What’s in Store for 3PLs in 2019 | CMorgan Fulfillment Services

The year 2018 was a record one for freight markets. Shippers weathered the challenges of constrained capacity and rising rates, and worked to transform their businesses to meet new customer demands and expectations.

What’s in Store for 3PLs in 2019?

As another year starts it’s a good time not to just reflect on what has taken place over the last year but understand, anticipate, and get excited about what a new year holds. For businesses, it is always a good time to take stock and see what direction to chart. For industries as a whole, there is a combination of both competition but also options for collaborating and discussing new technologies, ways of working and forming ties to create win-win situations. 3PLs are no different and there are a number of directions and trends that they could take over the course of 2019.

Automation

This is one of many 3PL industry trends that are ensuring that employees in this sector will be less involved with labor-intensive “busy work.” Instead, advances in automation will free up workers to handle more important and complex tasks, as opposed to routine picking in a warehouse or other similar jobs that could be handled by automation. Warehouses and distribution centers that employ this new technology can reduce errors and improve efficiency, compared to those facilities that only use human workers.

Analytics

he 3PL industry is also going to make more use of analytics and similar technologies. These tools can help a third-party logistics firm spot issues or areas where they can do better. Analytics can help improve sales and consistency, ensuring that customers get the same great experience every time. “Big data” and analytics could end up making a huge difference in this industry in 2019 and the years to come.

Internet of things

Going hand in hand with automation, the “Internet of Things” is poised to change how many logistics companies do business. Computing devices are being implemented into more and more everyday objects, giving freight brokers and logistics companies more data that can help them improve their effectiveness.

Supply Chain Integration

To deliver the best results, all players across the value chain need to be in sync. 2019 will witness more integration through data sharing, insight-driven strategies and possibly, a greater shift towards blockchain technology, to encourage visibility, transparency and accountability by all parties involved.

Partnerships

2019 will witness an increase in 3PLs taking on newer partners for specific tasks. There will be a push towards increased cyber security, partnerships will be formed to create a specific space to encourage greater IT security across supply chains, logistics and distribution.

Christopher Morgan Fulfillment

Christopher Morgan Fulfillment has access to more than 600,000 square feet of professionally managed, secure, dry storage space, warehousing & distribution in Milwaukee and in all regions of the United States.

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