Choosing the Right 3PL and Supporting Supply Chain

3PL, Third-Party Logistics, Supply ChainTara Meier, Vice President, Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Sales Planning, Ruan, 866-782-6669 ext. 1Choosing the right third-party logistics (3PL) provider can make or break your goal of achieving supply chain excellence and have a significant impact on your company's brand.Q: What are some top factors to consider when evaluating a 3PL's potential to deliver supply chain excellence while upholding your brand?A: You want to ensure that a capable and safe third-party logistics provider is managing your loads—your hard work and dedication. Your decision to select a 3PL should go beyond the bottom line and qualify the value that your 3PL partner can offer. Ask yourself: Will this 3PL do what's right, even when no one is looking? Will my goods arrive safely and be handled with precision and respect?Q: How is supply chain excellence related to "doing the right thing?"A: Brands that promote commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility want a 3PL whose values align. Ruan believes environmental stewardship and community service are more than good business decisions; they are moral imperatives. Ruan is a SmartWay Excellence Award recipient for industry leadership in supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency. We design supply chain solutions that emphasize fuel efficiency, energy conservation, and using renewable energy, all of which improve the bottom line. These are savings we can—and do—pass on to our customers.Customers are beginning to expect their preferred brands to combine efforts for social responsibility. Ruan has a long history of fighting food insecurity alongside our customers and suppliers. We have contributed to and coordinated many food collection efforts benefitting local, national, and international concerns.Also, we endow the World Food Prize, which recognizes significant contributions from any field that affects the world's food supply, including food and agriculture, science and technology, manufacturing, marketing, nutrition, economics, poverty alleviation, political leadership, or the social sciences. Many of our partners have contributed to the World Food Prize by speaking, attending, or sponsoring forum events.Q: Why is safety a pillar for supply chain excellence?A: All operational decisions are made with safety in mind—the safety of our drivers, technicians, warehouse workers, our customers' employees, and the motoring public, as well as our equipment and our customers' products.Ruan was awarded the American Trucking Associations' President's Trophy in the over 100 million miles category. The President's Trophy is the highest safety award available to motor carriers that demonstrate innovative approaches to safety and go above and beyond to keep the highways safe.Everything we do is done with integrity, and everything we do has no value if it is not done safely. Those promises are at the core of Ruan's brand and embedded in the solutions for our partners that deliver supply chain excellence.