West Michigan Trucking
/ By Zip Xpress / Trucker Homage/ 0 Comments

Everyone Wants to Work in Logistics, But Not in Trucking

With a strong economy driving a manufacturing boom across the nation, logistics and supply chain jobs are flourishing. New workers are entering the field all over the country as the needs for jobs such as logistics analysts, supply chain managers, and even sales reps continue to increase. As such, people are eager to take on these new roles in the expanding industry. However, we aren’t seeing as many people interested in taking on the most important job in the supply chain – trucking. This is a trend that must change if logistics companies want to maintain this growing level of success.

Truck drivers are the reason that the supply chain works – they are the final piece of a long, complex puzzle that allows us to receive our goods all over the country. Without them, survival would be a lot more challenging, if not far more inconvenient, as we would not be able to easily access food, clothing, and other vital products. We need truck drivers now more than ever in order to make deliveries to our urban centers and our smaller, remote towns. They are truly road warriors who are willing to do a job that not many others are.

Logistics and shipping organizations need to place a strong focus on recruiting truck drivers and allowing them to grow in their careers. These are some of the hardest working individuals in the workforce, and they deserve any accolades that we can give them. Despite the difficulties of the job, it can be a highly rewarding experience that perfectly suits individualists who enjoy the freedom of the open road. As a country, we often overlook these workers who make it possible for us to purchase our goods in a quick and easy manner. We need more drivers in the workforce, and that starts with showing our appreciation for their unwavering dedication to the job.

To see how much we appreciate our drivers in being a part of the supply chain, start today with Zip Xpress!

/ By Zip Xpress / Custom Carrier Solutions/ 0 Comments

Recruiting Supply Chain Talent

Supply chain jobs are abundant in America, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to fill them with qualified talent. Recruiting in logistics can be a stressful, confusing task as there are many different qualities that are required to be successful in the field. One of those qualities is the willingness to learn – that is, being ready and eager to take on new tasks and roles in order to solve the unique problems that will inevitably occur on a regular basis.

Here at Zip Xpress we place a lot of value on an individual’s willingness to learn, which is why so many of our employees have been promoted from within. Someone who starts on the warehouse floor can learn a lot about how the freight looks, how to handle it, and the best ways to package it. This knowledge can translate to becoming a great planner or dispatcher, as they will be able to visualize the freight and speak from prior experience. The world of logistics is always changing, and those who are constantly adapting have a great opportunity to advance their careers.

At Zip Xpress, we place a major focus on company representation. We recruit people who we believe could be the face of the company at any time. This means that candidates should be personable, communicative, and have a willingness to provide the highest level of customer service at all times. This can be seen from the ground level in evaluating how people answer the phone or respond to emails. Answering the call is only the first step, but the ability to listen to the customer and come up with unique and creative solutions is what sets our elite talent apart from the rest. In logistics, one should always be motivated to go above and beyond what is necessary to get the job done. The employees at Zip Xpress believe in this philosophy, and it is our goal to always see a customer satisfied.

To see how our team can service your business, get started with Zip Xpress today!

Don't Ignore Administrative in Logistics
/ By Zip Xpress / Sustainability/ 0 Comments

Reducing Administrative Waste in Your Office

Working in logistics can be fast-paced and exciting, but many people forget about the administrative tasks that take place throughout the life of every shipment. However, these back-office jobs are highly important and should be treated as such. It is vital to take a look at administrative tasks, and that includes keeping a clean office in order to streamline operations and keep everyone on the same page.

Cleanliness is often underappreciated, but we at Zip Xpress make it point to run a well-organized office. We saw that organization was not a priority for many other logistics companies, and they noticed that this led to mixed up orders, late shipments, and even lost freight. Our focus emphasized a strong work ethic in our employees, and that included focusing on organization and cleanliness. This starts with even the smallest things – finding consistent homes for supplies such as staplers, documents, and pens – and it begins to translate to organizational skills at higher levels.

As people learn to reduce administrative waste, they become more efficient and can focus on improving supply chain operations on a daily basis. Our internal phrase ‘Being Current’ is a major benefit to eliminating waste, as it allows other workers to come in and take over seamlessly without needing to backtrack or find old documents to catch up. When everyone is operating at maximum efficiency, the company will perform better as a whole.

With technology always improving and cloud services becoming the norm, organizations should use services like Google Docs to reduce paper waste. Some industries, such as logistics, require at least one physical copy of documents, but you shouldn’t have to go any further than that. Sticking to one original and keeping backups in the cloud help to reduce unnecessary printing of paper and contribute to a more productive atmosphere. To learn more about what we do to remain sustainable, get started with Zip Xpress today!

zip xpress ltl
/ By Zip Xpress / Custom Carrier Solutions/ 0 Comments

How to Achieve Perfect Order Fulfillment

One of Zip’s primary goals is to achieve what is known as ‘Perfect Order Fulfillment.’ This is described by the Supply Chain Council as a discrete measurement defined as the percentage of orders delivered to the right place, with the right product, at the right time, in the right condition, in the right package, in the right quantity, with the right documentation, to the right customer, with the correct invoice.

The best method to achieve perfect order fulfillment is by extended visibility across the supply chain. Zip does this by making every step of the fulfillment process as visible as possible with our employees. We’ve designed the layout of the office, dispatch board and shipment binder to make every step of the process as easy to understand as possible. Our goal is to have everyone trained to be ready to step in and help out at a moment’s notice. We track each shipment carefully from start to finish and keep communication with the customer as open as possible.

We monitor the entire process of the shipment, searching for ways we can improve service to the customer. We keep desks neat and tidy to ensure orders don’t get mixed up. We collaborate together to find shipping solutions and ensure everyone gets what they need in order to achieve satisfaction.

Finally, we focus on making every step of the process as consistent as possible. Our team is in constant communication with one another, ensuring that if there’s a problem we’ll fix it right away. Our team of experts has been consistent for years, which allows us to provide the same results shipment after shipment.

Perfect order fulfillment is not simple, or even easy, but it can be achieved. It is a process, one that we strive for every day. It is a challenge we love taking on, and if you’d like to see how we can make your order perfect, get started with Zip Xpress today!

Manufacturing Metrics Supply Chain
/ By Zip Xpress / Industry Partners/ 0 Comments

Key Metrics for Manufacturing in Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is a challenging area of business for manufacturing companies. A well-run manufacturer must find a healthy balance of communication, logic, and execution in order to ensure that their supply chain is running smoothly. There are many metrics that these organizations can use to evaluate their performance. Here are some of what we believe are the most important metrics for a supply chain’s success.

Perfect Order Fulfillment

This is a discrete measurement that essentially shows the percentage of orders that are fulfilled without any errors. A perfect order is one that sees the right product being delivered to the right place at the right time in the right condition. By constantly working to improve perfect order percentages, manufacturers show that they are working in the best interests of their customers.

Customer Order Cycle Time

This metric measures the average time that it takes to fulfill a customer delivery after a purchase order has been received by the manufacturer. This is an important metric to analyze the efficiency of your supply chain, as it shows how well different departments work together to complete a job after a customer makes a request.

Freight Cost per Unit Shipped

This calculation involves dividing the total freight costs incurred by the number of total units shipped. Generally, these are calculated over a certain period of time, e.g. weeks, months, quarters, or years. It’s important to compare this to the total cost of producing individual units, since each time product breaks during shipment means your company will have to manufacture a replacement.

On Time Shipping Rate

This metric is the percentage of items or order value that arrives on or before the requested ship date. The On Time Shipping Rate is the key to customer satisfaction. A high rate indicates an efficient supply chain. The more accurately your supply chain can get the product into customer’s hands, the happier they will be, and that will build long-lasting trust between you and your customer.

We hope that we provided some insight into how you can measure the performance of your supply chain management. Our goal is to be as efficient as possible while keeping our customer as our number one priority. To learn first hand how we do this with each shipment, start today with Zip Xpress.

hotshot freight
/ By Zip Xpress / Custom Carrier Solutions/ 0 Comments

How We Build Custom Carrier Solutions

At month’s end within Zip Xpress, it’s a hive of activity. We know the days will be long, fulfilling orders that come flying in. We order pizza, our sales staff brings in sweet treats and there are bowls of gummy bears everywhere. We dig in, prepare for our month-end shipments, and most don’t leave until it’s done.

Across Zip Xpress, every employee knows about every shipment. We’re always solving problems, asking questions out loud of what we do with shipments that require our special attention. Anyone who has an idea can chime in, which helps us come up with the most innovative solutions. As we deliberate, everyone passes by our new customer board, which lists in big bold letters who our newest customers are.

Everyone at Zip is trained on how to give a basic quote. It’s not uncommon to see someone running from one computer to another to fill out a quote because our goal is to get a customer a quote within five minutes of receiving an inquiry. We want you to be able to make a decision as quickly as possible, and respect your time in the process.

We build our shipments by stacking our slips in order of delivery, which is shuffled multiple times right up until the shipment leaves our dock. When building each shipment, we have to consider the route and the order the products are placed within the trailers. Our warehouse experts work diligently to secure each customer’s product, doing their best to ensure nothing will move during transit.

Everyone at Zip is ready to answer the phone. Every call comes in, and the first person who’s available answers the call. That’s why whenever you call Zip Xpress, you’ll talk to a human being and you’ll never have to wait on hold listening to a machine.

At Zip Xpress, every part of our system is built to serve the customer. We work to solve problems, and include everyone in the company because collaboration creates great ideas. Everyone in our company is here to serve, so if you’d like to see us in action, feel free to schedule a tour or better yet, start today with Zip Xpress and see for yourself!

Headload Service
/ By Zip Xpress / Custom Carrier Solutions/ 0 Comments

The Hidden Costs of Damaged Freight

Every shipper, receiver, and carrier will be affected by damaged freight at some point in time. While it may seem like you simply need to replace the damaged product and move on, there is more to it than that. Lost product is not the only cost that is incurred when a shipment shows up with damage. In fact, there are several ways that damaged freight can be financially harmful for everybody involved in the supply chain.

If a replacement is required, manufacturers incur the costs of making new product and shipping it to the destination. The receiving warehouse will lose funds since they will be unable to sell the damaged product. All of these coordination efforts require the attention of customer service reps and warehouse workers, consuming hours to replace an order rather than make new sales. Employees need to be paid, and that lost productivity is has a hidden cost as well. Whenever a product shows up damaged, the multiple steps taken to replace it take time away from other more pressing tasks. Even if a company employs OS&D specialists, they are spending money for the sole purpose of fixing issues that arise from lost or damaged freight, not with generating revenue.

In addition to the traceable costs incurred from shipping damage, there are even more hidden costs in the form of relationships. One damaged product can often be forgiven, but if it is a regular occurrence, customers will start blaming the carrier or the manufacturer. Whether they believe it is due to poor packaging or subpar equipment, they will begin to question if it is worth the effort to maintain the relationship. This lost trust can lead to a customer switching to a competitor, and the attrition will hurt any company’s bottom line. This is why it is so important to minimize damage and to have a solid, efficient process to follow when the inevitable problems occur. To see how we can prevent damage with your next shipment, get started with Zip Xpress today!

manufacturing shipping
/ By Zip Xpress / Industry Partners/ 0 Comments

Handling Mergers and Acquisitions in the Supply Chain

One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in the manufacturing industries is an uptick in mergers and acquisitions. When one company acquires or merges with another, it has a significant effect on the employees, departments, and strategies of both organizations involved. It is important for these companies to have a solid plan to seamlessly integrate their supply chain operations. Each entity brings with them different techniques, responsibilities, and even corporate cultures. The executives and employees alike must do everything they can to work together during this newly formed partnership in order to maintain order and continue to provide high levels of customer satisfaction.

Supply chain managers need to be involved in every major decision during the merger or acquisition process. They need to be aware of any change in organizational structure or strategy so that they can work to streamline their operations and explain the changes to their employees. It is imperative for supply chain workers to get to know the processes and systems with which they will be working. Even if both companies previously operated with the same supply chain software, there are bound to be differences in culture and requirements between the two. Employees from both companies should be trained on what to expect and the changes that need to be made moving forward. Zip Xpress prides itself on being integrated with this process, as we work so closely with our customer’s supply chain that we can develop a standardized process between the two entities and bring them together as one.

Customers should also be kept in the loop throughout the entire process. It is the responsibility of the supply chain manager to let their customers know that there are changes being made and that the organization is doing everything in their power to keep things running smoothly. However, it is likely that mistakes will be made, and it is better for a customer to be prepared for these rather than being blindsided or left in the dark. Mergers and acquisitions can cause confusion, delays, and even chaos for both the shipping team and customers, so communication is key, and teamwork needs to remain a central focus throughout the transition. We know the importance of collaboration and communication here at Zip Xpress, and we can provide the stability you need to guide your business growth. To see how we can help you navigate your growing supply chain, get started with Zip Xpress today!

supply chain talent
/ By Zip Xpress / Custom Carrier Solutions • Technology/ 0 Comments

The Importance of People in the Supply Chain

As technology continues to progress at record paces, people are beginning to worry about their own place in the workforce. Robots have taken over certain manufacturing jobs and computers are beginning to take over in the service industries. Those who work in logistics have expressed concern about technologies such as self-driving trucks and rideshare programs. These are valid concerns, but the truth is that people are always going to have a place in the supply chain and are vital in developing and maintaining relationships.

Logistics is an industry that has always adapted to change, and newer technologies will never change that. In fact, there will be even more opportunities for humans in logistics as we begin to harness the power of these technologies. Someone will have to maintain the newer, more advanced trucks, and people are always going to have to interact with the customer. No matter how far artificial intelligence comes, it will never replace the value that an experienced professional person brings to the table. Vendors, suppliers, and customers all value the relationships that they have with each other, and robots are not going to change that. At Zip Xpress, we understand that these technologies are designed to assist on the delivery end, and that nothing can replace the keen eye of a well put together dispatch board. Everyone in the company knows about every shipment, and every single person can provide a customer with a quote.

Instead of worrying that computers are going to take over our positions, we should ask ourselves what we can do to maximize our presence in the supply chain. Technology should be seen as a tool to help us become more efficient, not as a threat to our livelihood. If we can use technology to improve our personal relationships with our customers, then we are taking a step in the right direction. Logistics professionals should not make the mistake of letting computers take over for them, instead they should be using these technologies as supplemental devices that are simply there to let humans focus on our most important tasks and ideas, like figuring out how to make an impossible shipment happen for a customer. To connect with one of our human experts, get started with Zip Xpress today!

Zip Xpress
/ By Zip Xpress / Miscellaneous/ 0 Comments

Wishing You a Very Happy 4th of July

It’s that pinnacle time during summer where we celebrate our independence. As you enjoy fun in the sun and backyard barbecues, we hope that everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday. Remember all of those who have helped make this country great as we celebrate the birth of this wonderful nation!