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Our Ohio Distribution Service Helps You Rise to the Challenge of Rising Customer Demand
In today’s fast-moving global markets, efficient distribution is crucial for every business—from small startups to large corporations—to meet the ever-growing demands of customers and clients. As an Ohio-based third-party logistics (3PL) provider, we understand the pressures of maintaining reliable, cost-effective Ohio distribution service. We recognize doing it all in-house can be a major drain on resources.
That’s where partnering with a dedicated 3PL like On Time Delivery and Warehouse can make all the difference. Not only do we help businesses streamline their operations, we also provide the expertise and infrastructure to keep goods moving quickly and efficiently.
Here’s why outsourcing your Ohio distribution service needs to a trusted 3PL is one of the smartest moves your business can make.
What Exactly is a Distribution Service?
At its core, distribution is the process of getting goods from the point of origin to the end customer. That encompasses everything from warehousing and inventory management to order fulfillment and transportation.
An Ohio distribution service provider, like our third-party logistics operation, takes this on by managing the logistics, allowing you to focus on the big picture. Whether it’s handling bulk shipments for a B2B client, managing last-mile deliveries for an e-commerce brand, or overseeing temperature-sensitive items for a healthcare provider, our job is to ensure your products reach their destination accurately and on time.
Our services are fully customizable to fit the unique needs of any business, whether you’re looking for end-to-end logistics or need support with specific stages of distribution. And with our specialized trucking fleet and extensive warehouse facilities, we handle the entire process, from receiving goods to ensuring they’re packed, shipped, and delivered with care.
Who Benefits from Using Ohio Distribution Services?
Distribution services are critical for a wide range of industries.
Manufacturers rely on 3PLs to store and ship raw materials and finished goods. Retailers, both physical and e-commerce, need distribution partners to manage inventory, track shipments, and meet consumer expectations for quick deliveries. Healthcare providers require specialized handling for temperature-sensitive goods, while food and beverage companies need seamless transportation for perishable items. Distribution service options at On Time Delivery & Warehouse are structured to cater to all these sectors and more.
These services are transforming how companies meet today’s rising customer demands for speed, convenience and reliability. By partnering with an experienced 3PL, companies gain access to a turn-key distribution service network — complete with warehousing, transportation and inventory management expertise.
For growing businesses, outsourcing to a 3PL is a game-changer — especially when it comes to coping with unexpected demand surges, market expansions and seasonal spikes and dips. There’s always going to be logistics pressures, but a dedicated 3PL can much more easily adjust resources and routes as needed — ensuring orders are consistently on time and accurately fulfilled.
Multi-Door Cleveland Warehouse Helps Ensure On Time Deliveries
In the logistics and supply chain sectors, the ability to consistently meet delivery timelines is critical for success. A Cleveland warehouse with multiple doors for loading and unloading — specifically those with a dozen or more — are well-equipped to handle a high volume of inbound and outbound goods, giving their customers a solid edge on faster delivery times.
At On Time Delivery & Warehouse, our 3PL / 4PL Cleveland warehouse operation has a total of 17 doors for maximum efficiency and safety in loading and unloading.
Each additional door provides a unique point of access for transport vehicles. Ultimately, this reduces bottlenecks and waiting times during peak hours.
The configuration of a warehouse can have huge implications for its practical efficiency.
In a typical warehouse, limited loading and unloading points can lead to delays, causing trucks to queue up and increasing wait times and potential shipment delays.
By contrast, a multi-door Cleveland warehouse facility can operate with greater flexibility, allowing more trucks to load and unload simultaneously — effectively doubling or even tripling output during high-demand periods.
Manufacturers, shippers and logistics companies working for B2B customers often need to process large shipments quickly, often within strict time limits. A facility with multiple doors helps these providers maintain faster turnaround times, ensuring those business-to-business clients receive their goods without interruption to their production or retail cycles.
Meanwhile, last-mile logistics providers face the unique challenge of quickly preparing and distributing smaller parcels for individual customers. Here, a multi-door setup also enables for faster loading, giving drivers more time on the road and improving the odds of on-time deliveries.
Reducing Costs With Optimized Cleveland Warehouse Solutions
Beyond improving delivery times, a warehouse with 12+ doors can also contribute to cost savings. When inbound and outbound trucks are able to unload and load more efficiently, companies save on fuel and labor costs.
Cleveland Local Cartage: Cost-Effective, Convenient, Customized
Getting goods where they need to go quickly and efficiently is always going to be something of a challenge in business. Logistics professionals pour a lot of resources into coordinating long-haul transportation solutions. But let’s not overlook local cartage. It is easily just as – if not more – important when it comes to effectively managing time and expenses in your supply chain.
As a longtime provider of Cleveland local cartage services, On Time Delivery & Warehouse is committed to supply chain efficiency on every leg of the journey.
What is Local Cartage?
Local cartage is the term we use to describe the short-distance transport of goods within a defined local area, typically within a city or between cities in close proximity.
These services are central to businesses that need a lot of deliveries in a given area. Examples include:
- Retailers moving inventory between stores
- Manufacturers delivering products to nearby warehouses
- Businesses requiring quick delivery to customers in an urban region
Local cartage usually leverages the use of smaller commercial vehicles, such as fans or box trucks, allowing for better maneuverability around tight metropolitan streets. Sometimes, though, larger trucks might be used. It just depends on the volume of goods that need to be transported per delivery.
Understanding the Ohio Freight System
Virtually everything that is produced and/or consumed in Ohio is dependent on some part of the freight transport system. Ohio local cartage services are a part of that.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio’s freight system transported over 1 billion tons of goods worth $1.2 trillion in a single recent year – the 7th largest value of freight moved by state in the country. Most of that is concentrated in the Cleveland-Akron area (where On Time Delivery & Warehouse is headquartered), as well as the Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Youngstown metro regions. Trucking in particular is key because it’s sometimes the only immediate modal connection to which some establishments have access, and it’s also essential for first- and last-mile movement of goods.
Cleveland CFS Freight Helps Ready Businesses for Holiday Shipping Rush
The start of autumn still feels like summer here in Northeast Ohio, but businesses are already bracing for the cold realities of the upcoming holiday season. One of the busiest times of year, the final quarter is rife with challenge as customer demand surges, inventory counts can be volatile and delivery deadlines are tight. But there’s also room for new opportunities and growth. A strong Cleveland CFS Freight partner can help companies prepare.
Key to efficient navigation of the holiday shipping rush is partnership with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider specializing in Container Freight Station (CFS) services.
Whether handling foreign or domestic imports and exports, a Cleveland CFS freight company works closely with shippers and other stakeholders to optimize their supply chains, reduce transit times and ensure smooth logistics management during the busiest months of the year.
In a recent live stream co-hosted by Supply Chain Dive, Retail Dive and Marketing Dive, logistics experts noted that it’s not too late for businesses that haven’t gotten a jumpstart on preparing. That said, it should be a priority. This is especially true this year, thanks to major operational shifts for the U.S. Postal Service, which we expect is going to result in some on-time delivery challenges.
Businesses need to begin formulating their contingency plans to sidestep potential bottlenecks and other supply chain disruptions. For instance, shippers need to start thinking about planning for capacity and also sharing their shipping data with carriers so you’re on the same page about needs and expectations.
Shipping capacity is forecasted to be fairly steady this year, but it’s best to avoid last-minute arrangements whenever possible if you’re trying to keep costs in check.
What Services Does a Cleveland CFS Freight Company Offer?
Dial Us for Deals on Getting Cleveland Delivery Appointment Scheduled
As the saying goes, time is money. And that’s precisely why delivery appointments make smart business sense for a lot of operations: Because they save time. As an Ohio 3PL, one of our top priorities is getting every Cleveland delivery appointment scheduled for the mode, timetable and price point that works for each client.
Delivery appointments aren’t new. However, their scope has expanded in recent years. They’re no longer just for warehouses and distribution centers (though they’re still used often there too). They’ve become essential in an e-commerce era when customers have high expectations for fast turnaround. Setting clear delivery windows at appointed times can go a long way toward keeping customers happy and operations efficient while minimizing the chances of missed deliveries.
What is a Delivery Appointment?
A delivery appointment is a scheduled time slot that a carrier or 3PL (third-party logistics) provider agrees to with the receiving party for the delivery of goods. Unlike regular deliveries, which could arrive at any time of day, a delivery appointment scheduled in advance establishes a predetermined time that the shipment is expected to arrive at a given location.
The process involves coordination and communication between the shipper, carrier and consignee/recipient to be certain all are on the same page.
Delivery appointments have historically been mostly reserved for deliveries to warehouses, distribution centers and retail stores, as opposed to individual customers. That made sense because these operations need to effectively manage the flow of incoming goods to maintain efficiency and avoid bottlenecks and delays. If every delivery truck showed up to our Cleveland warehouse at random, it would be a chaotic scene. Scheduling delivery appointments at set times helps ensure we have the capacity to safely and efficiently process those shipments before moving on to the next.
However, customer buying patterns and expectations during the pandemic gave way to a rise in delivery appointments as an add-on service in last mile delivery. An analysis by Salesforce.com noted that the dawn of this “appointment economy” has the potential to optimize customer field engagements within the delivery process, ultimately leading to much improved overall customer experiences. Not all customers are going to need to know the exact time their package is going to arrive, but those that do will be more satisfied with delivery appointments — and likely willing to pay extra for it.
Upside of Having Delivery Appointments
Delivery appointment schedules don’t solely benefit your Cleveland warehousing or 3PL partner. Among the many benefits carriers and other customers:
- Better efficiency – reduced wait times for carriers. There’s less chance of trucks idling in the lot – wasting time and gas and potentially risking spoilage – if each truck arrives at its specified delivery appointment time.
- Heightened customer satisfaction. Delivery appointments allow businesses to meet customer expectations because they know exactly when packages will arrive. Being able to deliver convenience, efficiency and better delivery experiences is what is going to give many companies a competitive edge in the so-called “appointment economy.”
- Improved inventory management. For businesses that manage large inventories, delivery appointments can help maintain optimal stock levels. By scheduling deliveries, companies can ensure new inventory arrives just as existing stock is being depleted, lowering the risk of overstocks, stockouts and emergency shipments. This just-in-time inventory approach can be especially valuable in retail and manufacturing industries.
- Reduced costs. Again, time is money. The less time your load is spent waiting, the more you save on gas and labor. You can be more efficiently allocating those resources.
Our Cleveland 3PL Can Oversee Delivery Appointment Schedules
Although managing to get a delivery appointment scheduled may seem feasible in-house, there are advantages to trusting the job to a 3PL trucking /warehouse company.
Namely, we have the expertise and experience to ensure the process goes off without a hitch. We help clients coordinate delivery appointments, navigate complex supply chains and steer through unexpected changes.
Additionally, our team has already invested in the cutting-edge technology necessary to effectively manage logistics operations. These include warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS) — which give us the capability of real-time tracking, route optimization, automated scheduling and inventory management. By leveraging these tools, we’re able to ensure delivery appointments are accurately scheduled and all parties have visibility into the status of their shipments.
As an established 3PL (with 4PL capabilities as well), we already have a sizable network of carriers, warehouses, distribution centers and streamlined routes that we can utilize to help us quickly coordinate deliveries, reduce transit times and ensure goods get delivered on schedule.
Whether you’re a retailer, manufacturer, e-commerce company or other type of operation, contracting with a 3PL helps ensure each Cleveland delivery appointment scheduled will be easy and accurate.
If you have questions about our Cleveland 3PL trucking and delivery appointments, give us a call at (440) 826-4630 or request a quote!
Additional Resources:
The Rise Of The Appointment Economy: The Last Mile Of Customer Engagement Will Be Scheduled, Optimized And Personalized, May 6, 2021, By Brian Solis, Forbes.com
More Blog Entries:
For Lower Cleveland Trucking Costs, Partner Up With a 3PL, July 15, 2024, Cleveland Trucking Company Blog
Cleveland 4PL Warehouse Can Minimize Impact of De Minimis Tax Reforms
Proposed reforms of a nearly 100-year-old U.S. tax law called the de minimis exemption have many e-commerce companies — including a number of American small businesses — concerned about potentially adverse impacts to their bottom line. As a longtime Cleveland 4PL warehouse and service provider, we make it our business to help your business navigate the complexities of global logistics. That includes potential rollbacks of de minimis protections.
What is the De Minimis Tax Exemption?
The de minimis tax exemption is found in Section 321 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. It’s an unassuming, small provision, the phrase itself a Latin term for “the law does not concern itself with trifles.”
In principle, de minimis is intended to simplify international trade. It designates packages valued under a certain dollar amount (currently $800) void of duties and taxes. Legal experts opine the intention was more for individuals — say, if you came home from a cruise with a pricey bottle of Caribbean rum or Italian leather purse.
But the law has expanded over time, raising not only the dollar amount that’s covered but also the scope of what can be shipped duty-free. Direct-to-consumer shipments were already gaining popularity prior to 2020, but exploded amid the pandemic. Retailers can save millions of dollars using the de minimis exemption, and consumers get a pricing advantage as well.
The architects of the law almost certainly did not anticipate how much it would grow, particularly among commercial shippers. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures reported by Thomson Reuters, the CBP processed 1 billion de minimis shipments last year — a 53% increase compared to just one year earlier. As of mid-summer this year, the agency had already processed 705 million de minimis shipments. About one-third of those are large-scale operators like Temu, though a letter to Congress by the National Foreign Trade Council indicates it’s a critical fixture of the law for thousands of American small businesses.
De Minimis Concerns and Potential Reforms
Regulators have become concerned that there isn’t enough oversight, control or trade reciprocity with the way de minimis is currently handled. Some U.S. lawmakers and industries have said that the $800 (per person) threshold is being exploited, leading to revenue losses and uneven playing fields for domestic producers.
To address these concerns, lawmakers are considering reductions in the de minimis threshold. Reforms could also include tightening enforcement or imposing additional requirements on imported goods.
As a longtime Cleveland 4PL warehouse, we recognize that such changes could disrupt supply chains, increase costs and complicate the import process for businesses that rely on the current de minimis rules.
How a Cleveland 4PL Warehouse Can Help
If there’s anything we’ve learned in operating a successful 4PL warehouse, it’s that those in global commerce always to have a contingency plan. Because disruptions will happen — whether due to regulatory reforms or natural disaster or political strife.
In the face of potential reforms to the U.S. de minimis law, businesses might need to adapt their logistics strategies to maintain operational efficiency. A Cleveland 4PL warehouse can help with a number of tailored services and solutions.
Our 3PL Inventory Management Makes for More Streamlined Supply Chains
Competitive companies are increasingly trusting the care of products in between transit to 3PL inventory management partners.
Warehousing space isn’t cheap, and neither is the investment in optimized inventory management. According to the May 2024 National Industrial Report by Commercial Edge (a commercial real estate data analysis firm), Midwestern cities have the tightest industrial markets in the U.S. with the lowest available industrial space. That means even companies that might be inclined to handle warehousing in-house are going to have a tough time finding affordable space to do so.
By outsourcing critical warehousing services to third-party logistics providers, businesses get access to skilled labor, advanced technology systems, add-on services (coding, packing, repacking, kitting, labeling, etc.), and a strategic location for faster distribution.
At On Time Delivery & Warehouse, we have 90,000 square feet of secure warehouse space, plus 5 acres of outdoor storage. We have options for heated warehousing, FDA registered warehousing, customs bonded warehousing, a centralized examination station, and flexible options for daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly storage.
Our 3PL inventory management services include (but aren’t limited to):
- Product Coding & Repacking
- Contract Packaging & Repackaging
- Devanning
- Kitting & Assembly
- Labeling & Relabeling
- Transparent tracking & monitoring
- Crossdocking
- Distribution and fulfillment services
- Same day shipping
Customers who contract with us for 3PL inventory management at our Cleveland metro-area warehouse facility consistently report enhanced operational efficiency, cost savings, improved customer satisfaction — and less stress.
What is a 3PL Warehouse?
3PL is short for third-party logistics. A 3PL warehouse is a facility that’s operated by an outside logistics provider who offers a range of helpful services related to receiving, storing, handling and distributing goods.
3PL inventory management is one of those. It also usually involves fulfillment, transportation, and value-added services, like several of those listed above.
3PL Inventory Management Key Benefits
For Lower Cleveland Trucking Costs, Partner Up With a 3PL
The per-mile price of Cleveland trucking reached a record high last year, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
Given that fuel costs actually went down, the trucking rate increases were mainly thanks to rises in insurance premiums (up about 12.5%) and driver compensation.
Big trucks are also more expensive than ever, and this industry isn’t any more immune to inflation than others. Equipment costs for trucks and trailers is up about 9%.
One silver lining: For the first time ever, driver safety bonuses (part of the driver pay calculation) eclipsed starting bonuses. Translation: We’ve got more experienced, safer drivers on the road as a whole, meaning fewer accidents, safer roads, and fewer supply chain disruptions.
Its also worth noting that the reported increases weren’t actually as hefty as the hikes we saw in previous years.
For example, although truck driver pay climbed by 7.6% last year, that was actually about half the increase as the year before, when it rose 15.5%. Driver compensation has seen double-digit upticks annually over the past few years – particularly truckers operating in the less-than-truckload / LTL sector (which rose 12% this past year). But the ATRI opines such increases are likely to level off within the next year or so.
Minimizing Your Cleveland Trucking Bill
There are more than 1.86 million companies in the U.S. with a tractor-trailer, straight truck, or hazmat truck. Of those, about 1.1 million are for hire, or what we call “motor carriers.”
Although $2.27 per mile is the highest trucking costs have ever been, that’s still a less than 1% increase. Not all trucking companies are equally impacted; it depends on their location, industry, fleet type, and services. But most have experienced it to an extent, and some of that inevitably get passed on.
Customers who need Cleveland trucking services to keep their supply chains moving may be wondering where they might find an offset.
Cleveland Devanning Done Right
Most think of container devanning (the unloading of shipping containers) strictly in association with global supply chains. But shipping containers are one of the most efficient means of moving goods – not just internationally but domestically too.
They’re made of durable, weatherproof materials that can be fully secured and easily loaded and stacked. The main difference between ocean and domestic shipping containers is size. Domestic containers are usually smaller, and domestic vessels typically carry fewer overall containers in a single trip compared to ocean freight ships. But they’re still pivotal for businesses of all sizes in industries of all kinds.
So even as a more companies are seeking to regionalize by reeling their supply chains in closer to home, demand for devanning services hasn’t declined.
The U.S. has more than 200 commercial ports open to international trade, according to the NOAA Office for Coastal Management. But there are also more than 300 ports operated by states, counties, cities, and private corporations – many connected via inland rivers and lakes to intermodal water, rail, road, and even airborne transport modes.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), vessels in domestic waters transport over 1 billion tons of cargo each year. Many bulk commodities, such as 60% of the country’s farm exports, 20% of coal, and substantial amounts of petroleum, manufactured goods, and construction materials are transported over rivers and other inland waterways in the U.S.
At On Time Delivery & Warehouse, we’re connected with dozens of ports, local and international, and provide Cleveland devanning services onsite at our container freight station in North Ohio.
Efficiency in devanning helps reduce idling for truckers, hastens customs clearance times, and ensures goods are handled properly and delivered more timely.
What to Expect With Container Devanning
Container devanning is a lot more than just muscle. In fact, the more significant component to getting it right is meticulous care and planning, which is required to prevent damage of goods during unloading, as well as accurate sorting and safe storage.
Devanning is sometimes confused with transloading, which is the process of transferring goods from one mode of transportation to another. But container devanning specifically refers to the act of unloading goods off of a sealed container once it reaches the warehouse.
When a container is scheduled for Cleveland devanning at our facility, its contents are:
- Unloaded. Cargo onboard is removed from the container. Special tools and techniques are employed, such as counterbalance forklifts, liftgates, pallets and conveyors. Workers are trained and expected to adhere to strict safety protocols, wear PPE, and keep the unloading area clear.
- Inspected. Goods are checked for damage, and quantities are verified against shipping records.
- Sorted and palletized. Goods are organized for storage or the next leg of the distribution journey. Items are categorized based on type and destination, which allows for ease with retrieval, labeling, and tracking. Accuracy and care in with this step can have a big impact on faster shipping times.
- Documented. We prepare the necessary paperwork for customs and inventory management.
Because it requires so much equipment, expertise, and attention to detail, many businesses outsource their devanning to skilled third-party logistics firms (3PL) – particularly those that also offer cross docking.
Devanning fees vary depending on the size, complexity, weight, and time constraints related to each container load. (We’re happy to provide a devanning quote, if you’re actively weighing your options.)
That said, most companies report a sizable return on investment when they partner with a reliable 3PL for devanning. It’s been proven to minimize turnaround times, improve order fulfillment rates and lower damages and losses. Outsourcing allows for more flexible scheduling to accommodate varying shipment volumes and timing, while also giving improved accuracy and transparency.
On Time Delivery & Warehouse is committed to providing top-tier devanning in Ohio. Questions? Contact our logistics experts at (440) 826-4630 or send us an email.
Additional Resources:
Here’s How Supply Chains Are Being Reshaped for a New Era of Global Trade, April 24, 2023, By Paul Page, The Wall Street Journal
More Blog Entries:
Cleveland CFS Keeps Customer Cargo Cruising Through Ports at Peak Season, May 13, 2024, Ohio Devanning Blog
Last Mile Cleveland B2B Delivery: Why Customer Experience Still Matters
Speed and efficiency is always a priority in Cleveland last-mile delivery service. But so too is customer experience. This is true for both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) operations, though it’s too frequently overlooked with B2B delivery.
Well-executed final mile delivery is proven to be key to customer satisfaction. But it’s also fraught with logistical hurdles – from unexpected traffic jams to time-consuming door-to-door service. For B2B last mile deliveries, these challenges can be exacerbated by greater volume, higher frequency, and tighter time constraints compared to B2C customers.
Where B2C customers often focus on speed and convenience, B2B delivery priorities trend more toward reliability, precision, and integration of delivery services with existing business platforms and operations. Planning, cooperation, and coordination are especially important with JIT (Just-In-Time) deliveries, which are popular with B2B customers.
As a trusted third-party logistics (3PL), we tailor all our services to the needs of each customer – B2C and B2B. It’s important to us that our Cleveland B2B delivery services always meet the high expectations and evolving needs of our clients. We make it a point to go the extra mile on the last mile.
Prioritizing Customer Experience in B2B Delivery
There is a tendency with B2B last-mile delivery to gloss over customer experience, particularly if arrangements have been fixed and tied for an extended time. While it’s true there may be differences in terms of what makes a positive customer experience in B2C delivery versus B2B delivery, this aspect shouldn’t be ignored.
Centering customer experience in B2B deliveries is a solid way to show you don’t take long-standing partnerships and loyalty for granted.
Key elements of positive customer experiences with B2B last mile deliveries may include: