how automated loading helps direct to customer (D2C) delivery

More Control Over Profit Margins

D2C does away with several costs, including warehousing costs and the need to ship products to different retailers. Most importantly, D2C businesses don’t have to pay large commissions to retailers, so they can enjoy substantially higher profit margins. Since they’re the only one who produce, market and distribute the product, the business can achieve maximum profit. Of course, they still have to be careful with their cash flow, but ultimately, D2C offers great profit potential.

More Control Over Brand Image and Customer Experience

D2C gives businesses more control over their brand image and of the customer experience. When selling through a third-party retailer, the business might have little say how the retailer presents their brand or products.

D2C is a win for all parties. Retailers mark up the prices so that they get some of the sale and the brand does; however, if a business sells a product directly to consumers on its website, they can mark the product up higher but keep the price lower for the customer.

More Control Over Your Packaging

Traditional brands are forced to make packaging decisions that align with their retailer’s demands. When they deliver directly to their customer, they have more control. This is especially the case when they don’t use a 3PL for fulfilment.

It’s important in a world where not only customers want sustainable packaging, but also governments, who are pushing for plastic-free packaging and sustainable supply chains. Being in control of your packaging allows you to present as an eco-conscious business.

As with any business process, D2C fulfilment consists of several elements that help it to function successfully. Here they are:

Order processing

Orders will come from mobile apps, websites or customer centres. The company must then validate the payment.

Inventory management

It’s essential for businesses to monitor their stock levels closely so that the business can fulfil customers’ orders in a timely fashion. Thankfully for them, they don’t have to monitor this manually and receive support from inventory management software. This software helps them track inventory and manage it effectively.

Warehouse

A well-organised warehousing system is indispensable for fulfilment. Businesses must be able to pick orders, pack them and ship them easily.

In the busy world of logistics, operating a shuttle run to move goods safely and efficiently is a critical component of logistics operations for businesses.

In this article we explore the pros and cons of operating with a shuttle run, how an automated trailer loading system (ATLS) can improve your logistics operations and the benefits of doing so. We also discuss the key differences between modified and unmodified trailer solutions so you can determine which is right for your business.

3PL service providers are an effective alternative for businesses that don’t have the resources or expertise to conduct fulfilment themselves. They’re cost-effective and specialise in logistics, so they offer a wide variety of services, such as warehousing, order processing and shipping.

One of the great things about working with 3PL operators is that they give the business more of a say in the decisions. The business can choose which warehouses to use for storage and shipping. It’s possible to ship in branded packaging, and the 3PL can add package inserts to personalise the customer experience for the business’s customers.

A fulfilment business needs a flexible infrastructure that can cope with increasing order volume. The need for automation also calls for the business to minimise manual tasks, which eat up time and money. Partnering up with a 3PL provider offers scalability that grows as the business grows.

Efficient order processing

Order processing costs time and money and becomes difficult when orders increase. Three-party logistics providers use powerful technology during the entire process, such as barcode scanners and conveyor belts, which inject extra efficiency into the business’s order processing.

Quick delivery

Quick delivery is no longer a ‘nice to have’; it’s a must. Customers expect their orders soon, so D2C companies must deliver fast to stay ahead of the competition. A 3PL provider with warehouses in different locations can help businesses divide their inventory so they can reduce transit times and get products to customers in good time. 

D2C fulfilment spoils operators and their customers with benefits. Unfortunately, nothing is plain sailing, which means D2C fulfilment also presents a few challenges.

Last-mile Logistics

Making sure deliveries reach their customers on time is no easy task. D2C businesses need to optimise their shipping processes, work with reliable carriers and monitor delivery performance constantly.

Reverse Logistics

Processing returns and exchanges is another challenging hazard of fulfilment and calls for efficient returns processes. These include managing the return process and replacing returned items.

Inventory Management

Getting the balance right when it comes to inventory stock is tricky. Stocking too incurs unnecessary carrying costs, whereas stocking too little could see the business miss sales and disappoint customers (who might shop elsewhere from then on).

Actiw, specialists in the field of Unmodified Trailer and Container Loading Systems make industrial loading much safer and much less complicated. One of the big advantages of Actiw’s systems is that businesses don’t need to modify their trailers in any major way. Below are some of their systems.

LoadMatic Lite is a versatile, entry-level Automated Truck Loading System, ideal for manufacturers and distribution centres looking to increase their daily load volume beyond what’s achievable with manual forklift operations.

These businesses often deliver loads directly to warehouses or shops where forklifts are used for manual unloading. It is specifically designed to help meet higher throughput demands by improving the speed and efficiency of the loading process within manufacturing plants or main distribution centres.

Actiw LoadBuffering performs the required load forming processes automatically as required on a load-by-load basis, and optimises the outbound material flow by taking your production unit loads and automatically preparing optimal truck loads, efficiently and accurately.

Forklifts can damage goods in different ways. If the forklift driver doesn’t align the prongs of the forklift correctly, they may pierce the cargo and damage it.

Some logistics personnel may even choose the wrong loading equipment and use a forklift when they should be using something else, which can also damage the load. Automated loading systems remove the need for forklifts to enter trailers. They load goods onto trailers accurately and with little or no damage.

Unmodified trailer loading systems help to keep operations running smoothly and costs down. The business doesn’t have to spend anything to adapt the trailer, and the system reduces downtime as engineers and logistics teams don’t have to waste time modifying the trailer. The business can just get on with loading. The system will maintain high quality goods by reducing damage, which also incurs costs on businesses.

Scalable, Flexible and Quick to Deploy

Unmodified loading systems work with lots of different trailers and make it easy to scale your loading. It’s possible to replace a large part of a forklift fleet with a single loading system. They’re also easy to set up and quick to implement.

Fulfilment centres and distribution hubs

ATLS have a huge part to play in fulfilment centres, which take on the whole order fulfilment and dispatch process, and distribution centres, which, unlike traditional warehouses, prioritise the speedy dispatch of goods to their final destinations, whether it’s the wholesaler, retailer or directly to the customer.

The efficiency and ability of Automated Loading Systems to cope with heavy loads can support operations in this regard. Ideally, the ATLS should be placed at the loading dock so that the business can transfer goods to outbound trailers directly for delivery.

3PL providers

Third-party logistics providers can make massive use of our Automated Unmodified Loading Systems because they don’t like to modify their trailers, and Actiw’s systems don’t oblige them to. Incorporating these systems into their operations helps providers maximise their return on investment, especially if they’re operating on tight margins, which they probably are given the challenges the industry faces.

If you’re looking to optimise your D2C business processes, consider purchasing an ATLS from Joloda Hydraroll. Our systems have lightened the load for businesses in a variety of industries.

Maximising Throughput While Minimising Labour

Our systems are helping businesses to process more goods while contending with rising operational costs and shortage of labour. They reduce the amount of manual labour necessary in loading and unloading processes and allow businesses to load more into trailers in a shorter space of time.

Automated Loading Machines Outperform Traditional Dock Teams

A traditional dock team could load trailers all day without any break and still not load as much as an automated loading system. ATLSs do all the heavy lifting and allow businesses to load up trailers not only more quickly, but also more safely.

The Sverdrup Steel Case Study offers a powerful look at how semi-automated container loading, using our LoadPlate system, can streamline operations, reduce manual labour, and handle complex, high-throughput logistics. It’s a strong example of how unmodified loading technology can be applied to modern D2C distribution models.