It’s a simple fact. People can’t survive without food. When times are tough, we can certainly make sacrifices in other parts of our lives, like our online shopping habits or a remodel we wanted, but not food. This makes food manufacturing a reliable and even diverse industry to run a business in. Yet, it doesn’t come without its own set of unique challenges, especially with its logistics. 

Today, the demand for fast and reliable shipping is higher than ever. Food and beverage companies need to meet the rising pressure to provide quicker turnarounds and deliver their products at optimal freshness to stay competitive. With already complex supply chains, how can a company keep up? Not to mention, what if there’s an issue found or a delay? Don’t stress. We’ll cover logistics challenges that commonly hurt food manufacturing businesses and how working with a third-party logistics (3PL) company, like Trinity Logistics, can solve and simplify your processes for shipping food.

Common Shipping Challenges Faced by Food Manufacturing

Diversity in Scheduling Applications Introduces Challenges

One of the biggest headaches for food manufacturers is self-imposed. Each shipper or distributor could be using a different scheduling portal or application. Some even just use Excel spreadsheets. Because of this, scheduling conflicts and communication gaps are often seen when shipping food. This can be very frustrating to the logistics departments arranging the shipments. 

Furthermore, the carriers they aim to work with may not know how to use the application or might not even have access to it. This inefficiency can cause issues with them scheduling their pickup or delivery appointments. It also can limit access to capacity, something that is truly needed for those requiring temperature control during peak produce season!  

Plenty of Time-Sensitive Freight in Food Manufacturing – Beat Must Arrive by Dates

As previously mentioned, food manufacturers face a growing demand for products that are at peak freshness, especially for those needing temperature control. It’s not unusual for these time-sensitive shipments to be last-minute orders requiring immediate action. Some of these can come in just the day before or even the day before and need shipping right away. Sometimes to help manage the influx of shipments, freight can be assigned with a “Must Arrive by Date” (MABD). This can put pressure on food manufacturers, and missed delivery windows can result in costly penalties. These fees, called chargebacks, usually get pushed back onto the customer and impact your bottom line and service.

Identify Visibility Gaps When Shipping Food

With many time-sensitive and temperature-control requirements, it’s important for food manufacturers to have complete visibility into their shipments. Food shipments often involve multiple stops, so it’s critical to understand where your product is and when it’s expected to arrive. Even though it is valuable, many food manufacturers find they have limited visibility of their shipments. This creates a lot of uncertainty, causing additional gaps in communication and possible delays or disruptions. Most importantly, it can jeopardize the safety of your food product, an important piece to meet the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulation.

Keeping Food Shipping Logistics Budget in Control

Carrier selection for shipping food products can be a puzzle for food manufacturers to figure out. On one hand, you want to work with high-quality carriers to ensure your food products arrive at peak freshness. On the other hand, they cost more. One certainly wants to budget and find balance. Look to pay too little, and you may not find the quality service your products need. Finding that balance between the two can be difficult.

Market trends can also cause unexpected price fluctuations, further challenging their logistics budget. This can really hurt those needing to meet peak freshness as it’s not like they can’t ship their products as they may perish. Instead, they’ve got to adjust and pay the current price.

Food manufacturers must be creative and find solutions to keep their costs down but their quality up. They can consider other transportation modes as options to manage costs, but understanding which one makes the most sense for their product can be overwhelming.

Embracing Sustainability in Food Shipping

Sustainability is on everyone’s minds, including consumers. With global food and beverage production causing roughly 34 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, consumers are holding food manufacturing companies to higher standards. They’re researching more about the companies they purchase food products from. They want to know what positive practices they implement, such as sustainable fishing, the use of ecological pesticides, reforesting, fair trade, or the use of compostable packaging.

TRINITY Logistics SOLVEs Food Shipping PROBLEMS

With over 45 years of serving customized logistics solutions to thousands of food manufacturers, we’re fairly confident in our ability to help you overcome any of these challenges.

We Speak Your Food Shipping Scheduling Language

We’re in tune with most if not all, scheduling portals that food and beverage shippers use. You don’t have to worry about training us! Yes, we could even say we know how to navigate those scheduling apps “with our eyes closed.” Even if we have a newer Team Member who is unfamiliar with it, we can guarantee that at least one of our 400+ Team Members or 135+ Authorized Agents know it and can assist.

Time-Sensitive Titans: We Deliver Your Food Products When It Matters Most

At Trinity Logistics, we understand the urgency of time-sensitive food deliveries. Our Team excels in handling quick turnarounds, making us the “emergency room” for your time-critical freight. We are acutely aware of the potential repercussions of missed deliveries and leverage our strong carrier relationships to secure the capacity you need. These established partnerships allow for better planning and ensure that carriers are familiar with the specific needs of food commodities, pickup, and delivery locations.

Furthermore, in the unfortunate event that fees do arise due to carrier issues, Trinity acts as your advocate. We hold our carriers accountable and ensure that any associated charges are passed along to the responsible party. Our meticulous investigation process guarantees that only the root cause of the problem bears the financial burden.

Expand the View into Your Food Shipments

We’re champions of end-to-end visibility, great communication, and transparency because we know you deserve it. Our commitment to People-Centric service isn’t just our slogan; it’s our philosophy.

We leverage a combination of cutting-edge technology and a dedicated Team Member to keep you informed every step of the way. Use our Customer Portal to see real-time tracking of your shipments. If you’re looking for even more transparency, there’s our Managed Transportation service, offering you a customized Transportation Management System (TMS) solution that works for your business. Between our technology and our Team Members, you’ll find this proactive approach ensures you’re not left in the dark until delivery.

Find Balance in Your Logistics Budget

Starting out, our established carrier relationships not only gain you access to capacity but to leverage our competitive rates. Additionally, we have multiple modes to choose from and our Experts can help you explore which one suits your product and budget.

Now, we understand balance isn’t easy to obtain, so that’s why Trinity Logistics goes a step further in our service to help you find it. For those food manufacturers that build a shipping history with us, we’re able to review your data and conduct a comprehensive review of your logistics. This will give you a clearer insight into your logistics to find room for improvement. We won’t come empty-handed, either. We’ll make recommendations to add efficiencies and see if we’re on the right track for your company’s success.

Adding Sustainability into Your Logistics

We understand the importance of sustainability and are committed to helping you implement it throughout your supply chain. This includes connecting you with carriers that prioritize eco-friendly practices, finding sustainable shipping options, and exploring carbon offsetting programs. If you need further proof, Trinity currently holds a bronze medal rating by EcoVadis, the world’s largest and most trusted provider of sustainability ratings.

Bonus Benefit for Food Manufacturers! Trinity’s Relationship with Honor Foods

As a Burris Logistics Company, we have a direct relationship with Honor Foods. Honor Foods is a leading foodservice redistributor with locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions of the U.S. They have access to thousands of reputable brands and can simplify your purchasing process. Honor specializes in frozen, refrigerated, dairy, and dry products with over 3,000 stocked items from 300+ trusted suppliers. Speed up your lead times and increase profitability with no extra storage space needed. Working with Trinity and Honor, you can get the best of both Burris Logistics brands and gain additional success in your business.

Operating in food manufacturing can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be. Try Trinity Logistics for your shipping and see just how easy it can be.

Food manufacturers have to stay on top of changes, so they don’t fall behind or lose loyal customers. Consumer trends and interests often change, or other market disruptions come out of nowhere. Consumers today care more about health, fast shipping, and the environment. Food safety regulations and unexpected disruptions like the coronavirus have changed the market. Food manufacturers benefit when they choose an experienced 3PL provider who stays informed and can adapt to any changes quickly. This makes for less stress and reduced or no losses in business.

Health Conscious Consumers

Consumers are becoming more health-conscious with their food. They want fewer additives and more natural, organic products. Consumers are buying vegan or plant-based alternatives; food that fits their diet such as Keto, carnivore, or macro-counting. Fewer additives and healthier food mean fresher food with shorter shelf lives. This means quick shipping to keep food fresh and your consumers happy.

Faster Shipping

Due to the Amazon Effect, consumers expect even quicker shipping on everything. Shopping at brick and mortar shops is declining and consumers want to order everything online. According to studies by both Neilson and the Food Market Institute, fifty percent of Americans now buy all of their grocery products online. They want subscription boxes, such as ButcherBox, or meal subscriptions, like HelloFresh, delivered to their doorsteps. Direct to Consumer (D2C) is growing across all industries, especially the food industry.

Environmentally Mindful

With climate change being a hot topic, consumers are more aware of their carbon footprint now more than ever. They want less packaging used for the products they order. They want to know how the brands they shop from stay green and reduce their environmental impact; starting with how the product is made, to the packaging, the shipping, and more. Consumers worry more about how their impact on the environment and that falls back on the manufacturer as well.

Federal Regulations

On top of consumers’ changing demands, there are regulations to keep on top of as well. In recent years, food safety in transportation became a concern, so the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was created. FSMA is still a newer regulation that was put in place April 2017. Food safety in transportation is important, so there could still be changes to the regulation in the future.

Unexpected Disruptions

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rapidly made an impact on food manufacturers in 2020. Uncertainty from the virus caused consumers to buy out grocery stores, creating a high demand for those products. Restaurants shut down or switched to take-out only, causing a reduction in sales. Food manufacturers and the transportation providers they work with had to adapt fast. Hopefully, a crisis like COVID-19 does not happen again, but it is good to be ready for anything and be able to make changes quickly when needed.

Choosing a 3PL provider who stays on top of consumer trends, regulations, and other changes in the food manufacturing industry is important. Having someone who understands your challenges makes working to meet your customer’s demands an easier task.

Trinity Logistics stays informed about what goes on in the food manufacturing industry to better serve you. Concerning the changes mentioned above, Trinity Logistics;
• Makes use of many modes to arrange timely shipping for your natural and organic products.
• Through our parent company, Burris Logistics, we are able to offer you D2C services for faster shipping.
• Is SmartWay certified and has shipping arrangements that are better for the environment.
• Stays knowledgeable on federal regulations that may change shipping practices.
• Are ready to adapt to any huge industry disruption to keep your freight and supply chain moving.

Arranging the shipment of food has become a specialty of Trinity Logistics. When you come to us with problems, we’ll be there ready to offer you solutions. You can count on us.

These days consumers are searching for food items in stores that come from all across the world. To keep products fresh, on shelves, and at peak quality, there needs to be good communication among food and beverage supply chain partners.

Food & Beverage Challenges

Unlike other industries, the food and beverage industry face unique challenges with their shipping, such as;

• Deliveries needed before expiration dates
• items needing temperature-control,
• and items needing extra-careful handling

These are just some obstacles you have to face when shipping food products. These challenges closely connect the food manufacturing industry with logistics and transportation partners.

Shipping temperature-sensitive items? Check our our Temperature Shipping Guide. 

Logistics & Transportation Partners

With freight transportation, communication begins right from the start. Not all freight travels the same, so setting expectations is the best way to get started. Additionally, having a partner who understands the challenges of shipping your products will prove to be beneficial. Due to this, many food and beverage companies choose to outsource their logistics with a third-party logistics company (3PL).

3PLs have experience quickly solving complex freight solutions every day. You can feel relief when working with a 3PL to arrange your freight transportation. 3PLs have a vetted carrier network with experience in transporting food products and many modes to offer you shipping solutions. You can gain the use of their cutting-edge technology to track your freight.

Sometimes you can experience trouble with communication when outsourcing work to a third party. But you can feel confident when choosing to work with Trinity Logistics. You are kept in the know thanks to the communication processes and technology we have in place.

How Trinity Communicates

When you choose Trinity Logistics, you will work with an Account Representative you can trust as your daily point of contact. They quickly communicate your shipping options, the carrier(s) selected, and provide any solutions to problems that may arise throughout your shipment.

You get to choose from several options for tracing on your shipment, including FourKites, MacroPoint, or Trucker Tools. Your Account Representative keeps an open line of communication with access to our portal, emails, or phone calls to give you real-time visibility of your shipment’s whereabouts and estimated delivery time. You are never left in the dark and unsure of where your product is.

Just as a lack of communication can be a problem, in certain cases so can over-communication. Through the use of these applications, we can relieve the calling, emailing, and texting our carriers. This keeps them safe and focused on the goal at hand: delivering your product on time.

Sometimes you need solutions to problems outside of the typical 9-5 workday. No need to worry. You have access to Trinity’s 24/7 Team to accommodate your needs at any time of the day or night.

All Around Communication

If you are looking for an all-around solution to your problem of communication in your supply chain, a transportation management system (TMS) could be your answer. A TMS can help act as a communication hub for all partners in your supply chain. You can gain end-to-end visibility by working in one place, rather than across various sources. Looking to learn more about a TMS and its functions? Download our Guide to Transportation Management Systems.

All relationships need open communication to work well. That is no different for supply chain partners in food and beverage. Each partner in the supply chain should keep in communication as needed to provide full visibility and keep everyone in the loop. This can prevent damaged product, recalls, extra costs, and frustration. You don’t need to worry about communication issues when choosing Trinity Logistics as a partner in your supply chain. We are more than just a 3PL for shipping, but a 3PL for data and communication.

AUTHOR: Christine Griffith