6 A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO DC VELOCITY
all the way down to the little startup managing operations
via a customized spreadsheet,” he explains. “At Burris,
our mantra is ‘Get like the customer,’ meaning we utilize
APIs—application programming interfaces—that make the
exchange and integration of key data seamless, regardless of
what flavor of tools our customers use.”
Unlike most 3PLs, Krupka adds, Burris Logistics offers
customers access to a proprietary software program that
enables them to both conduct transactions collaboratively
and have full visibility throughout their supply chain with
complete transparency to all partners.
Likewise, Burris’ platform continues
to evolve with the regular addition of
more predictive analytics capabilities.
“That enables us to provide a value-added service that customers may
not have been able to do internally,
such as comparing the forecast to actual execution and making adjustments
to more accurately estimate inventory replenishment needs, for example,”
says Krupka, who adds that the company’s nearly 100 years of experience in
the 3PL field continues to inform the programming behind
the platform.
“We understand the business problems that are unique
to the distribution logistics organization within a retailer,
a wholesaler, a producer, and so on,” he continues. “That
insight allows our internal team of software engineers and
technicians to build, deliver, and deploy a platform that
optimizes our customers’ supply chains.”
ADEQUATE INVESTMENTS IN ASSETS TO SUPPORT
CUSTOMER NEEDS
Whether a company is exclusively an online retailer, a manufacturer of high-value heavy equipment, a national chain
of grocery stores, or something in between, it’s important
to consider the size of a potential 3PL partner. That’s
because size does matter in terms of the 3PL’s ability to
support its customers’ needs, says Haggerty.
“The larger the 3PL, the more resources it has to invest
in and provide the depth of multilevel services companies
need to meet the expectations of today’s consumers,” he
explains.
Such investments in the latest software and automation
technologies reinforce a 3PL’s commitment to staying
ahead of the curve in making its customers’ warehousing,
order fulfillment, value-added services, and transportation
activities more efficient, accurate, and timely—
ensuring service-level agreements are met consistently. Burris
Logistics’ operations, for example, encompass nearly 2,000
team members, a network of 70,000 carrier partners, 700
transportation assets, 21 locations, and 275,000 pallet positions in warehousing storage.
That depth of assets enables the 3PL to serve more than
5,000 customers, ship 100,000 direct-to-consumer parcels,
complete 15,000 store-level deliveries, and manage in
excess of 35,000 freight transactions every month, Haggerty
notes. “An important aspect of being flexible and respon-
sive to changing customer needs is having the means and
capacity to adjust accordingly.”
Making strategic investments in the technologies, auto-
mation, software, highly skilled team members, and other
assets as a part of the company’s dedication to excellence
and customer service has been a core
value at Burris Logistics since it was
founded in 1925 by his great-grandfa-
ther, says Donnie Burris, CEO.
INNOVATIVE SERVICES THAT
ACCOMMODATE COMPLEXITY
Producers, shippers, and retailers with
complex handling and transportation
requirements need more than transactional “Point A-to-Point B” 3PL services. Instead, they need a partner who
can interface with and support them
at multiple levels and with a variety of service options that
can be mixed and matched to create the ideal solution. For
companies seeking maximum flexibility to address today’s
fulfillment challenges, these services might include the
following:
b Management of temperature-sensitive direct-to-consumer shipments—such as grocery, pharmaceuticals, meal
kits, and more—with value-added services including cold
storage and freezer warehousing, picking, insulated packaging with dry ice or gel packs, sealing, labeling, tracking, and
verification of last-mile delivery services.
b Ability to perform temperature-controlled hauling
from growing regions to consumption areas for farm-to-table perishable food chains with multiple stops on both
pickups and deliveries, while maintaining proper, safe
handling conditions.
b Cold chain assessments and consulting to help customers improve upon the intricacies of frozen and perishable
food handling.
b Procurement services, including purchasing on behalf
of customers in a manner that replicates their buying style
and pricing approach, as well as managing, receiving, and
holding the inbound inventory in 3PL-owned facilities.
b Redistribution services to support the food-service
industry, including bulk buying of slow-moving inventory by the truckload and reselling it in less-than-truckload
quantities to distributors.
b Advanced transportation and freight management
services for secure movement of complex, high-value oversized equipment—including heavy, wide-load, and oversized machinery and manufacturing components.
