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The 2023 Inbound Logistics Planner is here, and you can read all about Taylor! From our outstanding team to what sets us apart and how Taylor technology improves customers’ supply chains. Here’s our entry:

As the longest-standing 3PL, we know that offering one supply chain service decreases overall efficiency and sustainability; that’s why we’ve altered our business to be a full-service omnichannel 3PL for our customers.

What Does Taylor Do Differently?

We provide SQF food-grade public warehousing, contract dedicated warehousing, B2B & B2C fulfillment services, freight brokerage, asset local Cincinnati fleet, dedicated fleet services, D2C e-commerce, packaging, drayage/ port management services, kitting, and subscription services.

We support large and mid-sized companies in the food, beverage, flavoring, ingredient, pet food, CPG, retail, PPE, packaging, and automotive spaces.

Creating Long-Lasting Relationships with Our Customers

As a privately held family business with over 170 years of experience, we are an agile company that scales and grows with our customers. We are small enough to care and have excellent customer service with dedicated teams to some of our clients, yet large enough to have the technology and infrastructure needed to scale. Our goal is always to exceed customers’ expectations and build long-term relationships.

Technology-Driven Operations

A part of our competitive advantage is that we continuously invest in technology to offer our customers the latest and greatest for complete customization, visibility, tracking, and reporting. Technology creates a stronger bond between our team and our customers, mainly due to improved communication, information sharing, and meaningful collaboration that produces better results. From finding the best shipping rates to inventory optimization and forecasting, our systems are paramount in customers’ cost-saving strategies.

Emphasis on Food Safety

While we partner with several industries, we pride ourselves on an extensive food-safety program that is rooted in principles verified by the Safe Quality Foods Institute (SQF). All of our public warehouses are food-grade, and we offer SQF to be established at our contractual locations as well.

It’s Because of Our Team

We make supply chains stronger. This industry requires hard work and dedication; our team always makes the impossible possible for our customers. Through a collaborative and safe culture, we are always one team, one mission.

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Each year, Robert Handfield, Ph.D. of North Carolina State University, predicts what’s in store for global commerce and supply chains for the next 365 days. While these predictions are perhaps not completely original, his takeaways and supporting evidence are worth considering. Please see the full article from NCSU here.

Inflation will persist.  Jason Miller from Michigan State is an expert at navigating the many different publicly available government database, and interpreting the tea leaves.  He writes a weekly blog on Linked In which I follow religiously.  He is the most accurate forecaster I know, because unlike many speculators and economists, his observations are based on actual data!    He believes that inflation isn’t going to go down going into 2023 – but will persist.  He writes that“While it is good news that we are starting to see the inflation of goods slow down, I would caution anyone who expects goods to go through a deflationary cycle that the data (to me) isn’t pointing in this direction to a meaningful degree. Data below from three series from the BLS PPI program obtained from FRED (with call codes after the labels), all set such that 100 = January 2019.  Implication:  the best-case scenario I see for the price of finished goods is that their prices stay relatively unchanged from the 3rd quarter of 2022….we are going to see meaningful deflation in finished goods prices as we move into 2023, which will in turn impact PCE price index that the Fed monitors for consumer inflation.”   Unfortunately, this also means that the Fed will likely keep interest rates high through much of 2023 – and will likely increase rates again in February and June.  Inflation is indeed going down slowly– but not as fast as the markets would like.

Inventory will remain bloated for the first half of 2023, – and supplier relationships will be tested.  Here again, my prior blog notes how much inventory we have in supply chains today – and how certain parties are pushing back their excessive demand forecasts, and punishing their suppliers.   For instance, a large apparel brand requested about 20 of their largest textile mills (many in Pakistan, Singapore, China, and other regions) to travel all the way to San Francisco for a “Vendor Summit”.  They then sequestered each individual in a room, and two individuals came in and told them that they needed to reduce their prices by 20%.  Walmart  is moving their vendors from FOB (Free on Board) to domestic buying, and the shift is happening fast.  Walmart will pay more for domestic sources, but will not be burdened with the inventory and purchasing FOB.  They are also canceling orders, decreasing quantities, and deducting off invoices, which they claim as “chargebacks” for “late deliveries”, from shipments which were received as late as last year.  These kinds of behaviors by buyers will come back to bite them in the future…

Despite having more inventory – we won’t stop having shortages. Unfortunately, a lot of the bloated inventory is stuff that consumers don’t want – or can’t afford.  But that doesn’t mean we will stop having shortages of critical materials.  One reason for this is that the COVID crisis in China is escalating to incredible levels, and that is shutting down a lot of manufacturing hubs.  In particular, a lot of maintenance parts for equipment, replacement parts for appliances, automobiles, and larger (>48 nm) chips are still produced in Asia – and we will continue to see shortages of these component parts.  That means that repair may take longer than you think.  Labor and material shortages for factories are going down – but still are at a much higher rate than they were in 2019.

Mexico will become a destination hub for many companies in the US – but within reason. As I noted in a prior blog, and as discussed in the New York Times today – Mexico is a great option – but the capacity isn’t there yet.  More importantly, the supply chain isn’t there yet!  I spoke to a CPO who mentioned that his CEO was a big proponent of bringing all supply to Mexico – but despite this fact, we are still largely dependent on China for raw materials!  As pointed out in the NY Times – even apparel manufacturing in Mexico is largely dependent on fabric produced entirely in China!  As such, it is unlikely we are going to lose our dependence on Chinese products.  Price is still the determining factor here.  Chinese manufacturing is of such scale, that moving it to the US or Mexico is unlikely.

The US Government will play more of a role in promoting domestic supply chains. Not only did the US government, pass the CHIPS Act – but they are actively promoting the domestic production of semiconductors.  As noted in one of my blogs, however, producing a fab plant is a good step – but the supply chain for chips is still largely in Taiwan.  There is massive flux in the chip industry – which seems to be on a different cycle than most demand cycles.  What was once a one year backlog has shrunk and chips are now readily available – to the point where semiconductor companies are cutting back on capital investment!  This will continue to be a real problem – and I believe we will see “capacity as a service” models begin to emerge in the chip sector – where buyers will reserve capacity based on actual forecasts, not guesses or bets on what they think they will need next year.  This will stabilize production – and lead to improved availability and assurance of supply.

Healthcare supply chains will remain strained. Despite having a lot more PPE in warehouses, hospitals are still struggling with a lot of shortages.  Jim Wilson, an expert in medical intelligence, advocates that hospital monitoring programs is a critical area of government investment.  One area is generic drugs – such as amoxycillin.  We wll have shortages of baby formula as well.  For this reason, I believe the government should be creating incentives to increasingly healthcare supply chain.  To address this issue, one recommendation I am advocating would be to create government industrial policies that are targeted at supporting a domestic “stop gap” manufacturing capability. Secondly, partnerships should be developed with distributors to enable visibility into their inventory systems, and ensure they enter contracts which set aside inventory for government allocation under different conditions of duress.  This will require a set of common data standards and a common architecture to create a dashboard and control tower.  In addition, a multi-agency materials inventory portfolio based on in-depth supply market analysis is needed.  At a minimum, this should include specialists in the following categories:  semiconductors, precious metals, electric vehicle batteries, medical supplies (PPE, gowns, gloves), medical devices, pharmaceuticals, plastics and resins, medical equipment, biologics, healthcare personnel, and respiratory products. This will require team of supply market analysts with special knowledge of these categories, that track the condition of critical supply markets for medical supplies, the supply risks within those markets, and acquisition strategies to manage the risks.  Multi-tier supply chain mapping can provide clues as to critical points of risk that can “shut down” the US healthcare sector, based on multiple forms of risk assessment.

Growth in 2023 will be positive – but lean. As noted in a lecture by the Economist which I attended, the greatest risks looming ahead are concentrated in 2023.  Next year will see some positive growth but only 1.7%, reflecting slowing growth in the US in China and recession in Europe.  Global monetary tightening will take some time to kick in – likely in the second half of 2023.  The US will likely see only 0.5% growth in 2023, the EU 0.4%, which in turn will impact other regions of the world.  China will likely see a modest rebound after the 2022 slump, moving to only 5% growth.  However, there are always risks that will move the needle, including the escalation of the Ukraine war, more COVID-19 variants, spikes in energy prices, and sovereign debt pile-ups.

Government regulation of Artificial Intelligence will increase. As I noted in a blog of a recent SAS INNOVATE conference, Henry Kissinger described AI as the new frontier of arms control during a forum at Washington National Cathedral on Nov. 16. If leading powers don’t find ways to limit AI’s reach, he said, “it is simply a mad race for some catastrophe.”  The former secretary of state cautioned that AI systems could transform warfare just as they have chess or other games of strategy — because they are capable of making moves that no human would consider but that have devastatingly effective consequences.  This is true not just in warfare, but also in supply chains.  As we move towards a digital future where we increasingly will be ceding control to machines who call the shots, not humans, what are the risks of doing so?  Increasingly, more and more data is being stuffed into the cloud, which certainly allows us access to more readily access reams of data which can be processed by algorithms for decision-making.  We have to be able to trust these algorithms to make the right decisions.  But driving towards AI standards to increase trustworthiness is easier said than done.  The UK has also begun pursuing this goal, as has the EU, who are likely to explicitly define AI and how to use it.  The government will begin to mandate a more  comprehensive approach, which spans the entire organization.  Three primary elements determine the fiduciary responsibility for trustworthy AI:  Duty of Care, the Business Judgement rule, and Duty of Compliance Oversight.   These pillars are required to understand the historical biases that so often find their way into AI algorithms, which have created historical injustices and inequities, meaning that the government is surely going to step in.

Electric vehicle parts will remain in short supply. In a recent blog, I noted how there is still a massive shortage of the so-called “green metals” required to meet the burgeoning demand for EV’s. Environmentalists and automotive companies have committed to converting all of their vehicles to electric power.  GM has committed to 30 new electric vehicles by 2025.  Ford is committing to an all-electric vehicle platform with zero emissions by 2035.  But nobody is talking about the supply chain for these vehicles, and the capacity required to build them.  Converting an entire supply base of automotive suppliers, who are all focused on building of combustion engine-powered vehicles, and moving them all to electric vehicles, will be a superhuman feat.  What will happen to those manufacturers that can’t or won’t convert?  They go out of business?  And is there enough capacity to produce the new types of vehicles?  And what raw materials are required to convert to EV in the future?  I don’t think executives have really given any meaningful thought to the answers to these questions yet… I predict a rough road ahead for EV’s.  Perhaps I’m a voice in the wilderness – except maybe for Toyota – they have the same doubts as I do.

Demand for supply chain graduates will go through the roof in the next two years. To summarize – global supply chains remain fragile – and we are in a period where things are starting to change.  Supply chains will look very different in two or three years from what they are today. 

Talk With Taylor

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CINCINNATI, Ohio. – MAY, 24th 2022—Taylor Logistics, a third-party logistics solutions provider, announced that it has partnered with project44 the world’s leading Advanced Visibility Platform™ for shippers and logistics service providers. 

Leveraging the power of the project44 cloud-based platform allows Taylor to increase operational efficiencies, reduce costs, improve shipping performance, and deliver an exceptional customer experience. Connected to thousands of carriers worldwide and having comprehensive coverage for all ELD and telematics devices, project44 supports all transportation modes and shipping types. 

“We are excited about our partnership with project44. This allows our customers complete visibility throughout the supply chain that we were missing on the front end,” said Vince Bonhaus, Vice President of Logistics, Taylor Logistics Inc. “project44 was the obvious choice for our growing business.” 

project44 is a Leader among Real-Time Transportation Visibility Providers, according to the Gartner Magic Quadrant. To learn more, visit www.project44.com

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Customer Experience, Drayage, Fleet, Freight, Freight Technology, Leadership, Operations, Processes, Safety, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Taylor Information, Team Taylor, Technology, Third Party Logistics

Happy #EarthDay! As temporary custodians of our planet, we must ensure that future generations will enjoy our earth’s benefits. We believe in positively impacting the environment by implementing new technologies and reducing our emissions. Learn more about Taylor sustainability here: https://taylorlogistics.com/sustainability/

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B2B Fulfillment, B2C Fulfillment, Cold Supply Chain, Internet of Things, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Team Taylor, Technology, Warehousing, WMS
Contract Warehousing

First things first, what exactly is contract warehousing? Let’s break it down:

A contract warehouse manages the shipping, receiving, and storage of goods on a contract basis. This warehouse type usually requires a brand to commit to services for a particular period (typically years rather than months). The fee structure also varies based on transactions; it may be a fixed cost, cost-plus, or a combination of both. Contract warehouses can also perform many other services, such as eCommerce, handling, packing, labeling, packaging, fulfillment, and similar activities.

There are a couple of different warehousing options available to brands of all sizes. Some will choose to develop and maintain their own spaces, while others opt for leased space.

A popular option is a contract warehouse space. Here are some benefits:

More economical


Eliminates risk


Scalability


Reliable

Lower Capital Investment


Establishing a new warehouse operation can be time-consuming, and sometimes it’s best to focus your efforts on what will lead to business growth, leaving the logistics to a partner (Like #TeamTaylor). Contract warehousing requires less financial investment upfront and less commitment overall. In addition, suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers can benefit from facilities already set up for their specific needs, such as temperature-controlled storage or approved food-grade facilities, and respond to growth quickly and efficiently.

Eliminates Risk


With less of a commitment needed overall, contract warehousing allows any sized business to avoid taking on risks associated with the long-term investment of developing a more extensive warehouse operation.

Scalability


Contract warehousing allows you to use only what you need. This flexibility is vital if your needs change over time, like seasonal changes or new product launches. It also allows smaller businesses to benefit from equipment or procedures that would be too costly to implement independently.

Better Efficiencies of Operations


Contract warehousing can lower your operating and distribution costs immensely. But, of course, warehousing is only one part of your entire business operation. Still, for contractors, that is all they do so they can streamline their processes, lower operational costs and pass on the savings to you.

Work with a team like Taylor!


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Customer Experience, Freight Technology, Intermodal Transportation, Internet of Things, Leadership, Operations, People, Processes, Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Taylor Information, Team Taylor, Teamwork, Technology, Third Party Logistics

Most people understand that it takes transportation and logistics to get the stuff we all want and rely upon to our homes and offices, but it could be argued that what our industry does is often taken for granted. The well-publicized challenges sourcing, importing and distributing PPE, vaccines, and other critical supplies over the past year and a half have shined a light, once again, on how crucial our industry is to all of us. It is estimated that the transportation and warehousing segment in the U.S. alone accounts for over 5.5 million jobs and that logistics activities account for nearly 8% of everything we make and sell. The third-party logistics segment alone represents a $233 billion industry. We’re important.

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Amazon, Amazon Fulfillment, Customer Experience, eCommerce, eCommerce Fulfillment, Food & Beverage, Sustainability, Technology, Third Party Logistics

It’s no secret that COVID-19 has radically shifted consumer shopping habits to online marketplaces we’ve been purchasing everything from dog food to potting soil to TikTok Amazon trends and outdoor heaters. Retailers have altered inventory as a response to these shifts, and they’ve taken note COVID-19 buying patterns are here to stay. Here are the three industry trends impacting this shift.

Sustainable / Eco Purchasing Habits


Over two-thirds (65%) of consumers want to impact the environment through their everyday actions positively. This is a key reason why brands are shifting their products from plastic to eco. As temporary custodians of this planet, we understand that we have a job to make it as clean as possible for generations to come. We’ve said absolutely not to all bubble wrap in every part of our business; that word isn’t even in our vocabulary. We’ve got a couple of brands we partner with to look into bubble wrap alternatives that are sustainable. Not only is it great for our planet, but it’s also fantastic for your brand, and it’s what your customer wants! The growing awareness of our collective impact on the environment has elicited increasing demand for companies to demonstrate their sustainability commitment beyond just the end product to responsible sourcing and operating standards. 

The Need for Efficiency


The hurdle we see is maintaining information accuracy in every stage of the supply chain, which can be difficult when dealing with information overload. Another risk attached to information overload is inventory overload. Research suggests that inventories are essential when creating the optimal pricing strategy for food and beverage products. At a point in your company’s lifecycle, it comes time to partner with a 3PL to optimize your business efficiencies. Focus on your core business, expanding your brand, getting into Erewhon, new products, etc. We will fulfill orders, store your product, and get it to your customers. Scaling as you scale with multiple services under one roof, like customized packaging to an eCommerce task force that can de-bug any inventory or eCart issue

eCommerce-Fulfillment-Cincinnati

Regulatory Requirements


The food supply chain requires all players to adhere to strict operational practices to ensure food safety and quality from the fulfillment center to the wheels that bring it to the consumer. Food safety is our middle name, Taylor food safety Logistics. Jokes aside, food safety is essential to us and has been our business’s foundation for the last 171 years. Each year all of our food handling fulfillment centers undergo a Safe Quality Foods audit to obtain the highest level of food safety by the Safe Quality Foods Institute and are all FDA certified. 


Our team will work with you to build scalable fulfillment, eCommerce, packaging, kitting, transportation, and shipping solutions for your food and beverage brand.

We have an entire team ready to assist. Fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch asap. If you’d rather email us that works too! info@taylorlog.com

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Supply Chain, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Third Party Logistics
Taylor Logistics Inc. Blog

As the drive towards sustainability in logistics continues, those involved in manufacturing and shipping, particularly shippers, must understand why this trend is taking place, its potential costs, obstacles, and benefits, and what it means for the future of production and logistics.

Use Recycled Products


Depending on your package volume per month, you could be unintentionally contributing to the global crisis. So, how can your business help to break this vicious cycle? If you are using boxes – target environmentally friendly suppliers. There are a variety of certifications for the eco-friendly packaging. It will usually indicate the recycled content and ensure that no chemicals, which might be harmful to the environment, have been used. 

Coca-Cola makes the switch from plastic packaging to a biodegradable cardboard.

Consider Alternative Transportation Modes


Intermodal drayage is what dramatically reduces carbon emissions because of the lower dependence on fuel. In fact, by utilizing rail transport to move one ton of freight a mile, you drop emissions by a whopping 83%. Not every load is suitable for rail, but for certain loads, it will be beneficial not only from the eco-friendly shipper perspective.

“If just 10 percent of the freight that moves by truck moved by rail instead, fuel savings would exceed 800 million gallons per year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 9 million tons — equivalent to taking around 1.8 million cars off the road or planting 215 million trees.” – Association of American Railroads

Use Space Efficiently 


Efficiency is key. Make sure to pack the product as efficiently as possible. This will save the materials and clear up more room on the truck or any other mode of transportation, allowing you to ship more products at once. If possible, combining as much product as possible into one load is worth considering from both eco-friendly and cost-efficient perspectives.

Green Logistics Cincinnati  Taylor Logistics Brokerage and Storage

Conclusion


While these are just a few tips regarding taking your logistics green, there are plenty of other options for you to consider when partnering with a 3PL provider. By utilizing the latest technology and most efficient logistics practices, 3pl providers can devise the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly logistics solution for your business.

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Freight, Freight Brokerage, Operations, Processes, Sustainability, Third Party Logistics
Taylor Logistics Inc. Blog

It’s important for our business to invest renewable energy technologies and sustainability in all aspects of our logistics business. Importantly, when using road transport, we plan each journey to establish the most efficient route so that we can reduce the number of miles traveled and avoid empty trucks on the road. Taylor has implemented a Green Logistics program for several years; by doing so, our team reduces fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions by:

Optimizing Routes


Until electric and other more sustainable vehicle options, route optimization is one of the best ways to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and distribution. Artificial intelligence can work with GPS devices to optimize local, national, and global shipping routes. Advanced analytics update routes in real-time, to take account of congestion and other issues.

Simplifying Supply Chain Processes


Supply chains can be improved through significant changes, but it’s more common to see results through small, iterative improvements. Useful analytics and reporting combine with machine learning to continually improve processes throughout the supply chain. Every change that reduces waste speeds up delivery or enhances quality makes an incremental improvement to sustainability.

Monitoring Existing Environmental Risks


Climate change and other environmental factors already impact many supply chains. Issues such as wildfires in California, rising sea levels, water scarcity, and lower agricultural yields have a profound impact on the efficiency, quality, and speed of the supply chain. Supply chain technology helps to predict these risks and allows supply chain managers to mitigate their impact and put contingency plans in place.

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