In a competitive market such as logistics, you must provide services that meet your customer’s needs. Within 25 years, Amazon built more than 120 million square feet of facility space to serve as quick shipment centers.
Certain fulfillment centers act as cross-dock facilities to transfer millions of packages per year. This guide will give you the ins and outs of your cross dock facility, so keep reading to learn more.
What Is Cross Docking?
Cross docking is a freight strategy for transporting packages and goods. It can be broken down into these simple steps.
The first step includes receiving a shipment and unloading that inbound freight onto a dock. Then, we inspect the shipment to determine its health. After completing the inspection, we sort the delivery items depending on their destination.
After sorting the shipments, they can then offload onto their designated trailers. The last step is to ship them off to their last destinations!
Cross Docking Services
Various trucks contain shipments that may not be orderly. Cross docking is a way for companies to streamline this organization.
Time-sensitive packages cannot stay in storage or get lost in a complicated process. This logistics procedure ensures that packages do not stay in the dock for too long. It also makes sure that shipments arrive at their destinations on time with as little damage as possible.
You can also analyze these procedures to increase efficiency in future shipments. The time you spend shipping can shift into sales forecasts and point of sale trends.
Cross docking services allow for a speedy delivery system while handling items with extreme care. Facilities that specialize in cross docking may only need thirty minutes to complete shipment.
This delivery process can redistribute larger shipments into smaller orders. They can also merge these items into trucks that are heading towards the same destination.
Any supply chain performing this process will see considerable growth in its sales. The quick shipment with minimal damage ensures customer satisfaction. Many family businesses have expanded their services due to their success with cross docking.
Temperature and Quick Storage
Cross docking is also helpful for cold or temperature-sensitive freight. It is costly to partner with cold storage facilities to provide this kind of environment.
Cross Dock facilities can hurry this shipping process by moving items from one refrigerated truck to the next. This can remove the need to store these items in separate units. This can also include medical freight that requires a pre-set temperature.
Cross docking services can pre-set shipments. Much like a bakery preparing food items the night before a busy morning.
Items that do not have shipping confirmation can spend small amounts of time in storage. Once their destinations are set, these items can immediately load onto their respective trailers.
Have a Good Cross Dock Facility
A cross dock facility can provide quick shipments with less risk of damaging goods. This quick shipment process can save you money while providing customer satisfaction.
Visit the warehouse & cross dock page of our blog to find out more about how to increase your sales with our cross dock services!