The rate at which technology has developed over the last ten, thirty, fifty years has been nothing short of astounding. Much has happened since the days when a 9-inch color television was enough to invite over the whole neighborhood. The days when phonelines were our only means of home or business connectivity. The days when even the most basic personal computer was a behemoth, requiring two or three grown men to offload it from a truck into a home or office.

These days, technology has come so far along that the computers may soon be the ones unloading the trucks. And in fact, the industry has already witnessed road tests of self-driving cargo trucks hauling freight across the country. And while this sort of wide-eyed futuristic technology often seem to be perpetually relegated to a testing phase, we are absolutely seeing Jetsons-esque technology begin to slip into reality. And more importantly, we're seeing subtle, effective technologies that not even works of fiction could have predicted.

^{Computer from the 1950’s, Bendix G-15}                               

When opportunity blooms, a shipper can go down one of several roads in choosing how to approach supply chain management. Some may choose to start from a lowly square one, tallying up the many costs, capital requirements, and risks ahead of their undertaking, and laboriously stacking all of those burdens on top of their initial business operation. But what if that shipper could hit the ground running? With a tried and true expert ally prepared to take on all of those secondary yet crucial aspects of the shipper’s operation, how much more quickly and effectively could that shipper penetrate the market? Outsourcing the order fulfillment process to a third party logistics provider, or 3PL, has some critical advantages. Here are some ways in which these efficiencies come to light.

When opportunity blooms, a shipper can go down one of several roads in choosing how to approach supply chain management. Some may choose to start from a lowly square one, tallying up the many costs, capital requirements, and risks ahead of their undertaking, and laboriously stacking all of those burdens on top of their initial business operation. But what if that shipper could hit the ground running? With a tried and true expert ally prepared to take on all of those secondary yet crucial aspects of the shipper’s operation, how much more quickly and effectively could that shipper penetrate the market? Outsourcing the order fulfillment process to a third party logistics provider, or 3PL, has some critical advantages. Here are some ways in which these efficiencies come to light.

1.) Become Acquainted with Teammates - In the traditional business world of departments and cubicles, it's sometimes too easy for a new staff member to slip in silently and become frustrated with a lack of helping hands to help them get started. Taking the time as a manager or co-worker to reach out and converse with the "new kid" can help to create a welcoming office culture as well as encourage a communicative working operation. Of course, this is not only limited to new members of a team. Long-standing employees can become enigmatic as well, and it’s always thoughtful to provide opportunities for these individuals to speak their minds.

1. Establishes Safety Standards for Produce – If you're involved in the growth, harvest, packing, or storage of produce, you will be looking at regulation on everything from water quality to fertilizer to equipment to farm animals and beyond. The hygiene and health of employees is also taken into consideration to minimize the risk of food-borne illness and ensure cleanly handled produce.
   

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2. Redefines Meaning of “Farm” – The FSMA aims to broaden the concept of a “farm” to include food organizations that may not traditionally be thought of under that term. The purpose of this being to cover all bases and mitigate hazards that may have previously flown under the radar. No loophole exemptions.
   

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3. Verifies Foreign Food Suppliers – In the interest of eliminating redundant procedures, it is imperative that foreign manufacturers are operated at the same level of quality as they would have been domestically. The stateside importer is obligated to hold their foreign manufacturer to the very same stringent standards. This allows the whole process to flow with heightened efficiency and accountability.
   

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4. Defends Food from Insidious Alterations – This is an unprecedented new regulation intended to prevent the unlikely instance of intentional contamination, vandalism, or other foul play. These rules ask food facilities to examine their vulnerabilities and respond accordingly with recommended solutions suited to the particular environment in question. Creating, training, and enforcing a plan is important, no matter how rare the scenario.
   

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5. Establishes Sanitary Standards of Transportation – One would be wise to handle the transportation of food-grade product with the utmost foresight and sensitivity. Between manufacturers and shippers and road carriers and rail carriers and receivers… with all sorts of unsavory potential for breakdowns and damage along the way… establishing a stringent plan of action for these scenarios is paramount. The FSMA aims to keep the entire supply chain on the same page, informing each and every party as to where responsibility begins and ends. These responsibilities include (but are not limited to) proper cleaning and inspection of equipment, maintaining temperature control, logging potential contaminations, and recording simple maintenance data at each interval.
   

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Back in 2008, Walmart stores became the first nationwide grocery chain in the United States to require suppliers and distributors of food products to have their facilities certified for the internationally recognized Global Food Safety Initiative standards. With aim to instill consumer confidence in the food products customers place in their carts, the GFSI now lists Walmart among the most prestigious of companies who have agreed to improve food safety through the higher and consistent auditing standard known as SQF, or Safe Quality Food.

Culture does not merely refer the mood of your office. It is an underlying force that may very well guides the long-term success of your business. Strong company culture engenders confidence in those seeking out your business, and here are a few simple steps necessary in achieving this:

1.) Observe Culture - It takes a certain chemistry to form a stable 3PL compound. This precise chemistry is really the first place your mind should go in selecting a logistics partner. Strategic outsourcing is a long-term commitment. There needs to be something of a similarity between your value systems. You cannot truly predict how well a relationship like this may work out the line, but you can give a pending 3PL the time of day to really take in their atmosphere and ask your gut how comfortable of a fit this is going to be. It’s great when the figures work out well on paper, but if you just aren’t getting a good vibes, then who knows how those figures may unravel over time. Understanding on a cultural level is indicative of understanding on a business level.

When you want something done right, what do you do? That’s right, hire an expert! Okay, okay… I know what you’re thinking. “Why not do it myself?” Well sure, that is one option. However, in the world of supply chain, there exist innumerable scenarios in which you're going to wish you had an expert in your corner, especially if you are still a growing business. Unforeseen variables tend to inevitably fly in left and right, and can really impede your end of the business. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to focus on your own core competencies and allow somebody else to streamline such laborious processes along the way?