Happy Valentine’s Day! For a growing business, there is no romance in an ineffective supply chain, and maintaining fruitful relationships with multiple suppliers, warehouses, and other partners can be a daunting task. Growing your business means consistently increasing your customer base, expanding into new markets, and introducing new products to your inventory. It’s easy to let your supply chain fall through the cracks as your existing strategy becomes outdated. Outgrowing your supply chain management is a common problem that can be mitigated by developing a new relationship with a full-service transportation partner.

Here are four signs you’ve outgrown your internal logistics:

1. Your overhead costs are over your head
When your budget isn’t growing as fast as your business, your supply chain may be the root cause. Outsourcing your logistics can be a good solution when these expenses are becoming too much for the company to handle. Why? Scalability. Third party logistics (3PL) providers have the established experience and resources to quickly scale transportation resources and networks as needed, and proactively assess variable costs and service levels to manage a lean supply chain and meet customer demands. Using a 3PL provider eliminates the need to invest in warehouse space, technology, transportation, and staff to execute the logistics process. 3PL providers can save you from costly mistakes, and use relationships to maximize your transportation budget.

2. You’re late for the first date
When it comes to supply chain, punctuality is key. If your business is struggling to meet customer timelines, it’s a sign that warehousing capacity, transportation efficiency, and internal staffing are unable to keep up with demand. With a 3PL provider like Radius Logistics, you can hand over this responsibility to a dedicated customer service representative who actively manages your business timelines and tracks your shipments from point A to point B. These providers have access to the latest in logistics technologies to track complicated shipments, and maintain the resources to find creative solutions and ensure products are delivered on time.

3. You’re hot then you’re cold
Are your products arriving in poor condition? Do you sometimes find yourself with a surplus of raw materials, or none at all? Inconsistency can be highly damaging to your reputation with customers, and result in missed deadlines and lost profit. 3PL providers have established relationships with reputable warehousing and freight partners, along with established systems, like the Radius courier, taking on the responsibility of ensuring that your supply chain strategy is efficient and consistently of the highest quality.

4. You don’t want to be tied down
With limited resources and limited time, you may not have the ability to harvest opportunities that may come knocking. With new prospects come new warehousing and distribution challenges that require a quickly adaptable supply chain strategy. A trusted logistics source can evaluate opportunities to reduce expenses, create efficiencies, and mold your supply chain to take on special projects that may help propel your business to the next level.

Is it time to break up with your current supply chain strategy?

Radius Logistics is a full service transportation partner focused on customer service. Once you have the courage to tell your supply chain “it’s not me, it’s you”, contact us – we’d love to provide your company with shipping and logistics solutions.