Should You Manage Your Own Logistics?

Many businesses are equipped to handle their own logistics. They’re large enough that having a full logistics department is financially feasible. Of course, this isn’t the case for all businesses. Many businesses aren’t equipped to mount their own logistics department or staff. For many more, it just makes better financial sense to outsource logistics than to handle it in-house.

Contract Logistics

Contract logistics is a viable way for businesses to rely on third-party shipping and supply chain experts who serve as their logistics service. A contract logistics company can design, manage, and keep records for supply chains, transportation, warehousing, distribution, payments, and inventory management.

Logistics-as-a-Service

You can think of it as logistics-as-a-service if that’s helpful. Essentially, you get the expertise of a logistics company without having to pay to establish and maintain a staff of your own. For many businesses, this enables you to focus on the elements of business where your true strengths lie, while logistics stresses are entrusted to a team of specialists who know the transportation industry inside and out.

Current & Future Needs

What’s most efficient for you depends on the needs of your business currently and in the future. When you outsource logistics to a contract logistics company, you get fully prepared specialists who can design your supply chain and shipping plans with an experienced, deep understanding of these industries. When you build a logistics department for yourself, there will often be a period of growing pains where that knowledge and experience is earned. The part you must be careful about is making sure those growing pains don’t cost your business.

Hybrid Approach for Training

There’s often a hybrid approach as well. Often, businesses begin developing their own logistics specialists by using a contract logistics company. The point person in your business with whom we communicate slowly gains a deeper understanding of logistics and shipping as they work with us. This helps you utilize contract logistics for stability in the short-term while growing an in-house expert over the long-term.

Talk to us about each of these approaches. The entire shape of logistics means that each business needs something different from the next one. That means we design bespoke logistics plans that suit your needs and your strategy of growth for the future.