Every package larger than an envelope that has ever been shipped has included a bill of lading, however, if shipping freight isn’t a part of your daily life then you are perhaps unfamiliar with a bill of lading, what it does and why they are so important. A bill of … Read More
E-Commerce and On-Demand Warehousing
E-commerce and online marketplaces have entirely upended the way people shop and receive the goods they purchase. In terms of customer expectations, e-commerce creates significant challenges when compared to a brick and mortar retail location. Prior to the days of e-commerce, a retail distribution network could get by on a … Read More
What is On-Demand Warehousing?
On-demand warehousing, as provided by Flowspace, is an online marketplace that allows customers to access shared warehousing, fulfillment, and logistics services on a pay-per-use basis. By matching owners of excess warehouse space with users (generally e-commerce companies, retailers, or shippers), Flowspace boosts the utilization of its warehouse partners’ facilities while allowing end-users … Read More
The Problem Operations Managers Don’t Talk About
The metric most important to Operations Managers is per unit cost. This is the cost for the company to pick and pack one unit destined to an end customer. For instance, when you order a t-shirt from a website, this cost represents the amount the company pays to grab it … Read More
How a Paper Company Turned Empty Space into $8K Per Month
A leading paper company based in Long Beach, CA manufactures corrugate boxes for ecommerce brands. They are growing quickly and decided to move into a bigger warehouse to support their future growth. They signed a multi-year lease on a 20,000 sq ft warehouse just minutes from the port of Long … Read More
Shipping Costs are a Warehousing Problem
I read a great article on the cost of free shipping and how it is destroying margins for retailers and ecommerce companies. Shipping costs are often blamed for the poor margins at ecommerce companies, but what these articles miss is that high shipping costs are a result of an insufficient … Read More
What is a 3PL?
A 3PL, also known as a third party logistics provider, is a company that will manage your transportation spend, provide warehouse space, and fulfill customer orders on your behalf. This is a broad category, but to keep things simple we will focus on the warehousing and fulfillment component of a … Read More
5 Surprises When Starting Your Own Warehouse
You’ve signed the lease, but your work has just begun. Here is a list of some of the surprising (and critical) things you need to think about when launching a new warehouse: Hiring a team. Will you need a dedicated Operations Manager or will you oversee the fulfillment yourself? This … Read More
The Flexible Warehouse
Operations people love to plan things. We are the people with checklists; the ones who ask the salespeople, “Well, how are we going to do this?” In short, we don’t like surprises. But unfortunately, in a start-up environment or any company going through rapid change, there will be surprises and … Read More
Flowspace Customer Testimonial: Story of a small business owner
We started Flowspace to help businesses find warehouse space when they need they need it most by offering clear, month to month pricing and an easy to use warehouse management system. We love hearing from customers that we’ve helped out of difficult situations. Here is one customer’s story. From a … Read More