Cross docking or flow through distribution is a goal of many retailers, but it works better in some scenarios and for some type of goods than others. Cross-docking services involves transferring your cargo from an incoming shipping medium to a different, outgoing shipping medium with little or no time spent in storage.
Laney and Duke has many requests each week from local as well as national trucking companies needing our help to transload products from a container to a trailer or flatbed.
Sometimes the trucking company’s customer requires the load be received to them in a particular fashion that the trucking company was not aware of. As a result, they need our cross-docking services for temporary storage or simply transload their goods from one container to another to satisfy their customer’s requirements.
SO WHERE DOES CROSS DOCKING HAVE THE BEST FIT?
- Use cross docking for products with high, stable demand: If demand is fairly constant, then the inventory serves little purpose, and the product is a good candidate for cross docking. If demand is highly variable or the cost of a stockout is high, then traditional warehousing is probably the best strategy.
- Use cross docking for products for which customers are willing to “wait a few days”: This is typical for larger purchase items such as major electronics or appliances. When a “stockout” in a store does not mean a lost sale, cross docking can become very attractive.
- Push distribution systems should cross dock everything that can be sold in stores now: This model is especially associated with heavy discount retailers, where merchandise is acquired at a discount and everything is pushed to the stores. Customers are used to constantly changing merchandise and inventories.Warehouse club stores take a similar distribution approach for many of their SKUs. When customers have a low expectation that any particular item will be in stock, it is a “perfect situation” for cross docking.
WHAT CAN LANEY & DUKE CROSS DOCKING SERVICES OFFER?
Laney & Duke offers everything you need for cross-docking services in Jacksonville, FL including drayage to and from the Jacksonville ports. Whether it’s stripping full trailer loads or trans-loading onto overseas containers or stripping full container loads for domestic delivery, Laney & Duke has you covered. No matter your shipment or needs, Laney & Duke can meet your unique supply chain requirements.
Let Laney & Duke handle your cross-docking needs in Jacksonville FL to truly see how this tool can help you maximize the efficiency of your operation. Call today for a quote.