From Embalming Fluid To Chocolate Covered Crickets
By definition, 3PL warehouses are home to multiple customers and in that capacity, they can house some pretty exotic inventories right along with the ordinary. Managing it, of course, is often an elegant web-based warehouse management system. After all, customers selling computer hard drives don’t want to accidentally be shipped embalming fluid instead. In fact, incorporating a highly capable and proficient on-demand wms software program is something any cost-conscious and growth-oriented 3PL should have.
What are some of the ordinary and not-so-ordinary products found in 3PL’s operations today?First, the ordinary:
Food items, both perishable and non-perishables
A wide array of electronics from radios to iPads to mobile phones
Clothing apparel
Home goods, including bedding products, lamps and pictures
Furniture
Lumber and home construction products
Paper products, anything from tissue paper to stationary
All kinds of gadgets for the home
Handbags and luggage
Books and Bibles
Manufacturing equipment, from o-rings for the automotive industry to water filtration systems
The not-so-ordinary:
Caskets and embalming equipment/products
Exotic foods, from chocolate covered crickets to pickled squid
Medical equipment, both large and small (while some is ordinary, some is not; e.g. colostomy bags and IV equipment or scalpels
Human prosthesis body parts
Military manufactured items
Riske lingerie (and other spurious personal items)
So, while this is only a partial list, you can see how any 3PL warehouse wouldn’t want to incur inaccurate inventory labeling leading to shipment errors. It goes without saying, in modern warehousing and logistics functions who serve multiple clients and customers with diverse product lines stored in one facility, accuracy is everything.In web-based wms software-as-a-Service programs (see 3PL Central’ SaaS), hand-held barcode equipment and radio frequency (RF) tools ensure accurate accountability when inbound and outbound shipments are recorded. This can include end purchasers of 3PL customer products such as point-of-sale, e-commerce, direct mail customers and retail stores.Providing accurate and visible inventories for any individual customer is part of the WMS program that further reduces potential errors. Since information is transferred through EDI systems, human interaction is kept to a minimum and accuracy is boosted through automation.
Additional web-based WMS advantages:Warehouse professionals know how critical it is to managing all supply chain functions. Therefore, having rapid and verifiable a WMS system is critical. Besides processing general inventory, cost estimating, accounting and billing, along with maintaining strong customer relations all must meet or exceed customer expectations. This, of course, improves the 3PL’s bottom line and increases overall profitability.One of the chief benefits of a company like 3PL Central’s web-based program is that it provides large company inventory management at affordable prices to small and medium sized companies. They deliver their SaaS program without a long-term contract. It is scalable, charging your company only what you use.For additional information on accurate and cost-effective wms software that manages diverse product lines effectively, please visit www.3PLCentral.com.
