Nov 3, 2021 | newsroom
NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — ShipHero, the leading shipping and logistics platform for over 5,000 e-commerce brands and 3PLs, announces it has acquired Golden Egg Solutions, an eCommerce fulfillment company based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Golden Egg Solutions specializes in eCommerce, fulfillment, packaging, drop shipping and white label supplement procurement. Golden Egg Solutions has been a longtime, valued customer of ShipHero’s, who uses their warehouse management software. With this business acquisition, ShipHero now has a warehouse strategically located in the northwestern half of the United States for use by their fulfillment and 3PL clients. Salt Lake City is the capital and most populous city of Utah, which is also connected to the retail supply chain in the Northwest.
Read more at PR Newswire
Nov 1, 2021 | newsroom
Following last week’s Government announcement detailing the new Covid traffic light system, Kiwi business owners are starting to gain a better understanding of how future restrictions could impact their companies.
For those businesses starting to plan ahead with this new information, there is much to be learned from those overseas who have already begun navigating some of the more common challenges.
Read more at Kea
Oct 29, 2021 | 3PL Warehouse Management, Blog, Fulfillment, Warehouse Management Software
By: Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO at ShipHero
While the pandemic has dominated headlines for the past 20 months, another hot button issue has been global climate change. This has thrust sustainability into the spotlight, and individual organizations have begun looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment that go beyond shrinking their carbon footprint.
In last week’s blog, we talked about automation and robotics, and how this advanced technology was revolutionizing the way warehouses work and how companies deliver their products. In truth, a large part of the opportunity for sustainability in the last mile starts and ends with delivery vehicles.
However, there are other areas of opportunity, so let’s explore some of the recent advancements in sustainability for eCommerce fulfillment.
It’s Not Diesel, It’s Electric
Electric Vehicles (EVs) have already proven to be a cost-effective solution to their gas-powered counterparts and many logistics companies have adopted them. According to a report by NPR in March 2021, Amazon and UPS have placed significant orders for EVs, while DHL already has 20% of its fleet classified as zero emissions. And Fedex has taken the biggest leap, pledging that its fleet will be 100% battery-powered by 2040.
While the electricazation of 18-wheelers is stymied by short battery lives, electric vehicles are perfectly poised to make a difference in sustainability. With other last mile enhancements, like route optimization, EVs can deliver along routes that maximize their battery life’s power. Also, finding a charging station isn’t that hard in most urban areas. And since deliveries typically happen during business hours, EVs have plenty of time to get a charge.
‘Recalculating Route’ Can Help Save the Environment
All right, maybe not save, but route optimization is a key factor in reducing emissions by delivery vehicles. This technology prioritizes efficiency over length, taking into account many different factors that can impact a driver’s delivery route. A few of the challenges they account for are:
- Delivery Time Windows
- Driver Proximity to Hub
- Traffic Congestion
- Parking Availability
- And More
By spending just a little more time analyzing the route your vehicles take, you’ll be able to do a better job of sending them on the most efficient path which will lower emissions and reduce maintenance and gas costs. This type of technology can also impact customer satisfaction. If you tie your route into a front-facing delivery notification system, then a customer can easily “click” to see where their shipment is. Consider features like the one Uber uses to show you the location of your driver.
Increased transparency is a healthy and positive side effect of reducing environmental impact and more efficiently completing your deliveries.
Go Small
Micro-warehousing is another up and coming last mile delivery solution, and again, it aids sustainability by decreasing the length of the delivery route and therefore reducing emissions. While it may seem daunting to sign a lease for a new warehouse site, having the ability to move your inventory closer to where it will ultimately go makes a huge difference in delivery times and impact. It is also recommended that you designate areas in this space for same-day or next-day deliveries. Closer proximity to customers means you might be able to offer these types of premium services that customers have come to expect.
The Big Last Mile Delivery Picture
As of right now, the quickest and easiest way to build a sustainable last mile strategy is to examine the use of gas-powered vehicles, optimize delivery routes and consider warehousing your products in smaller locations closer to the end consumer. While it may seem that these steps won’t make much of an impact, one small step and all that. If multiple businesses commit to make these changes, then there is proof that last mile delivery could make a positive and lasting impact on the big global climate picture.
If you’re new to ShipHero Fulfillment, please schedule a meeting today with our experts to learn more about how we can help you get your orders picked, packed, and delivered with our fulfillment service. No setup fees, simply pay as you go. ShipHero works to ensure that organizations invest in the solutions that match their needs, to improve productivity, revenue, and success.
Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today
Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO
ShipHero
About the author: Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., is the COO of ShipHero. She is responsible for planning and executing the overall operational, legal, managerial and administrative procedures, reporting structures and operational controls of the organization. Barnett’s greatest strengths are leadership, risk mitigation, change management and a passion for business transformation. She is known for her expertise in delivering operational excellence and an ability to provide guidance and mitigating risk. Her leadership of ShipHero is grounded in a servant mentality, always doing the right thing for our stakeholders. Her passion for ShipHero comes from the ability to drive operational excellence throughout the organization impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and partners.
Follow Maggie on Twitter & LinkedIn.
Oct 22, 2021 | 3PL Warehouse Management, Blog, Fulfillment, Warehouse Operations
By: Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO at ShipHero
If you’re of a certain age, you’ve been waiting for the robot apocalypse for a while. It’s doubtful that our robot overlords will speak in an Austrian accent, but one thing is certain – robots are coming. And they are coming to warehouses and distribution centers quickly.
According to a recent study by Modern Materials Management and Vecna Robotics, 27% of companies surveyed currently use automated guided vehicles (AGV) and technologies for materials handling. That’s a little more than 1 in 4. So, while it may seem like the use of robots in distribution and warehouses is still on the horizon, it appears they are marching forward at a steady and quick pace.
In the same study, 42% of respondents said they currently use AGVs or plan to invest in them in the next 12 months, while 39% said they currently use autonomous mobile robots (AMR) or plan to make an investment in the next 12 months. The revolution has begun.
Practical Applications for Warehouse Robots
It may seem that investing in AMRs or AGVs for your warehouse is a silly ego play; a way to one-up your competition. However, these automated technologies have far-reaching and important applications within warehouses and can greatly help to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
The most common execution for AMRs is automated picking. Through a mix of warehouse execution software (WES) and onboard sensors, AMRs can move through the warehouse, picking orders from barcode-labeled bins. This type of barcode picking is used with human workers as well, but as in most instances, a machine will be more efficient than a human.
AGVs can also be used to move pallets and large racks, reorganize inventory layouts and provide inventory counts. However, none of these functions will work without a human to program the robot and oversee performance.
ShipHero has an integration with 6 River Systems, a leader in warehouse automation robotics with their flagship product, Chuck. If you are interested in learning more about how ShipHero works with 6 River Systems, please reach out to your customer service manager.
Last Mile Delivery Automation
Perhaps the greatest area of recent growth and the one with the most room for innovation is the use of robotics and automation in the last mile. Last mile delivery seems to be the latest buzz term, and for good reason. The last mile is the shortest distance and often the most expensive in the eCommerce ecosystem. Efficiencies in the last mile can save money, reduce environmental pollution and increase customer satisfaction.
So, how are robots being used in the last mile? Let’s take a look.
- Drones: While it once seemed laughable, the idea that a drone could show up on your doorstep with a package dangling from its undercarriage is a real possibility. Amazon has been talking about this since 2013, and finally got approval from the FAA last year. Walmart has announced a similar program, proving that where Amazon paves a path, others will follow.
- Autonomous Delivery Vehicles (ADV): ADVs are to large orders what drones are to small ones. The impact of ADVs could be felt not only within short distance routes, but long-distance ones as well. Companies like Plus.ai and Waymo have been testing the feasibility of this automation, and have been met with encouraging results.
- Robot Deliveries: There’s also the promise of on-the-ground robots that will make deliveries via small scale technologies that can be deployed in neighborhoods and arrive right on your doorstep. Additionally, this type of automation could work wonders for smaller scale delivery needs, like a college campus or office building complex. Starship Technologies is already working on a campus-based robot delivery system.
The Reality of Automation
With the rise of use cases for automation and robotics in the warehouse and delivery industries, the costs will start to lower, allowing more businesses to take advantage of these technologies, and truly compete with their larger competitors. What was once considered a lark, has now become a plastic and motherboard reality and it will be up to businesses of all sizes to determine the best way to use this technology and if the overall savings will justify the upfront costs and investment.
But, make no mistake, the robots are coming. In fact, they’re already here.
If you’re new to ShipHero Fulfillment, please schedule a meeting today with our experts to learn more about how we can help you get your orders picked, packed, and delivered with our fulfillment service. No setup fees, simply pay as you go. ShipHero works to ensure that organizations invest in the solutions that match their needs, to improve productivity, revenue, and success.
Click HERE to Schedule a Meeting Today
Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., COO
ShipHero
About the author: Maggie M. Barnett, Esq., is the COO of ShipHero. She is responsible for planning and executing the overall operational, legal, managerial and administrative procedures, reporting structures and operational controls of the organization. Barnett’s greatest strengths are leadership, risk mitigation, change management and a passion for business transformation. She is known for her expertise in delivering operational excellence and an ability to provide guidance and mitigating risk. Her leadership of ShipHero is grounded in a servant mentality, always doing the right thing for our stakeholders. Her passion for ShipHero comes from the ability to drive operational excellence throughout the organization impacting the lives of our employees, customers, and partners.
Follow Maggie on Twitter & LinkedIn.
Oct 22, 2021 | newsroom
NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — ShipHero, the leading shipping and logistics platform for over 5,000 e-commerce brands and 3PLs, today announces it has acquired Cargo Cove Fulfillment, a full service logistics company based in Jacksonville, Florida.
One of the few full service logistics providers in Florida, Cargo Cove Fulfillment offers fulfillment and shipping services to over 50 partnering e-commerce brands, which will now be fully integrated into ShipHero’s fulfillment offering. Cargo Cove’s philosophy of making shipping and logistics easy and affordable mirrors ShipHero’s customer-centric mission, making it a seamless partnership for both parties.
Read more at PR Newswire
