Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption according to the needs of customers. Logistics management is a component that holds the supply chain together. The resources managed in logistics may include tangible goods such as materials, equipment, and supplies, as well as food and other consumable items.
Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it, and a distributor is a business involved in the distribution stage of the value chain. Distribution can be done directly by the producer or service provider or by using indirect channels with distributors or intermediaries. Distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix: the other three elements being product, pricing, and promotion.
The Minnesota Star Tribune, formerly the Minneapolis Star Tribune, is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the eighth-largest in the United States by circulation, and is distributed throughout the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the state, and the Upper Midwest.
Logistics automation is the application of computer software or automated machinery to logistics operations in order to improve its efficiency. Typically this refers to operations within a warehouse or distribution center, with broader tasks undertaken by supply chain engineering systems and enterprise resource planning systems.
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, towns, or villages.
Ryder System, Inc. is an American transportation and logistics company, specializing in truck rental and leasing, fleet management, supply chain management, and transportation management. It also offers full-service leasing, rental and maintenance, used vehicle sales, transportation management, professional drivers, e-commerce fulfillment, and last-mile delivery services. The company is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, and operates in the United States and United Kingdom.
A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products (goods) to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to consumers. A distribution center is a principal part, the order processing element, of the entire order fulfillment process. Distribution centers are usually thought of as being demand driven. A distribution center can also be called a warehouse, a DC, a fulfillment center, a cross-dock facility, a bulk break center, and a package handling center. The name by which the distribution center is known is commonly based on the purpose of the operation. For example, a "retail distribution center" normally distributes goods to retail stores, an "order fulfillment center" commonly distributes goods directly to consumers, and a cross-dock facility stores little or no product but distributes goods to other destinations.
Midco is a regional cable provider, providing a triple play service of cable television, Internet and telephone service for both North Dakota and South Dakota, along with much of Minnesota, and several communities in Kansas and Wisconsin. The company's business-class service also provides direct fiber-optic communications services via leased data circuits for larger companies.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. is an American transportation company that includes third-party logistics (3PL). The company offers freight transportation, transportation management, brokerage and warehousing. It offers truckload, less than truckload, air freight, intermodal, and ocean transportation.
PFSweb, Inc. is an eCommerce fulfillment and logistics 3PL service provider for business-to-business and direct-to-consumer companies. Its corporate headquarters were relocated from Allen, Texas to Irving, Texas in 2022. As of 2023, the company had 2.2 million square feet of warehouse space, and distribution centers in the U.S., the UK, Belgium, and Canada.
Averitt Express is a privately owned transportation and supply chain management company based in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Amazon Robotics LLC, formerly Kiva Systems, is a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures mobile robotic fulfillment systems. It is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Its automated storage and retrieval systems have been used in the past by companies including The Gap, Walgreens, Staples, Gilt Groupe, Office Depot, Crate & Barrel, Amazon and Saks 5th Avenue. Employees of Erstwhile Kiva now only work in Amazon warehouses.
Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) is a large distributor of bicycle parts and accessories in the bicycle industry, based in the United States, with revenues of $150 million in 2008. In addition to wholesaling bicycles and components from other manufacturers, QBP owns and manufactures several brands of its own. QBP also participates in activities which support its community through cycling advocacy and green building.
FedEx Supply Chain, formerly known as GENCO is a major third-party logistics (3PL) provider in the United States and Canada. It serves various industries, including: technology & electronics, retail & e-commerce, consumer & industrial goods, and healthcare industries. The company was founded in the year 1898 by Hyman Shear as H. Shear Trucking Company in Pittsburgh. Currently it is a subsidiary of FedEx.
Third-party logistics is an organization's long term commitment of outsourcing its distribution services to third-party logistics businesses.
Kenco Group, or Kenco, is a privately held Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States,-based company that provides logistics services. Kenco specializes in distribution and fulfillment, transportation management, material handling services, and warehouse real estate management. The company is known for being the largest woman-owned third party logistics company in the United States.
Lineage, Inc. is the world's largest temperature-controlled warehouse real estate investment trust (REIT), owned by Bay Grove, LLC. Entering international markets in 2017, Lineage grew into the world's largest refrigerated warehousing company with a capacity exceeding 3 billion cubic feet and acquiring more than 100 companies through the end of 2023. Lineage operates over 450 facilities across 18 countries, with approximately 26,000 team members globally in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Bruce Welty is an American entrepreneur and businessman who designs and builds warehouse management systems (wms) and e-commerce order fulfillment systems. Welty is a founder of AllPoints Systems, Inc., Quiet Logistics, Inc., and Locus Robotics Corporation. He is the former chairman of the board for Locus and former chief executive officer and chairman of the board for Quiet Logistics. Mr. Welty holds 11 patents. His media appearances include 60 Minutes, CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg News.
Quiet Logistics is a third-party logistics (3PL) company headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts. Quiet specializes in providing order fulfillment and returns management services to e-commerce retailers. In November 2021, American Eagle Outfitters announced that it would acquire Quiet Logistics for $350 million in cash.
