Outsourcing International Supply Chain Management

Several of our ICS Global Services clients requested Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) solutions to manage the complexities of their company’s logistical operations. To support our valued partnership with these clients we established a sister company, ICS Logistics Limited. 

Outsourcing your international supply chain management by contracting with ICS Logistics Limited will not only save money and provide a higher level of service, but it also frees up your internal resources to focus on the company’s core business.  

Being a Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) provider, we have a broad role within our customers’ international supply chains. We assume many of the same roles as third-party logistics (3PL) providers, but we have a much broader responsibility and accountability in helping our customers reach their strategic goals.

If your company is dealing with an increasingly complex supply chain and struggling to meet customer expectations, then we may be the best solution for you. We have a passion for helping businesses with limited resources to manage their import and export activities. Functioning as a 4PL, we become a true partner with our customers, working to create lean, cost-effective international supply chains.

We are a non-asset based business with no contractual obligations to any freight forwarding companies. It is our company policy not to receive any margin or revenue from our clients’ international transportation spend. This enables us to remain neutral within the shipping market and to obtain the best cost-effective solution for our clients. 

The primary advantage of our 4PL services is that we are a strategic partner focused on providing the highest level of services for the best value, as opposed to Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PL) who may be more transaction focused. As a 4PL we provide a single point of contact for your international supply chain. With a 3PL, there may be some aspects that you still have to manage. We take over those processes for you, acting as the intermediary for 3PLs, carriers, warehouse vendors, cargo consolidation, clearance agents and other participants in your international supply chains.

Businesses have looked to 3PLs to fill essential roles within the international supply chain and this works well for many businesses. However, the relationship between the client and the 3PL is not always successful. There are many reasons that the 3PL relationship does not always work. This is normally because the client does not have the internal resources or expertise to manage their international supply chain processes, which would enable effective 3PL services solutions. In addition, many 3PLs are task or functional operations without trade process facilitators or international commerce specialists. 3PLs are essentially not international supply chain service companies, their primary focus is freight or warehousing.   

We take the 3PL service solution one step further to optimise efficiency, reduce international supply chain costs and improve service performance. As a 4PL, we fill the service vacuum created by 3PLs by understanding that international supply chain management is a key business process and needs to be managed efficiently. We manage the end-to-end international supply chain process to meet the client’s needs, regardless of what carriers, freight forwarders or warehouses are used. As a 4PL we even manage the 3PLs selected by our clients and achieve optimise efficiencies by developing agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the 3PLs. 

We provide our clients with outsourced resources and expertise to manage their international supply chain processes and create a seamless comprehensive fulfilment experience. We provide our clients with valuable insights into where processes and transit times can be improved, whilst identifying cost reductions. We are more than just service providers, our integration in your business allows us to better understand our client’s long-term vision and goals.

 

As a 4PL, we support your business by offering a full range of logistics support as well as customised end-to-end import / export solutions: 

By outsourcing the international supply chain activities to our company with its in-depth expertise and experience, this allows our clients to focus on other critical operations within their business. 

We have the resources to reduce back office activities, therefore releasing staff and increasing resources to focus on other business matters which in turn increases productivity. We can also manage the international logistics contracts and KPIs on behalf of our clients.

Working with clients in proactive partnership, we highlight waste within the business as well as an explanation of where and why it occurs.

We act as the single contact point between our clients and their contracted 3PLs functional operations. As a Fourth Party Logistics Provider (4PL) we oversee and manage the complexities of a company’s logistical operations.

When growth is a company’s goal, we can make that aspiration a reality without disruption to daily operations. We have access and relationships within the supply chain industry to easily assist business’ during times of growth and expansion.

As international supply chain architects, we design and develop processes to support a growing company’s logistical needs and provide the seamless execution of the flow of goods. 

Synergies emerge because we are committed to achieving the same goal as our client. We keep our client’s interests at the forefront of our focus since the relationship between a 4PL provider and an international business is a valued partnership. 

ICS Logistics Limited

www.icslogistics.co.uk