Contact Us: 252-985-1070 | 800-426-0162

Blog

Common Industries That Use 3PL Services

Partnering with an experienced third-party logistics (3PL) provider offers modern businesses many benefits, such as helping manage supply chain risks more effectively while enabling more efficiency. This strategy also helps support future growth by improving customer service and satisfaction.

Since this solution is useful for businesses across many industries, let’s explore what companies use 3PL, why and how.

E-Commerce and Retail

E-commerce skyrocketed during the pandemic, when shoppers didn’t have access to traditional marketplaces. In 2021, the industry generated over $5 billion in sales. The trend shows no signs of slowing as consumers continue to enjoy online shopping’s convenience. Economists predict the market will grow 56% by 2026 and generate over $8 billion in revenue.

This increase drives demand for e-commerce order fulfillment services and more efficient logistics. A 3PL partner can carry out tasks like last-mile delivery so that customer products arrive on time and in good condition, regardless of where they are. Plus, these providers can help with reverse logistics and returns processing to maintain great customer service.

Online retailers also rely heavily on their 3PL providers for inventory management solutions. The insights a 3PL firm provides into product stock let e-commerce pros know the status of the goods at a glance. As a result, companies get the data they need to place supply orders and schedule production to avoid stockouts, keeping their customers happier.

Third-party logistics companies help traditional retail stores support their operations, as well. Businesses providing 3PL solutions offer short-term storage and long-term warehousing services to meet seasonal demand changes. They also supply cost-effective solutions like cross-docking, simplifying goods distribution and increasing delivery speed.

Manufacturing and Distribution

Goods manufacturers and distributors face many pain points in the supply chain. Manual processes and in-house storage and shipping operations can be expensive, and inefficient transportation further increases operating costs. Effective raw material movement is vital to promoting continuous production and preventing downtime that may result in unsatisfied customers.

An experienced 3PL provider like Crown LSP Group is an ideal solution, serving as a strategic business partner that offers solutions such as:

  • Warehouse storage: We can accommodate your long- and short-term storage needs to help you gain the redundancy just-in-time manufacturing requires.
  • On-site warehousing services: Our team provides on-site operational support for your facilities, eliminating the high labor costs of staffing and managing it independently.
  • Transportation services: Crown LSP Group is an expert in freight brokerage and specialized shipping to help you cost-effectively ensure accurate and timely raw material deliveries.
  • Order fulfillment services: We streamline last-mile distribution with fast delivery that improves customer satisfaction and prevents you from having to hire and manage ground-level fleets countrywide.

We also offer end-to-end inventory management services that help you optimize your stock. Our technology includes automated solutions that end manual processes, boosting accuracy, visibility and time savings. Crown LSP Group has a demand forecasting system for better planning, as well.

Health Care and Pharmaceutical

The health care and pharmaceutical markets represent two of the most common types of companies that use third-party logistics to solve their unique challenges.

Health care and medical supply companies frequently serve worldwide markets where patient lives and clinical outcomes depend on timely deliveries. A delayed shipment can leave an organization without the necessary supplies to deliver care. Further, these products often need specialized shipping to protect them against potential damage during transport.

Experienced 3PL providers play a critical role in health care and medical logistics by helping solve these complex issues. Warehousing services keep products strategically located for faster order fulfillment, and transportation services like less-than-truckload shipping ensure quick delivery for smaller orders. Additional solutions, such as drayage shipping, keep intermodal journeys on schedule.

Pharmaceutical companies face similar challenges when storing and shipping essential medications and treatments. They frequently need controlled atmospheres to preserve product safety and integrity and cold chain solutions to maintain those conditions throughout shipping. Those who do business with the European Union must also follow the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) framework, which contains the minimum guidelines for the industry’s supply chain.

A knowledgeable and reliable 3PL firm can manage these complexities with services like temperature-controlled storage and transloading, supporting product safety and compliance.

Food and Beverage

Food and beverage companies have numerous regulations applying to their supply chain management. For example, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires product traceability to help contain food-borne illness outbreaks. These businesses also need ways to manage stock rotation to ensure that products arrive fresh and safe for consumption.

Inventory management services from a 3PL provider solve these issues and support compliance. The right partner will have the technology to track goods at every step, like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and bar code systems. With real-time visibility, 3PL companies can also support just-in-time deliveries of perishable goods to cut waste and meet specific customer needs.

Food producers and distributors must focus on preserving their goods’ flavors and maintaining availability for out-of-season items, as well. This requirement often necessitates a well-controlled storage and shipping environment.

Full-service food and beverage logistics providers have solutions for these challenges, too. Temperature-controlled warehousing and specialized cold-chain shipping expertise help companies supply their customers with fast product delivery at the peak of freshness and taste while conforming to food safety laws.

Automotive and Transportation

Automotive and transportation professionals are among those who use 3PL services to drive organizational value. Thanks to the nature of their business, these companies serve multiple customers, from individual consumers to dealer partnerships.

The supply and distribution challenges of these companies include storing and shipping large, expensive items, smaller replacement components, and care or repair kits. The latter results in a greater need for inventory control to minimize waste, maximize efficiency and meet customer expectations for fast delivery.

An agile 3PL partner like Crown LSP Group has the expertise and resources to help with automotive logistics, with services like:

  • Short- and long-term warehousing: We’re close to the eastern North Carolina ports and can scale with your changing business needs.
  • Vehicle shipping: With our freight brokerage services, we leverage our relationships with a deep network of transportation partners to find you competitive rates for large deliveries.
  • Asset-based transportation: We can use our contacts for asset-based transportation services that provide the peace of mind of owner-operated equipment.
  • Kitting and assembly services: Our team adds extra value to the process with kitting and assembly services that improve the consumer experience.
  • Other value-added services: Crown LSP Group is also an expert in inventory management and rapid order fulfillment.

Other Industries

Firms providing 3PL services customize their services to streamline storage and distribution operations for various other crucial economic sectors, including technology, energy, construction and fashion.

Construction and Engineering

A successful construction project requires numerous materials that often arrive from different suppliers at various locations. Seasoned 3PL providers can combine these deliveries to help ensure all materials come on-site together and are ready to use, which allows you to please clients with jobs that move forward on time.

Technology and Electronics

Modern technology is highly sensitive to damage during storage and transport. A 3PL provider understands what’s involved in protecting these delicate and often expensive goods. They take the extra steps to develop specialized storage and shipping strategies to safeguard the products.

Energy and Utilities

Oil, gas and other energy companies have multilayered, complex supply chains with many moving parts to coordinate. Partnering with a 3PL firm lets them outsource the variables to a knowledgeable business that provides access to the latest technology and support services, such as intermodal transportation expertise.

Fashion and Apparel

The fashion and apparel industry is a high-SKU, high-turnover environment. As a result, businesses in this field have frequently changing storage needs. A 3PL company offers flexible storage, fulfillment and inventory management based on individual needs, and these customized approaches allow businesses to use their resources more effectively.

Trust Crown LSP Group as Your 3PL Partner

Companies in many industries regularly turn to Crown LSP Group for tailored supply chain management solutions. From automotive and consumer packaged goods to life sciences and food, we help companies optimize efficiency and allow them to focus on their core operations.

Request a personalized quote, or contact a specialist online for more information.

Read more

What is Less Than Truckload (LTL) Freight Shipping?

Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping allows you to combine smaller shipments with other businesses sending goods to the same area. By filling a truck together, companies pay only for the space they need.

Third-party logistics providers like Crown LSP Group can help you find a cost-effective solution ideal for small-load shippers.

How Does LTL Shipping Work?

Many businesses — especially small ones — need transportation for goods that don’t occupy an entire truckload. Ensuring on-time delivery often means paying for full loads while shipping products that only take up part of the truck’s available space. LTL shipping changes that by consolidating cargo from different companies for a full-capacity truck.

The concept is similar to a group discount, where you team up with other businesses sending goods to a common destination. You each pay for the portion of the truck you use while getting your product where it needs to go.

When you choose LTL cargo, the carrier must work to find compatible partners to share the load. This additional step reflects in their charges. That means you’ll generally pay a higher rate by volume for LTL shipping than if you were filling the entire truck. In other words, if each pallet costs a certain amount to ship in a full load, you’ll pay more per pallet to transport with LTL freight.

Benefits of LTL Shipping

LTL shipments offer numerous benefits for those transporting smaller loads.

Affordability

LTL shipping allows you to transport goods more affordably when you need only partial trailer capacity. Since you pay only for the space you use, you avoid excess costs associated with unused space. The result is shipping that costs a fraction of standard, full-load costs.

Protection

Most LTL cargo is securely palletized before loading. That process offers your products extra protection against potential damage, especially when compared to individual handling units.

Traceability

LTL shipping offers increased visibility into your shipments. You can track them in multiple ways, including:

  • By the purchase order number.
  • Through the bill of lading identification.
  • With the progressive (PRO) number.
  • By the pickup date.

This enhanced transparency allows for easy documentation of the chain of custody, so your audit trails maintain accuracy.

Efficiency

LTL freight is ideal for maximizing efficiency. You can transport goods to customers as soon as possible rather than waiting for area demand to increase to total truckload capacity. Plus, you access regional and national carrier systems. As a result, you make the most of your company’s time and resources.

Ecofriendliness

LTL shipping is the ideal solution for today’s emphasis on sustainability and greener business practices. Sending fewer trucks with complete loads translates to fewer separate shipments, lower emissions, and reduced carbon impact for your company.

Versatility

LTL shipments arose in response to the need for more flexible shipping options and helped support a shift to “just-in-time” inventory management for many companies. This transportation agility proves critical when supply chain challenges arise and consumer buying patterns change.

Plus, you can access other special handling options to meet your business’s needs when you ship LTL. Today’s choices include conveniences like:

  • Inside deliveries and pickups.
  • Refrigerated trailers.
  • Liftgates.
  • Required appointments.
  • Residential deliveries.

What Determines LTL Shipping Rates?

Many considerations affect the ultimate total of LTL freight.

National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC)

The NMFC is the industry’s framework for determining a product’s transportability. Under this system, your cargo receives a grade from 18 separate classes, from low-end class 50 to high-end class 500. The standards include categorization of properties like:

  • Dimensions — often referred to as cargo stowability
  • Freight density
  • Declared value
  • Liability

Generally, higher class numbers carry higher freight charges.

Origin and Destination Locations

Two primary factors influencing shipment costs are where your cargo comes from and where it’s going. The further your shipment must travel, the higher the price you’ll pay because the transport costs the carrier more in equipment use and driver labor.

Shipping lanes also impact the total fees. Typically, busy routes are more affordable than less-used ones. As a result, it’s often more cost-effective to transport goods to an active, urban area than to a remote, rural one.

Special Handling

Cargo that requires special handling is generally more costly to ship. Options that can contribute to your LTL freight costs include:

  • Expedited shipping or guaranteed delivery dates.
  • Refrigeration.
  • Hazardous materials.
  • Fragile products requiring extra protection.

Cargo Weight

LTL shipments often tip the scales between 150 pounds and 10,000 pounds, though some carriers accommodate greater weights. Heavier shipments can produce higher costs, but carriers commonly use a hundredweight or centum weight (CWT) pricing approach. This model means that the heavier your shipment is, the lower your rate per 100 pounds of freight.

Carrier-Negotiated Rates

LTL experts like Crown LSP Group offer freight brokerage services based on negotiated rates with a network of LTL carriers. This approach ensures you get the best possible LTL rates with the carrier most able to meet your unique business demands.

Fuel Surcharges

With a dynamic pricing market, many carriers pass on a fuel surcharge to their customers. Often, these fees appear as a percentage added to the negotiated or base rate. These charges change based on the travel distance and help offset fluctuating and variable fuel costs.

When to Opt for LTL Shipping

LTL shipping is ideal for many types of businesses, industries, and applications. These include:

  • Shipment weights under 10,000 pounds: When you exceed the size and weight limits for parcel carriers but tip the scales at 10,000 pounds or less, LTL shipping can provide an effective solution.
  • Budget-conscious transportation: Small businesses must maximize their resources to keep profitability levels high, and LTL freight helps you make the most of shipping spending.
  • E-commerce fulfillment: Online retail has been steadily on the rise over the past several years, and LTL helps e-tailers meet consumer expectations for shipping costs and expedient deliveries.
  • Shipments concentrated in certain areas: If you commonly ship goods to one area of the country or along well-traveled shipping lanes, LTL is efficient and affordable.
  • Less than 10 to 12 pallets of goods: LTL is a perfect choice for smaller businesses shipping up to 12 pallets of goods.
  • Non-time-sensitive deliveries: While expedited or guaranteed deliveries are possible, LTL cargo often makes more dock stops along the way and is best for flexible delivery windows.

Contact Crown LSP Group for LTL Shipping

Crown LSP Group is a complete distribution solutions company based in eastern North Carolina. Since 1987, we’ve been a trusted logistics and transportation excellence source. Our team will help you secure the best LTL rates and classify your products according to NMFC guidelines.

Contact us online to request a free LTL quote, or call an expert at 252-985-1070 for assistance.

Read more

Benefits of a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Provider

Managing warehousing, order fulfillment, and logistics operations for your business can be challenging and leave you with less time to focus on expanding your customer base. One crucial element of any business is the ability to adapt and remain agile in ever-changing market conditions to meet consumer demand.

Outsourcing these important tasks to a third-party company will give you more time to spend on activities that are crucial to your business growth, such as streamlining your operations and building your reputation. Supply chain management is a necessity for your organization. Using third-party logistics can make these specific responsibilities less complicated, empowering you to innovate and take your business to the next level.

Let’s review some third-party logistics examples and how to choose a 3PL provider that fits your unique business needs.

What Is Third-Party Logistics (3PL)?

Third-party logistics (3PL) is the process of hiring a third-party business to outsource e-commerce logistics tasks to manage one or more facets of procurement and fulfillment activities. Some of these tasks include:

  • Warehousing
  • Storing
  • Distribution
  • Inventory management
  • Transportation services
  • Shipping and receiving

A 3PL company provides all the services you need to outsource your logistics operations and streamline your processes to expand your business and deliver your products to your customers faster. It’s common for 3PL warehouses to manage and ship inventory of multiple businesses at once in addition to their own inventory.

All 3PL companies specialize in different types of fulfillment for various materials, goods, and products. Some 3PLs offer different warehousing services for temperature-controlled goods and long-term needs. Many businesses will use a 3PL company to help them identify gaps in their supply chains. A 3PL company can also resolve challenges with comprehensive solutions and efficiently carry out tasks that make businesses more agile.

Working with an outsourced logistics provider is a partnership that allows you to spend more time growing your business and accessing the most effective methods for delivering orders to your customers.

What Is the Role of 3PLs in the Supply Chain?

3PL companies take on a critical, multi-purpose role in the supply, which is helping their customers grow their business and achieve sustainability while maximizing their benefits. Supply chain management covers many elements, as we briefly mentioned before, that primarily fall under logistics operations.

These operations include:

  • Logistics planning
  • Material procurement
  • Product sourcing
  • Maintaining inventory

Let’s give you an example of the role 3PL plays in the supply chain. Suppose a shipping company wants to expand its reach internationally but doesn’t know how to start the process. They decide to work with experienced professionals and hire a 3PL company to help them ship their goods. The 3PL partner will find the best carrier and shipping rates and manage the paperwork for the shipping company.

When the products are ready to be shipped, the 3PL partner will pick up the overseas order, book the carrier and deliver the goods. They also manage every other aspect of the shipping process, such as dealing with customs and ensuring your customers receive their orders.

Some 3PL companies also cover warehousing and fulfillment needs for businesses that require faster deliveries. Those providing these services will use innovative technology and software to find the most efficient delivery routes to maximize cost and time, helping businesses meet their supply chain goals.

Advantages of Working With a 3PL

Outsourcing fulfillment services to a 3PL provides endless benefits. Though every 3PL company varies slightly in its capabilities and advantages, they will help you maximize profitability by offering solutions for managing your inventory, packaging, shipping, and warehousing activities.

1. Cost and Time Savings

3PLs eliminate the need for renting a warehouse and paying for logistics and technology needed for fulfillment. Outsourcing these tasks also frees up more time on your end to focus on strategic initiatives.

cost and time savings of working with a 3pl

2. Industry Experience and Expertise

Relying on logistics and shipping professionals with more technical resources can give you access to the latest industry knowledge, trends, and complexities.

3. Flexibility and Ability to Scale

If you’re only selling your products in a limited region, working with a 3PL partner can help you expand your reach and access an expansive network of fulfillment centers to ship out orders from different shipping zones, allowing you to reach more customers.

4. Allows for Your Business to Grow

If your business does suddenly expand or has an increase in consumer demand, a 3PL partner can help you grow your business and handle operations to meet your goals.

5. Provides a Better Customer Experience

With access to the most advanced technology, tracking, operational transparency, and fulfillment solutions, a 3PL partner can ensure you deliver superior customer service every time.

6. Innovation in the Supply Chain

Outsourcing fulfillment means taking advantage of the competitive innovations a 3PL partner can offer for streamlining operations, such as additional offerings and services to improve supply chains and delivery methods. A 3PL partner like Crown LSP Group offers value-added services, including cross-docking and transloading to speed up delivery times and provide more flexibility.

7. Mitigates Risk

Your 3PL fulfillment partner will manage potential risks and maintain quality assurance for safety and damage. With someone to take responsibility for the detailed processes in your supply chain, you will feel a significant weight lifted off your company’s shoulders.

Considerations When Choosing a 3PL 

When choosing a 3PL company, keep in mind that you want to work with a partner who prioritizes operational efficiency, business relationships, safety, and the latest technology. Here are some things to consider before you choose a 3PL partner.

1. Reliability

Your 3PL partner should be able to handle disruptions, unexpected technical problems, and scheduling issues. It’s important to learn if they have a history of financial and relationship stability during an economic disturbance.

2. Customer Service

Confirm if the 3PL partner can match your communication needs. Do they have the ability to maintain professionalism and adequate responsiveness with accurate information? Can they identify issues and resolve them?

3. Safety Procedures

Your 3PL partner should have strict safety policies and procedures in place to protect assets, financial information, and personnel that they regularly update with the latest compliance regulations. They should also practice warehouse safety, particularly when dealing with heavy or hazardous goods.

4. Customization

Find out if the 3PL company provides customized solutions to integrate with your supply chain to help maintain long-term operations, quality of service, and efficiency.

5. Location

Verifying your 3PL company’s location will give you insight into their major shipping hubs and highways that can help you expand your customer base.

6. Technology and Automation

A strong 3PL company will have the latest updated logistics software and IT capabilities to help you make quick, informed decisions and enhance efficiency for your customers.

7. Experience and Reputation

A company’s reputation will tell you many things about how they run its operations. A 3PL company should prioritize its employees, vendors, and carriers to build a respectable and trustworthy reputation. Analyze the 3PL company’s relationships and see if they maintain a strong industry standing.

Choose Crown LSP as Your 3PL Provider

Trusting your business operations with an experienced 3PL partner enables you to focus on management processes with confidence knowing your facility’s operations are in expert hands. When you choose Crown LSP Group as your 3PL services provider, you get flexible, scalable solutions to meet your supply chain challenges and trusted personnel to manage your day-to-day operations.

As a distribution solutions company, we know every customer has unique needs. We will adjust and customize our operations to bring you cost savings and operational efficiency, giving you more time to focus on what you do best. We are ready to help you create a customized warehousing and transportation solution and get you moving forward.

For more information about our 3PL services, get in touch with us or request a quote today.

contact Crown LSP Group for 3pl services

Read more

Transporting and Shipping Solar Panels

While solar panels can take a beating from direct sunlight for more than 12 hours a day, they aren’t immune to cracks, micro-cracks and other forms of damage during transportation and warehousing. In times when you need to store your solar panels in a safe and secure location with a third-party logistic (3PL) team, you can rely on Crown LSP Group.

How Does Solar Panel Transportation Work?

Although there is no universal standard regarding the loading, transporting, unloading and storing of solar panels, we know what it takes to get the job done in a way that replicates an extension of your current business tactics. Crown LSP Group works with you to understand your precise requirements to create a customized solution for warehousing solar panels.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Solar panels are devices that convert energy from the sun into electricity — often for residential and commercial zones. However, solar panels can also provide energy for individual homes in remote areas or even satellites.

Each solar panel is made of solar cells. Elements like phosphorus, silicon and boron make up each cell and work together to form energy via the photovoltaic process. When boron forms a positive charge and phosphorus forms a negative one, the cells absorb the sun’s photons. From there, these three chemicals pull the electrons into a current, releasing energy for electricity.

Solar panels are a sustainable and renewable alternative to coal and natural gas. Their environmental benefits and their ability to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels are major reasons for their growing popularity.

How to Properly Ship, Handle and Store Solar Panels

Shipping solar panels and storing them safely is a process that unfortunately doesn’t have industry standards across the globe. But here at Crown LSP Group, we have designed a detailed and stringent process to ensure your solar panels are securely handled.

Challenges in Transporting Solar Panels

In general, transporting solar panels is challenging because they are fragile and heavy. The key for storing solar panels is to protect them from the weight of each other and external transportation damage.

We uphold unique solar panel loading, transporting and unloading stipulations at Crown LSP Group. We understand that solar panels are sensitive components that, when under even slight pressure, can experience micro-cracks. As a result, these minute damages can affect how the entire system operates. Several negative effects of micro-cracks include:

  • Decreased lifespan
  • Electrical separation
  • Hot spots
  • Inactive cells (power loss)
  • Solar panel performance

How to Ship Solar Panels Safely

Stacking solar panels horizontally can cause damage to each panel that you can’t always see. If possible, you may be able to spot micro-cracks in a panel from a change in color, making it darker than the rest of the unit — but this is only out of luck. More often than not, micro-cracks go unnoticed and grow over time, and they eventually become even more detrimental defects.

Vertical stacking is a method that can form minimal pressure on the modules when stacked on a pallet. This strategy reduces top-to-bottom pressure and the stress of large amounts of weight.

How to ship solar panels safety

Other components that can help protect solar panels in storage include:

  • Corner protectors
  • Foam pads
  • Protective outer layer
  • Separators between each panel
  • Straps on corners

Crown LSP Group has high standards in place to prevent even the tiniest of scratches. We ensure each panel is secure so that there is no room for movement, keeping individual units protected during transportation.

Knowing how to store solar panels in a warehouse is a technique that ensures each panel is free from cracks and other damages.

Partnering With the Right 3PL

Partnering with the right 3LP for your solar panel transport and warehousing needs is critical to keeping each unit secure and ready for consumers. The right partner will understand that solar panels are high-value items that are delicate and require careful storage.

They should also cater to your unique solar panel needs and understand the care that’s necessary to prevent any damage. Your panels should arrive safely at the warehouse and be stored properly until you need them.

Whether you’re transporting and storing an entire truckload of solar panels or several at a time, proper processes are essential for delivering your products on time to consumers.

How Crown LSP Group Can Provide Third-Party Logistics Solar Panel Solutions

Crown LSP Group protects your solar panels every step of the way.

We implement storage techniques that can withstand mechanical stress and heavier loads than normal to safeguard each panel from damage, dents, cracks and micro-cracks. Our experts are here to manage your inventory and prepare outgoing products for you or your consumers when needed while also offering climate-controlled storage solutions if necessary. We help transport panels to and from the warehouse while delivering additional benefits, such as:

  • Ability to handle MBLs
  • Exceptional understanding of load configurations
  • Mobile scanning equipment
  • Reports necessary for you and your customers
  • Special equipment to accommodate oversized pallets of solar panels
  • Specialized forklifts and equipment (damage-free handling)

Our transportation department also supports the moving of pallets to your job site and bringing in containers from the port. To date, Crown LSP Group has supported about 40,000 pallets of solar panels with previous customers.

Contact Crown LSP Group for Warehousing and Transportation Requests

Contact Crown LSP Group

When you rely on timely deliveries to clients and need extra space for storing your solar panels, Crown LSP Group has you covered. As a family-owned business, we know what it means to take care of our clients and their products. Our goal is to create an extension of your business unit when transporting and warehousing shipments of solar panels. Whether you need to store panels for future use or need to transport materials, Crown LSP Group is here to work with you one-on-one.

Request a quote online or reach out to a Crown LSP Group representative to learn more about the transporting and warehousing solutions we offer.

 

Request a Quote Today

Read more

CSX Intermodal North Carolina

CSX Intermodal North Carolina

After years of development, CSX’s newest intermodal terminal — the Carolina Connector — is moving toward completion and streamlining distribution in North Carolina. It’s an innovation that will allow users throughout North Carolina to efficiently transport goods across the state and into other regions.

What Is the CSX Carolina Connector?

The eastern United States railroad company CSX has moved forward with construction on an intermodal terminal in eastern North Carolina, ideally positioned halfway between Boston and Miami. Located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the Carolina Connector — or CCX — will be the first CSX terminal of its kind in the state. This significant asset for the logistics industry will enable efficient, convenient access to customers for all companies in the region.

freight train on tracks

While it has encountered many obstacles along the way, from the initial deal falling through to the COVID-19 pandemic slowing progress, the plan is to complete the project in early 2021. With various offerings for businesses throughout the area, this new development will be a significant milestone for many industries. It will make transportation more cost-effective, sustainable and reliable, letting companies move goods from one place to another more efficiently than ever before.

Advanced technologies and optimized terminal designs will make the Carolina Connector more usable and sustainable for years to come. Features such as machine vision technology, zero-emission electric cranes, X-Gate and self-service kiosks also offer various benefits for companies looking to take advantage of CSX transportation.

Advantages of Using NC Warehousing for Intermodal Freight

When you’re moving products over significant distances, using warehousing near CSX can be highly effective and efficient. CSX transportation can help you easily access North Carolina warehousing and more efficiently reach your customers throughout the region.

If you’re looking to integrate CSX transportation into your operations, finding a warehousing third-party logistics (3PL) option in the region can help you handle numerous processes more efficiently. Store goods and get them from the warehouse to customers quickly and effectively. With the services of 3PL providers such as Crown LSP Group, you can get support for warehousing and other crucial operations in the Carolina Connector region.

How Crown LSP Group Stands Out

At Crown LSP Group, we’re here to go beyond maintaining transactional relationships — we want to be your trusted business partner. Our convenient locations in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, allow you to maintain highly efficient, cost-effective operations directly beside the CSX intermodal terminals.

As a distribution solutions provider with extensive experience in the industry, we understand that every business is different. We’re committed to delivering solutions that fit your unique needs, prioritizing personalization over a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether that means we adjust our shipping hours to match your requirements or provide storage space near your location, we’re here to create a scalable strategy for your business.

Find Trusted Warehousing Near CSX With Crown LSP Group

The CSX intermodal terminal offers an exciting opportunity for North Carolina businesses. Take advantage of the benefits the Carolina Connector can offer and partner with Crown LSP Group to make it happen. To learn more about the benefits of working with a 3PL when you contact us today!

Read more