Year: <span>2019</span>

When you place a large order for your company, you may not think about what’s going on behind the scenes. You finalize the order details with your vendor and walk away, happy that you’ll be able to receive your freight within a few days. However, once you place that order, hundreds of gears start moving across the supply chain. Whether it involves robots designed specifically to locate a single item or dock workers loading up multiple pallets of goods, there is a complex system firing on all cylinders that is essential in fulfilling your order. This is true for something as small as a single box of sensitive product to an entire truckload of raw materials.

While they may not always be conscious of it, customers are drawn to manufacturers who have well-oiled supply chains that keep product moving along quickly and safely. In fact, if someone isn’t talking about their supply chain, that’s probably a good thing, signaling that they aren’t experiencing constant headaches regarding production, storage, or transit times. The best supply chain is one that works quietly in the background, churning out shipment after shipment as satisfied customers receive their product. If it is running as smoothly as possible, the end consumer shouldn’t even have to think about what’s happening throughout the life of a shipment.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that it’s essential to create a reliable, efficient and trustworthy partnership with all of our stakeholders. We understand that building a customer-centric supply chain helps grow your business and build trust with your customers. When a shipment arrives when you say it will, that’s great customer service. We believe in helping our customers ensure that every shipment arrives undamaged and on time. Our focus on optimization will help you understand just how important the supply chain is. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

Whether your company owns your warehouse or you rent space from a third party, it is expensive and wasteful to have product sitting on the shelves for any excessive period of time. Inventory planning is an essential role in every organization’s supply chain, and should be taken seriously and evaluated regularly. The key to maximizing efficiency and maintaining a lean supply chain is to have just enough inventory ready to be shipped without running into shortages. This, of course, is easier said than done, but there are several ways manufacturers can make it happen.

Keeping track of previous trends and future projections is one of the biggest factors in planning your inventory. If you’ve maintained a steady level of growth over the past year, you’ll likely need to plan for higher stock levels in order to meet demand. With this comes your minimum inventory calculation. You want to be sure that you have enough stock to meet a customer’s demands in case of a spike in orders, but you don’t want to go overboard and have inventory sitting in a warehouse and costing money. So, this requires a safety stock level that will allow you to fulfill orders if you encounter an unexpected increase. Unfortunately, that will cost money in storage, but the key is to calculate how much money you would lose if you couldn’t fulfill customer orders and hedge against that. Even with storage fees, you’ll be more profitable if you are able to meet expectations.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the importance of being able to move inventory consistently. Our dedicated and experienced team can help you manage your inventory and adapt with your shipping timelines. We’ll create a customized carrier solution that suits the needs of your business, so you don’t have to rely on the ad hoc market. To see how we can keep your product moving, start today with Zip Xpress!

It’s rare for a day to go by in logistics where employees don’t have to overcome some sort of challenge, whether it involves a late delivery, damaged freight, or pressure from new competition. The constant barrage of problems to solve and subsequent interactions in which to participate can make for some highly stressful days for everybody. This is why organizations in the logistics field must make it a priority to create a positive, people-centric work culture that motivates employees and reinforces their strengths. Many companies focus only on profits, but without happy, productive employees, they are doomed to fail.

Company culture starts at the top, so executives and management types need to be heavily involved with their teams to ensure that employees are satisfied with their jobs. They should make it a point to recognize individual accomplishments regularly. This could be drawing attention to a time when a night operations rep went above and beyond to solve an after-hours issue, or it could be congratulating a sales rep for bringing on a new account. The possibilities are endless, and so are the benefits for the company. It is also important to encourage teamwork and create an atmosphere that discourages employees from trying to place blame when something goes wrong. Finally, it’s important that the customer knows you’ll take care of them – everyone answers the phones at Zip with offers to help and is trained fill out a basic quote for the customer so they can start shipping their product.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that high service doesn’t stop at the customer. We aspire to recognize all of the great members of our team. It’s why we have a long history with all of our great employees and aspire to treat them fairly. Our goal is a cohesive culture where employees can collaborate and solve problems on behalf of our customers. As long as our people feel recognized, they’ll treat our customers the same way. At Zip Xpress, we prioritize maintaining an uplifting, exciting atmosphere not only because we believe in our people, but also because we believe in offering the best logistics solutions possible. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

Anyone who has worked in logistics for a significant amount of time can tell you that it isn’t always the most easy-going industry. With so many time-critical operations and different lines of communication, things can get jumbled up quickly and seemingly minuscule errors can turn into high-level catastrophes with a lot on the line. Because of what’s at stake much of the time, tempers can flare and people can become edgy when their freight hasn’t arrived on time. It’s understandable to be upset if you’ve been given the wrong information or if an important shipment gets delayed because of a clerical error, but it’s vital to keep cool and do our best to work calmly and cooperatively through the situation.

Many situations are out of anybody’s control, but customers, carriers, shippers, and brokers may place blame when something goes wrong. This is an easy trap to fall into, and it is important to remember that accusations will not solve the problem at hand. Instead of trying to find a “culprit,” we should search for solutions and open up communication with our partners. This is vital for coworkers as well, since it is common for arguments to arise within the same organization. There’s no benefit to letting tempers flare among coworkers, as a toxic work environment will lead to poor relationships with vendors and customers. We must remember above all else that open and honest communication is vital when working with all of our stakeholders.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that a lot can go wrong during a shipment. Fortunately, our experienced staff is skilled at spotting problems ahead of time and we’ll speak with our partners to ensure their satisfaction. Our team is working around the clock to solve problems and we share the load by working together in order to provide the post possible service. We seek to be open and honest with all of our stakeholders so that we can foster a culture of trust and ensure that everyone’s been heard. If there’s a problem, we’ll work to find a solution – Zip Xpress has a long history of doing just that. To see how well we can work with your organization, start today with Zip Xpress!

Lately there has been much debate and speculation about a potential upcoming recession in the US economy. It isn’t a pleasant subject, but it is a reality that we need to face together to work towards the best outcome. Fortunately for some, they work in industries that are considered recession-proof, and logistics is one such industry. This isn’t to say that there won’t be negative consequences – a recession may lead to slower manufacturing and thus less freight overall – but it is noteworthy that there will be plenty of opportunities to remain on the road. Logistics is one of the most resilient sectors of the economy and when combined with dedicated service proves how fruitful these relationships can be.

During recessionary periods, any breakage in a shipment is only exacerbated when resources are tight. Considering the costs of either fixing or remaking the product, it becomes clear that choosing a freight carrier who pays attention to your shipment and will deliver it to the end customer undamaged will help your business more in the long run. Your customer will appreciate the effort, and the relationship can deepen with more mutual trust and understanding, which can help carry businesses through. Companies also will need to make strategic decisions regarding their supply chains, and those who understand the value of a tight and efficient supply chain will side with carriers that have a track record of delivering shipments undamaged and exactly when they say they will.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that resilience is the key and we’re ready to do our part by providing dedicated and consistent service to all of our customers. Our streamlined supply chain and expert team of service professionals will help ensure that your shipment is delivered undamaged and on time. We understand that there is always opportunity, and our goal is to provide that to our customers. Our custom carrier solutions will help your supply chain become more optimized and efficient, so that you can continue delivering to your customers, regardless of what the headlines say. To see how we can help, start today with Zip Xpress!

Everyone knows about truck drivers, warehouses, and manufacturers. These are all things that might come up when you ask a non-logistics worker about the supply chain. They are all certainly integral parts, but they represent only a fraction of the jobs that exist within the supply chain. There are hundreds of tasks being carried out that aren’t directly related to fulfillment or transport of freight, but they have a significant effect on the success of a company’s supply chain. Many people have never heard about reverse logistics or thought about compliance departments, but without these in place, most organizations would fail.

There are many workers within any given manufacturing or logistics company that are important to the supply chain, even if they don’t have a title that jumps out as such. Logistics accounting, for example, is a lot different than a standard accounting department, and requires industry specific training to ensure accuracy and efficiency. At some larger manufacturers, there are entire departments dedicated to order entry, and they play a pivotal role in ensuring that products are shipping on time and delivering to the correct locations. Even recruiting can be considered part of the supply chain, as companies will often utilize specialized recruiters who have a focus in finding and retaining supply chain talent.

While the broad focus of any logistics team is to get a product from point A to point B, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than one may suspect. All of the employees play a major role in making this happen, and it is important to give them credit for being part of the team. When we see a truck driver pull into a dock for delivery, we know that he is part of the supply chain, but we should realize that there are hundreds if not thousands of people who contributed to ensuring that this shipment arrived on time. Being cognizant of this fact can help us to work together to improve our processes in the long run.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the value all of these people contribute to the success of the supply chain. We understand that without them, we cannot possibly be successful, as they come up with many successful ideas to the challenges we face. It is when we focus on the people that make up logistics, we all will create a better supply chain. To see how our dynamic people can help with your next shipment, start today with Zip Xpress!

The transportation world continued to battle a shortage of able and available drivers throughout 2018 and well into 2019. This issue is plaguing supply chains nationwide, making for a plethora of capacity issues as well as rate increases and planning problems. While there are several things that companies can do to try to recruit new drivers, it is becoming a reality that many will have to find ways to work around the shortage, as you can’t predict the future and it remains entirely possible that even more drivers will leave the workforce as they retire. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help ease the burden and focus on efficiency in order to help with the capacity crunch.

Putting more time and effort into the planning process can help organizations run their supply chains more efficiently. This includes taking a proactive approach towards inventory planning and maximizing routes to cut down on the number of trips that need to be made to fulfill customer requests. At Zip Xpress we’ve talked a few times about our headload services that can provide reliability and flexibility while optimizing multiple shipments on a single truck. This service gives customers the option of shipping smaller shipments but keeping the on-time service of a full truckload. And thanks to our dedicated service schedule, we will make our deliveries on time every time. Period.

Ultimately, manufacturers will need to plan around the oncoming driver shortage. Consider options such as Zip’s headload service, as well as a commitment to planning supply chain operations from the top to avoid unnecessary late deliveries due to the lack of truck drivers. By staying on top of this planning process, we can avoid late shipments. The shortage is a real and tangible issue across the industry, but there are many highly focused professionals who can put strategies together in order to keep transportation running smoothly. To see what our professionals can do for you, start today with Zip Xpress!

From the time a product is thought up to the moment it arrives in a consumer’s home, there are many things that take place. The supply chain can be long and complicated, with multiple warehouses and factories involved, even for some of the most seemingly simple items on the market. In planning for product development and distribution, there are many safety hurdles that must be overcome, and all parties involved should be sure to promote a safe, proactive culture within their organization to ensure the well-being of their employees and their customers. Taking a little bit of extra time to follow safety measures in the beginning is beneficial for anyone who has a hand in moving a product through the supply chain.

A safe environment starts at the top, with those in management and executive positions being key players in creating the right culture. Anyone who works in a warehouse, drives a truck, or even calls shots from a remote desktop should have the proper training and resources before they are given the power to make decisions regarding distribution and transportation. It is essential for any logistics organization to place an emphasis on strong, updated safety training programs and to continually educate their employees about the steps that must be taken to ensure safe and proper transport of their products.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that we need a safe environment to ensure everyone can come home safely. We stress this importance across the organization and can rely on our dynamic team’s experience to ensure that everyone comes home safe. Everyone at Zip Xpress is an experienced logistics professional that understands we’re all one team and an injury to one is an injury to all. We have our own safety processes and procedures that have been developed with years of experience and the understanding that every member of the supply chain is a human being that wants to go home safely at night. It’s simply another factor in developing a more optimized supply chain. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!