In today’s global supply chains, unpredictability has become predictable. Factory slowdowns, port delays, labor actions, freight capacity crunches, changing retailer demands, and shifting tariff policies can turn the best-laid distribution plans into provisional plans overnight.

That’s why supply chain agility has become a logistics superpower.

As Weber Logistics explains in its eBook, Supply Chain Agility: The New Logistics Superpower, agility is not simply a willingness to move faster. Real agility requires the people, systems, technology, and logistics infrastructure to execute strategic changes quickly and effectively.

And, increasingly, companies need that capability before disruption hits — not after.

So what does an agile 3PL actually look like? The following are 10 traits to look for in a logistics partner that can help you build a ready-for-anything supply chain.

10 traits of agile 3PL providers

1. Agile 3PLs understand where the market is headed

When asked about the secret to his success, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky famously said that he skated to where the puck was going to be. Important in hockey. Even more important in supply chains, where a lack of planning can bring your business to its knees.

Are you and your 3PLs having conversations about market trends that affect your business…and what you need to do about it? An agile 3PL not only understands where the market is headed but is close enough to your business to spot the trouble points and provide guidance accordingly.

2. Agile 3PLs stay close to your business

Agile 3PLs leverage insights about your operation to make recommendations. These insights are gleaned not only from data and reports, but also from a greater level of intimacy with your business. The combination results in a truly custom solution.

This close working relationship is often unattainable for any but the biggest clients of large 3PLs. That creates a dilemma for the growing mid-sized manufacturer looking for a true strategic supply chain partner. The largest 3PLs have the resources to help, but not the interest.

Smaller 3PLs may have the interest and the customer-intimate model to go with it, but not the resources to be a difference-maker for your business. An agile supply chain provider sits in the sweet spot – it’s small and nimble enough to act as a seamless extension of your team, and large enough to provide the resources and infrastructure to solve your biggest distribution challenges.

3. Agile 3PLs embrace technology

The tools that work best today might not work as well tomorrow. An agile supply chain provider knows this and embraces logistics technology while dedicating the money and resources necessary to manage and update systems, as needed. 3PL tech capabilities should include, at minimum.

• A full-featured Warehouse Management System (WMS) that can manage your inventory and direct a range of picking strategies
• A robust Transportation Management System (TMS) that optimizes modes, routes, and driver and truck utilization
• The know-how and tools to quickly integrate data between systems using EDI, API – including integration with eCommerce platforms
• Customer portals for supply chain visibility
• Reporting tools that allow you to download standard and custom reports at any time to monitor operations and stay in control
• Warehouse automation that increases throughput with less labor

4. Agile 3PLs make forward-thinking investments

What good is it for your 3PL provider to recommend more warehousing space, more automation, or more trucking capacity if it is unwilling to make the investments needed to provide those things to you? While an agile 3PL won’t necessarily “build the church for Easter Sunday” in terms of its infrastructure, it will make investments that enable its clients to scale upward.

These investments come with a cost, so agility is not free – for the agile 3PL or its customers. But choosing agility is an economical choice versus the alternative of having a distribution infrastructure that can’t support business growth.

5. Agile 3PLs provide integrated services

Agile 3PLs are able to seamlessly integrate multiple services to achieve faster, frictionless product distribution – from the port to the retail store or front door.

A provider of integrated 3PL services is able to adjust in ways that would be impossible with multiple partners for drayage, transloading, warehousing and final delivery. Need the warehouse to open after hours to receive an important incoming container? Need to bump up an outbound shipment from the warehouse to accommodate a retailer? Your integrated 3PL can do those things seamlessly as it controls multiple elements of the distribution process.

6. Agile 3PLs optimize, as well as execute, the work

Agile 3PLs see the big picture. They employ a holistic view of your supply chain ecosystem and leverage data to identify potential issues before they escalate.

For example, an agile 3PL will have a dedicated team that diligently monitors compliance with retailer routing guides. This proactive approach, funded by the 3PL, can save clients up to $100,000 annually in chargeback penalties.

7. Agile 3PLs have in-house IT experts. Agile 3PLs understand the importance of swift project execution. They maintain an internal IT team capable of handling tasks like systems integrations rapidly – within days or weeks, not the lengthy waits you might see with external software companies and developers.

And, when multiple logistics services are performed by one provider, you gain visibility into all moves from a single system. This reduces the chances of information gaps or delays in tracking updates, providing more accurate real-time visibility.

8. Agile 3PLs have automated warehouse processes

With warehouse labor scarce and turnover high, it's hard to rapidly scale distribution and fulfillment in a manual environment. You need an agile 3PL willing to invest in automation on your behalf. For example, a mid-market consumer brand that had sold exclusively to mass retailers was launching a new eCommerce channel that promised significant increases in both revenue and operational complexity.

After being briefed on forecasted sales growth, the company’s 3PL made a multi-million investment in new pick modules and pack-out stations. If a spirit of partnership and trust exists between brands and logistics partners, it’s far easier to scale operations to support business growth.

9. Agile 3PLs provide custom analytics and reporting

An industry-wide crawl toward digitalization leaves brands unable to access crucial data needed to anticipate change and make better, faster decisions. Agile 3PLs will give you direct access to the data you need from their operating systems and provide user-friendly reporting that can be customized to your exact data needs.

10. Agile 3PLs say “Yes”

One underappreciated advantage to working with truly agile 3PLs is their ability to confidently commit to time deadlines. Think about the power that affords you in your logistics role.

The power to say ”yes.”

• Marketing wants to know if you can double order throughput to support a week-long summer promotion. YES.
• Your biggest retail customer asks if you can create 25,000 kits in 2 weeks for a holiday gift promotion. YES.
• Purchasing asks if you can find 10,000 square feet of space to support a short-term inventory build-up. YES.

Turn to Weber for Agile Logistics from the West Coast

If the above 3PL characteristics sound good to you, why not partner with a truly agile 3PL that checks all of these boxes? Weber Logistics has the people, systems and infrastructure in place to keep your operations ready for anything. We’re big enough to get things done, but nimble enough to provide focused attention to your business. To learn more about working with an agile 3PL from the West Coast, contact Weber Logistics today.