BCR, a leading independent contract logistics and international freight forwarding company in Australia, is proud to announce the opening of a second Sydney 3PL warehouse facility located in Matraville. The Matraville location is a strategic site selection based on the close proximity to both Port Botany and the Sydney International Airport. The further expansion in Sydney is based on increasing customer demand and follows the opening of a Melbourne 3PL warehouse facility earlier this year. With this new Sydney 3PL location, BCR now offers importers, exporters and manufactures eight warehouse locations around Australia.

Read on to learn more about the new Sydney 3PL warehouse facility in Matraville.

Australian businesses are expanding to sell their products beyond our borders and distribute their products to markets all over the world. Sometimes a company will import products from where they manufacture, such as China, and then export them from Australia to customers in the United States (US) or other markets. Alternatively, many businesses will transport their products direct from the country of manufacture to the country where the customer is without bringing the product into Australia. Many international freight forwarders and 3PL providers have established relationships with global partners to facilitate seamless cross trade services.

As a leading 3PL freight forwarder, BCR is often approached by businesses that require air freight quotes for cross trade services. Also known as a triangular shipment, cross trade services enable customers to have cargo moved between an origin and destination without it entering the country where the company is registered.

Read on to learn 3 common mistakes found with an air freight quote for cross trade services that your business can benefit from.

Over the last few years, the role of efficient warehousing and distribution for an entire supply chain has evolved into a highly demanding one. Smart business owners have realised and understand this important transformation is driven by the objectives of superior customer satisfaction at the lowest possible cost. In today’s economic climate, the warehousing and distribution network is expected to process orders fast, deliver products on-time, perform a plethora of value-added services and keep the costs low.

This has put a tremendous pressure on developing the warehousing and distribution into an expert function that delivers best practice in supply chain management. Leading 3PL providers are likely to have a proven track record of continuously improving their warehousing and distribution services and will also provide benefits such as flexibility in warehouse space, inventory optimisation and customised solutions to assist your business.

Read on to learn 5 ways a 3PL can support your warehousing and distribution needs.

Seasonality of demand is a global trade phenomenon and businesses are constantly challenged to try and forecast it. Smart businesses thoroughly research the industry they serve and their historical annual cycle data to understand the timings of peaks and troughs and incorporate them in their business plans. During a peak period, a business is best positioned if they have additional capacity to handle increased volumes while reduced capacity is required when facing troughs.

This level of flexibility in your supply chain can be achieved easily with a 3PL Sydney provider. A 3PL in Sydney understands the challenges with seasonality and can increase or decrease your stock capacity on demand. Their own internal planning takes into account the seasonality-mix of their multiple customers which enables them to optimise capacities, resulting in business continuity at lower costs for you. Even for an unplanned peak or trough, they build enough resilience in their own capacities to absorb any sudden changes. 

Read on to learn 4 ideas on how a 3PL in Sydney can assist with peaks and troughs in your business.

Smart businesses stay ahead of their competition in many ways and one of them is to work with international freight companies to manage their 3PL and freight forwarding needs. International freight companies focus on assisting you to plan and execute global expansion seamlessly with little operational involvement on your side.

Outsourcing your freight operation to professional international freight companies with years of experience and management skills give you a competitive edge over your competitors in Australia

Read on to learn how international freight companies can assist your business to be more strategic and successful.

Smart businesses know the very purpose of engaging a logistics company is to leverage their expertise so that they can assist in optimising your supply chain. They engage logistics companies to utilise their industry capabilities and expert resources available to provide customised 3PL services aligned with your businesses needs.

Logistics companies are expert supply chain operators and solely focus on assisting their customers by using efficiency techniques, the latest technology, operational flexibility and continuously innovate to be able to provide cost effective services.

Read on to learn 5 reasons to engage expert logistics companies to optimise your supply chain. 

Air freight has become an increasingly common transport mode for Australian business to get their goods to domestic and international destinations fast. As customer focused business, you ideally want this aspect of your supply chain to be seamless, ensuring your air freight forwarder can deliver your goods fast.

An expert in air freight Australia services will be knowledgeable on the air freight schedules to locations around the world including the international airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and have the capability to complete your service quickly. They are also likely to have a global network and relationships with reputable airlines and 3PL service providers to deliver you a competitive service. BCR is an International Air Transport Association (IATA) accredited freight forwarder that has been satisfying customers in Australia with expert air freight forwarding services since 1994.

Read on to learn our most commonly asked questions and answers so that you can be informed on what you need to know to source an air freight quote and get your shipments moving fast.

Smart businesses know one way to gain market share is to develop a larger variety of products and offer more choice to your customers. Although these measures are known to increase customer sales, businesses tend to experience issues with SKU proliferation. Poorly managed SKU proliferation directly impacts your supply chain operations and can complicate your forecasting.

Ideally your business deploys modern warehouse technology to assist in managing SKU proliferation, uses appropriate storage and shelving methods, and classifies and segments products and customers by demand to manage this aspect of your supply chain efficiently. Alternatively, you can engage expert 3PL providers in Melbourne or other cities in Australia to manage the complexity of SKU proliferation as supply chain professionals with this capability.

Read on to know how your SKU proliferation can be handled effectively with a 3PL in Melbourne.

More successful businesses in Australia are importing and exporting from overseas, which has increased the need for transportation services that reach multiple customers in quick timeframes.

While sea freight services are the most economical and sustainable option, sea freight services take time. Air freight services are the fastest method of transporting goods with services being delivered between 1-5 days.

If you are investing in the more expensive option of air freight, a fast transit time must be a priority. To ensure you’re able to gain a competitive air freight quote from a freight forwarder in the timeliest manner, it is important to be prepared.

Read on to learn 3 steps to get a quick, competitive air freight quote.

As a logistics or supply chain manager, continuous improvement is a key benefit logistics companies tend to focus on to help you grow your business.

Expert logistics companies know that in order to grow your business you ideally want the ability to service customer demand from many locations across Australia. To do this efficiently, you could have stock warehoused at central points in each state to minimise the delivery time to your customers and keep your domestic freight forwarding costs down.

Additionally, you want to ensure your supply chain is being managed by an innovative Warehouse Management System (WMS) at all locations, with access for you to monitor your inventory and delivery schedules as orders are shipped to customers.

Read on to learn 3 continuous improvement benefits logistic companies can offer your supply chain.