Rising overheads, including soaring rental and fuel prices, are leading many logistics operators to look outside typical operations, in the lead-up to the busy end of year period.
In Vancouver and Toronto, the warehouse vacancy rate is currently at one per cent, according to data from real estate advisory Altus Group Ltd.
For some operators however, the squeeze has opened new doors to change the way they operate in order to reduce costs and bring in new revenue streams, something CartonCloud COO Shaun Hagen is very familiar with.
Mr Hagen said he frequently speaks with logistics operators who are looking to simplify their workflows with warehouse and transport management systems, to enable them to scale up and offer new services, without the overheads traditionally associated with adding new operations.
“Increased costs have been felt across the industry — especially by smaller operators. We work closely with small and medium-sized businesses to help them use our software solutions to help them rise above financial hurdles, and take advantage of the increased demand of the peak season,” Mr. Hagen said.
“We’ve made our software easy to use, and financially accessible for smaller enterprises, meaning they can now benefit form the technological features that larger companies have access to.
“With cloud-based software solutions, they can use the hardware they have on hand, using their computer and smartphones for end-to-end operations. It’s that simple.
“That means they can streamline internal operations, online ordering, customer reporting and partner integrations with ease — which means they can offer more to their customers, with less manpower and overhead costs.”
“We’re seeing huge impacts for our customers who are implementing the software and using automated workflows, reducing their operating costs by up to 80 per cent and still increasing their capacity to take on more business.”
For companies dealing with rising costs, while looking down the barrel of the busiest season of the year, optimizing their operations has become a necessity to survive.
Mr Hagen said digital solutions like theirs meant companies could take on new services with speed and accuracy, removing some of the major hurdles for operators.
“An interesting trend impacting the industry right now, is specific interest in operators looking to offer 3PL warehousing services, in addition to their existing warehouses and transport services.
“They already have the space, the resources, and the staff — and now, with our software, they can confidently offer those additional warehousing and fulfillment options to their clients — without the strain on their team.
“We’re also seeing a rise in cross-docking interest. This is a great option for those wanting to speed up freight handling, and reduce the required storage space they need. With cross-docking, the freight comes into a staging zone, and can be allocated to outgoing shipments for faster and more efficient delivery, and with our software, logistics providers can track incoming stock, match it to outgoing orders, and manage the entire operation with ease and accuracy.”
Mr Hagen said at CartonCloud they were able to support new clients to come on board with ease, training their team in hours, not days, and ensuring they have scalable processes set up for future growth.
“We are logistics people too, that’s what sets our software apart.
“By having the right software in place, staff and new customer onboarding is simplified, accuracy is ensured at each step, tasks simplified and time-consuming manual tasks are automated as much as possible.
“The last thing businesses want right now is another headache, or difficult system to use. It’s one of the reasons so many companies are still using their old paper-based systems — they don’t have the time or resources to implement a new system, and way of doing things.
“One of the great advantages of cloud-based warehouse management software is that it provides one easy-to-use system that you can use on your existing hardware (computers, smart phones and ipads), and there’s no need for internal IT support, your pay-as-you-go subscription includes support and continued roll-out of new updates and features,” Mr. Hagen said.
“Which is why we’ve designed our system to fit into the way you work, simplify operations, remove manual work where possible, and make their lives easier.
“Cloud-based Warehouse and Transport Management System software gives flexibility, and is allowing companies to scale up as needed, take advantage of new features, and add additional services.
“Our team have a wealth of experience and industry knowledge which means we understand the problems our customers are facing, and we can build the right features to enable them to overcome these issues and prosper. What’s more, it means we’ve been able to build a platform that is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easier to get staff on board and using the system.”
Mr Hagen said the CartonCloud team was gearing up for the busy season as well, to ensure they can onboard and set up new clients as they need — to have their operations ready to scale and grow in the coming months, so new CartonCloud users can maximize on higher demand over the busy season.
https://www.cartoncloud.com/en-ca/
