Logistics Services

Distribution services are typically used by companies to move their products from the manufacturer to the customer in a timely and efficient manner. UPS’s comprehensive distribution services manage the flow of goods, from receiving to storage, order processing to shipping, and are supported by a global network of dedicated and multi-client (shared) distribution centers and field stocking locations (FSLs).

Warehousing generally involves the storage of goods and materials. Distribution includes storage, the management of inventory, order fulfillment and any value-add services necessary to prepare products and orders for end customers.

Logistics outsourcing is the process of contracting with a third-party logistics provider to manage a company’s supply chain. Businesses often choose to outsource warehousing and order fulfillment of finished goods and service parts to accelerate growth, improve operational efficiencies and increase customer satisfaction, while minimizing capital investment and positioning products closer to their customers.

Multi-channel fulfillment is the process of fulfilling orders from multiple sales channels, such as online stores, brick-and-mortar stores, and wholesale. This type of fulfillment requires unique storage needs and advanced order fulfillment capabilities.

E-commerce fulfillment is the process in which online orders are picked from inventory, packed, and shipped to the consumer. This can also include returns processing and disposition of returned merchandise for restock refurbish/repair, liquidation, or disposal.

Service parts logistics is very similar to distribution. The main difference is it involves the warehousing and distribution of service parts instead of finished goods units. These service parts are used to support service events. For example, a piece of equipment has suddenly broke, or a system is down and urgently needs to be repaired by a service technician. Often times, this equipment is critical to the operations of a business. This requires faster delivery times of the parts needed for repairs.

Due to the often more critical nature of service parts repairs, more local parts inventory locations are needed to ensure parts can be shipped quickly to sites. Service parts logistics (SPL) providers can store parts in locations for many different customers and therefore have a more efficient cost structure, decreasing the overall cost of service parts logistics for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). SPL providers also excel at on-time parts delivery, inventory accuracy, and help make service technicians more efficient.