Ecommerce
With the growth of ecommerce and the number of companies opting for it, ProConnect felt it was important to designate a separate vertical that managed the supply chain solutions in ecommerce.
Ecommerce Fulfillment through ProConnect is more cost-efficient, as it is able to capitalize on its spread of warehouses & versatility in handling multiple clients.
Even though an ecommerce merchant may not have a physical store, physical goods need to be stored at some location. ProConnect will typically take care of your warehousing requirements. It will invest in the space and technology required to efficiently run this warehouse.
ProConnect takes care your entire logistics requirement, services include
Supply Chain Management
A well-oiled supply chain is at the heart of a successful ecommerce business. ProConnect takes care of Primary transportation from the Manufactures / Suppliers place to the warehouse.
Warehousing
Option to use from ProConnect’ s existing warehouses spread across the country or in setting up an exclusive facility basis on the Space, Location, reachability & Operation timings. ProConnect does provide the required space & infrastructure required to meet the demands of the industry to provide seamless services.
Order Fulfillment
An order fulfillment is not just about making sure that the goods reach the buyer. The goods that reach the customer must be the right goods; they must reach on time, and in good condition. All of this may sound obvious, but e-commerce is plagued with erroneous order fulfillment.
ProConnect with its efficient manpower & operational process ensure it takes care of order fulfillment requirements. With its unified Warehouse management platform which can be interfaced with any ERP / WMS, it ensures right products are been picked & dispatched at right condition.
Flexibility & Scalability
Every Ecommerce business be it big or a start-up, setting up one’s own logistics division may require suitable infrastructure with flexibility. ProConnect gives you flexibility of starting as per the requirement & scaling up or down when needed. It helps in ramping up or ramping down of the key resources as per the seasonality.
Efficiency & Specialization
Being an established 3PL services provides, with its versatility in handling multiple clients, space & industries, ProConnect ensures “Ecommerce Fulfillment is taken care”. It has specialized team members to runs this operations.
Technology
Integrated ordering and fulfillment is made possible through the ProConnect WMS, which is an ideal system for the precise and efficient handling of products at the warehouse. The WMS—communicating with the ERP, along with sensors in the pick-and-pack systems and conveying equipment—is capable of monitoring individual SKUs as they are stored at the warehouse.
Transportation
With offer complete transport solution including Forward, Reverse & Time Critical deliveries, linked by Logistics Management services on a unified platform, offers an un-paralleled value to multiple industries.
As e-commerce continues its rapid growth into virtually every market sector, retailers are anxious to expand their presence online to capture this market share.
ProConnect 3PL Services improves Ecommerce Fulfilments
As an alternative to in-house fulfilment, a large number of retailers have turned over Internet order processing to 3PLs that are equipped and experienced to handle these online needs. Retailers whose online orders are growing at an accelerated rate often prefer the flexibility of working with a 3PL that can help them continue to expand.
But 3PLs are also continuing to gain acceptance by online retailers because of the sophisticated software engines they have put in place to capture orders on the front end, and process these orders through their warehouse management systems (WMS).
Integrated ordering and parcel tracking is made possible through the 3PL’s WMS, which is an ideal system for the precise and efficient tracking of products. The WMS—communicating with the ERP, along with sensors in the pick-and-pack systems and conveying equipment—is capable of monitoring individual SKUs as they are stored and moved through the facility.
This level of supply chain analytics allows 3PLs to maintain precise control of products through every stage of supply chain handling, from receipt of products to storage and picking, through shipping.
Pick, Pack, and Ship
resulting in more accurate orders, improved ergonomics, lower labor costs and worker travel time, fewer returns, and space saved by operating in a smaller footprint.
Much of the recent investment in automation by Ecommerce 3PLs has been driven by a desire to improve order picking, packing, and shipping processes, with a focus on picking. And the most basic form of automation for e-commerce in 3PLs is the augmentation of manual order picking with IT support, such as pick-to-light, hands-free voice systems, zone routing, or dynamic slotting.
In most distribution centers, picking is the most labor-intensive DC function, and usually can provide the most cost-savings when automated. IT-based picking options exist that have significantly lowered capitalization costs, and can exert a sizable positive impact on a DC’s throughput efficiency, while reducing operating costs.
The focus on automation for any e-commerce 3PL should be to easily increase fulfillment throughput and SKU density over time. Such a system should enable e-commerce 3PLs to pick, pack, and ship orders and handle returns quickly and accurately, while reducing labor costs and shipping errors, and realize equipment ROI over the life of the contract.
Assessing Proconnect 3PL Capabilities for
E-Commerce
Within Ecommerce, unpredictability is a constant factor. Flexibility in the 3PL supply chain, therefore, becomes critical. This can be derived from implementing the right software and automated systems that can support the fluidity that e-commerce requires.
3PLs under consideration for handling a retailer’s Ecommerce fulfillment should be assessed against the following criteria as to their performance capability. These points represent potential trouble areas in e-commerce fulfillment:
- Large SKU counts, with a high percentage of slow movers.
- Small number of pieces per order.
- Extreme peak season volumes.
- Under-stocking due to unpredictable changes in market demand.
- Front-end order processing.
- High volume of returns from end consumers.
- High potential for brand damage from poor fulfillment performance.
- Real-time, accurate inventory and order visibility.
These points can best be addressed in concert with an independent logistics consultant, who can provide considerable value to logistics executives at both the retailer and 3PL.
The methodology of independent logistics consultants permits an objective examination of all e-commerce options, helping both parties determine underlying costs and design for facilities, automation, and labor within the 3PL. Consultants size the facility based on the retailer’s requirements, the anticipated level of operator cost, and what the 3PL plans to invest, factoring in the optimum level of automation.
