An Interview with Joshua Gluck

E commerce and Business to Business Order Fulfilment. 

Ecommerce order fulfilment can be difficult to navigate, whether direct to consumer or business to business.  Many companies have chosen to take their own logistics out of their business and instead opt to outsource warehousing and logistics to a third party supplier.  

In this article, we speak to Joshua Gluck, our CEO (or Chief Box Handler as we like to call him!) for some insight on what outsourcing logistics can do for your business, no matter what stage of your business you are at!  

Q:  What is your definition of ‘third party logistics?’

A:  Third-party logistics (3PL) or order fulfilment is the outsourcing of e commerce or B2B order fulfilment to a third party company. It includes receiving goods, warehousing, inventory management, pick and pack, delivery and tracking, inspections and returns.  A 3PL company facilitates company growth, helping businesses save costs and ultimately scale up their current business. 

Q:  What makes Warehouse Box different to other 3PL companies?  

A:  Based in Wigan (UK) and Poland, Warehouse Box works with businesses across different categories and territories to provide warehousing, order processing, pick and packing, delivery and returns worldwide. 

At Warehouse Box, we don’t just see a box.  We see the love and care that has gone into that box.  Whatever is inside, we know that it means a lot to both our clients and their customers, whether direct consumers, retailers or licensing/distribution companies. 

As your warehousing and fulfilment partner, you can trust us to take extra care of your special deliveries so you can focus on growing your business.  Not only that, we promise fair and transparent pricing with no hidden charges.  What you see is what you get.

Q:  What are the benefits to a business who currently runs their own warehousing and logistics to outsourcing? 

A:  There are so many benefits to working with a good 3PL partner.  One of the main reasons we are seeing a shift in  businesses opting to work with a 3PL partner is cost management. 

3PL providers like Warehouse Box have relationships with shipping companies and couriers, so they can negotiate better volume-based rates on behalf of their clients.  Additionally, by outsourcing logistics, a business can eliminate the need for costly warehouse space, equipment, technology and staff. 

Peace of mind and reassurance that your business is in safe hands with a team of experts also enables you to focus on what you are good at and grow.  

Outsourcing to a good 3PL company enables you to cope with fluctuations in sales around seasonal demand and as the business scales up without huge investment.  

Many 3PL partners have international hubs, so you can easily fulfil orders from overseas, which is great for those businesses who need to overcome the complexities of exports, especially since Brexit.

Q: What about those who may be running a small business out of their home or a small storage space?

I think the misconception often is that as a small business, you cannot afford to outsource order fulfilment and warehousing, but I think you would be surprised! Add up the time spent doing the orders yourself, costly postage and storage, and it is definitely worth having a chat with us and getting a no obligation quote. Think about what freeing up that time could do for you and your business. By outsourcing your order fulfilment, it means you can focus on growing your business.  

Q:  What changes have you seen since Brexit, and how has this impacted businesses?

A:  Since the UK’s departure from the EU, there have been several changes and challenges for logistics that companies have had to deal with. Some of the key issues are:

• Tariffs and barriers to trade.  This may iron itself out eventually, but until countries in the EU agree on trade contracts, importing and exporting products can be complex with hidden costs, ultimately affecting profit margins.

• • Customs and border controls.  Customs checks and border controls have meant extra paperwork for shipments into and out of the UK. This has resulted in increased costs and delays. 
  • Rules and quality standards.  We know that the UK has, even before Brexit, had different rules and regulations around products, such as fabric fire retardancy, but since Brexit, there are extra compliance issues to deal with. 

• Increased admin. Extra form filling and customs declarations has led to many businesses having to employ extra staff to deal with exports and imports from and to the UK.   

Partnering with an experienced order fulfilment business can help save on a lot of the stress, cost and worry of managing your exports and imports, as they can deal with the complexities freeing up your resource.  Adapting to the ever-changing rules and regulations brought about by Brexit.  We have a partnership with a customs clearance agency to make the process simple for our clients.

Warehouse Box has been helping clients move their products around the world since 2013.  The business operates out of the UK in Wigan, and since Brexit has a European hub in Poland, with more expansion into other territories planned. Contact us for a free no obligation quotation by emailing josh@warehousebox.net or fill in the contact form.