Cadre Whitepapers

Value-Added Warehousing: Differentiation in a Dynamic Logistics Marketplace

Adding new, information-driven capabilities in your warehouse is an essential component to acquire new business and keep existing customers.

It is a well documented fact that traditional distribution centers are changing their stripes as operators across the supply chain attempt to keep abreast of the avalanche of new customer requirements and to buttress themselves against the highly dynamic variations in the marketplace by diversifying their service offerings.

Among the most forward looking organizations in the industry there is a trend to create new profit centers and bring on new value added services in order to positively respond to new service requests. Gone are the days when basic, pallet-in/pallet-out public warehousing operations can meet the variable needs of multiple customers.

Warehouse operators are challenged to create competitive advantages that provide new levels of flexibility in response to marketplace changes; generate cost reductions without compromising quality or service; help lead the charge toward larger market share and better profit margins by enabling quicker changes, and finally to provide real time reporting to support improved decision making and ready access to status via web technology.

Application of information by flexible, rules-based execution systems needs to manage all aspects of logistics and fulfillment including customers, orders, inventory, suppliers, carriers, and shipments. The value-add is greater capacity, efficiency and responsiveness.

This white paper we explores the implications of stepping up to the challenge, how that challenge can be met, and the penalties of being a follower rather than a leader.