Consumer Goods Logistics Blog

As 2020 winds down, we took at look at the year’s top logistics blog posts that most wound you up.

In case you missed them the first time, here are the three KANE-published articles that attracted the most readers. They touch on different topics (start-up management, workforce management and productivity) but all relate in one way or another to managing people – still a critically important core competency in our tech-centric, COVID-altered world.

As the percent of online sales grow and as the line between web and traditional retail store fulfillment blurs, E-retailers and brands need to assess their fulfillment capabilities and those of their 3PL omnichannel distribution partners.

Following are 8 tips to maximize efficiency in an omnichannel environment. 

Much of the cost and complexity in CPG supply chains happen post manufacturing.

Think about it. You might have one product – a potato chip – that gets packaged in dozens of ways. Historically, this final packaging has been handled as a discrete supply chain function by contract packaging companies. But an increasing number of CPG companies are recognizing the huge cost advantages – as much as 30% of combined warehousing, packaging and freight costs – of performing secondary packaging in the distribution center.

If you are a user of third-party logistics (3PL) services, you know that 3PLs tend to have a metric for just about everything – productivity, accuracy, timeliness, costs….

3PL metrics are used as a barometer of performance and to inform continuous improvement programs. But should these same numbers be used to measure the success of your 3PL/Client relationship?

$7,000 dollars to replace a warehouse worker.

Sound like a lot? Well, that could be the low end. 

Calculating the traceable costs, the cost of warehouse worker turnover can reach 25% of salary. Using an average salary for warehouse workers of $28,000.00 (according to Salary.com), $7,000 is about where you end up. But some experts calculate the real costs, when you factor in lost productivity and other indirect impacts, at 150% of salary. Either way, turnover in the warehouse can be a major drain on profits.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies face a constant battle for market share and retail shelf space. Price points are a key weapon in this battle and, increasingly, companies rely on lean CPG logistics operations to provide a cost advantage.

How is your company responding to this challenge? With incremental improvements to existing distribution processes? Or, are you exploring logistics strategies that alter current processes and the way you work with retail customers?

A mix of both is optimal, with new strategies offering the best potential for breakthrough gains and cost savings, particularly for mid-tier suppliers struggling to compete with much larger brands. Following are 7 strategies for CPG manufacturers to consider. Some new, some tried and true.

Other than inventory, labor is your biggest warehousing expense.  And that warehouse labor… well, it's costing you a lot more than you may think. 

According to salary.com, the average warehouse associate's salary is about $28,000.  But many related expenses combine to make the total cost to your company for that full time employee much higher.  Let's take a look at these additional warehouse labor expenses.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are getting squeezed. On one side, your retail customers want smaller replenishment orders more frequently. At the same time, your own company is pressuring you to reduce logistics costs.