The True Commerce EDI (electronic data interchange) Solutions group of HighJump Software Inc. is offering integrated warehouse and third-party logistics support for users of SAP Business One, an application aimed at small businesses.
Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, many of the old Communist-era restrictions for setting up business have been removed. For some logistics companies, the largest barriers to entry come not from Chinese red tape but from other Western competition.
Challenge: For a company that built its reputation on flawless customer service, this Tennessee-based B2B supplier of safety equipment was disheartened by its chronically late, and frequently error-laden shipments to Canada. Mistakes seemed to be happening throughout its entire distribution chain: Incorrect SKUs, inefficient transit routes, high costs and ineffective technology systems were among the many problems.
Challenge: When a large U.S. B2B supplier of gardening tools and equipment decided to expand to the Canadian market, it enlisted its U.S.-based logistics provider to service its new Canadian customers, and assumed all would proceed as planned.
Challenge: A sophisticated warehouse management system (WMS) was needed to go live in 7 months to meet the company's new Direct Customer Shipment concept, which changed its supply chain to include additional countries.
Revenues for U.S. 3PLs, which provide services ranging from booking truck drivers to managing warehouses, rose 7.4 percent to $157.2bn last year, faster than the 2.8 percent growth in logistics spending overall, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, which recently released its annual State of Logistics report.
