Protect Your Products and Streamline Your Logistics Operations
Distribution and eCommerce industry thought leaders are always looking for new ways to strengthen their operations while still staying lean by reducing wasteful processes. Amidst workforce scarcity, many companies in these industries are moving toward automation to get a productivity boost. Though just one piece of a much larger strategy, shipping containers used in the eCommerce and distribution supply chain can benefit from automation.
Research shows a low adoption rate of automated processes by businesses across various sectors. However, eCommerce leads the pack with a 39% automation adoption rate as of April 2023. Across the industry, these adoption leaders are making the most of their current state of digitization while keeping automation on the horizon.
Business challenges are rarely static, but automation has the potential to solve many of them. The implementation process can be long, but having the right products by your side can make a notable difference by helping move your business forward and easing the transition to automation. An experienced partner like Flexcon, which has experience helping thousands of businesses make this shift, can simplify the process.
Barriers to Automation in eCommerce and Distribution Operations
While the industry is moving toward automation, some barriers can still cause decision-makers to struggle and resist the transition. According to a study by VECNA Robotics, Cost and ROI impact 54% of respondents, with 44% considering it their most significant barrier to automation. Other barriers include:
- Training and change management.
- Implementation complexity.
- Integration challenges.
- Operational fit.
- Performance concerns.
- Union issues and staff resistance.
While these barriers fluctuate in importance depending on the size of the operation, they all play a role in slowing down the acceptance and practicalities of adopting automation.
Right-Sizing Solutions for Flexcon Customers
Amidst these automation challenges, finding the right shipping container solution has to be a high priority for distribution directors across the eCommerce industry. Flexcon can assist by providing and going over a comprehensive product catalog while maintaining long-term relationships with our clients to help them find the solutions they need now and in the future.
As a part of that process, we partner with each of our customers to determine their exact needs, including:
- The right product.
- For the right area and size of operation.
- In the correct size.
Every client we work with can benefit from this right-sizing approach. Flexcon listens first to pinpoint unique client needs, providing tailored solutions for those needs and goals.
Providing Common eCommerce and Distribution Center Container System Components
Most distribution centers tend to leverage four to five styles of containers when looking to improve their operations. Understanding the nuances of these different styles and the available options is paramount to finding the storage solution that will work best for your eCommerce or distribution business. These styles include:
- Bulk boxes can store and stack high-weight items while being flexible enough to simplify transport and distribution.
- Attached Lid Containers increase security and efficiency by protecting products and, with nesting features, also free up additional transport space on return trips.
- Plastic Pallets are designed for easier transport within and between distribution centers while reducing waste.
- AS/RS Totes and Bins are designed for automated conveyors, sorters, and vertical lifts, the combo of which can increase space in warehouses and vehicles.
- Hopper Front Containers offer a half-open front side, useful for storage with good product visibility and easier access to items. Perfect for shipping smaller eCommerce goods.
- Straight-Wall Stacking Containers save space without compromising quality, allowing for stacking and load unitization.
- Stackable and Nestable Containers are heavy-duty containers and feature add-on lids. These two features make them highly versatile.
- Custom Containers are designed to client specs for any potential use in distribution centers and logistics facilities.
Keeping Your Operation’s Big Picture in Mind
The options above are just the beginning. Flexcon offers container solutions for every phase of the distribution operation and can manufacture custom solutions for any stage as needed:
- Organizing products within a more extensive eCommerce catalog to maintain efficiency in picking and storage.
- Sorting products into different styles and types without losing inventory oversight.
- Containing products while maintaining their quality and avoiding damage.
- Picking products through automated and manual systems while saving time on the search.
- Packing products for distribution to local centers or end customers.
- Shipping products safely to ensure reliable arrival at their final destination.
The process begins with an initial call to discuss the issue your business is trying to solve. Then, the customization begins. We work with logistics and distribution directors with one or multiple locations, providing packs, subassemblies, and anything else you might need to protect, move, or store your products.
Why Partner with Flexcon?
For us, every customer is unique by default. We always use opening conversations with a new client to focus not on our products but on your needs, goals, and the challenges your business currently faces. From there, we’ll create a proposal and make a recommendation on the container solution we know will solve your problem.
Flexcon has forged hundreds of ongoing relationships with eCommerce brands, distribution centers, and other clients through this customer-first approach. We offer our clients versatility, the kind that can identify a solution for any unique situation and with a fair price point.
Because we exceed customer expectations, we form lasting relationships. That level of service excellence is the basis for the ongoing partnerships and relationships we have developed over the years and the level of innovation we can deploy to help you and your business maintain the high standards your customers and supply chain partners have come to expect.
