may explicitly dictate the date to ship, or a service level agreement may be in place where the date to […]