What type of 3PL’s are listed?
For the purposes of this 3PL directory we have grouped 3pl service providers into the following categories:
- International Freight Forwarding / Customs Brokerage Services
- International Courier Services
- Warehousing and Order Fulfillment Services
- Domestic Transportation Services
- Other Services
International Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage Services
International freight forwarding services include the activities related to the shipping of goods across international borders via various transportation modes and can include:
- Air Freight – via passenger or dedicated cargo airlines
- Sea Freight – via shipping lines
- Road – via cross border trucking companies
- Rail – via railroad operators
- Multi modal – using a combination of the above modes
International freight forwarders typically also provide customs brokerage and transportation services as part of their end to end delivery service offering.
Customs Brokerage Services include activities related to facilitating the import and export customs clearance of goods being shipped from one country to another and include:
- Preparing and lodging import and export documentation with the relevant customs authorities
- Calculating and paying any duty and taxes if applicable
- Providing advice in regards to import and export requirements
International Courier Services
International couriers provide a door to door service for shipping goods across international borders. The door to door activities include:
- Pick up and delivery at origin and destination
- Customs clearance at origin and destination
- Shipping via Air Freight
International courier services are typically used for smaller or extremely urgent shipments.
Warehousing and Order Fulfillment Services
Warehousing and order fulfillment services include the activities related to storage of inventory and fulfilling customer orders as provided by 3rd party logistics service providers and can include:
- Receiving and putting away inbound inventory ordered from factories and suppliers
- Storing and managing inventory prior to fulfilling customer orders
- Picking , packing and shipping orders received from customers
- Specialized services such as repackaging and relabeling of inventory to meet specific customer requirements – often referred to as value added services
- Receiving and managing goods returned from customers
Domestic Transportation Services
Road transportation services include the activities related to transporting goods domestically by road and can include:
- Picking up and delivering inbound inventory from ports, factories, or suppliers and delivering to warehouses for storage and subsequent order fulfillment
- Picking up and delivering outbound inventory from warehouses or other locations and delivering to customers to fulfill orders
Other Services
Other services include
- Supply Chain / Logistics Consulting services
- Freight Brokerage services
- Supply Chain / Logistics Software vendors
- Materials Handling Equipment suppliers
- Packaging and other consumables suppliers