Contract Packaging Services

Turn-Key Contract Packaging Services

With an expert staff of in-house engineers and professional packagers, Jacobson Packaging can serve as your single source for package design and development, materials sourcing, packaging and sub-assembly. By combining efforts with sister companies, we offer a seamless supply chain management system that can cover everything from package conception through production to storage and distribution.

Custom packaging design Product testing and inspection Blister packaging Skin packaging Bagging Custom pick and pack Fulfillment Industrial assembly Pallet displays and other retail displays Shrink packaging and pre-packs

State of the art labeling capabilities Custom filling Multipacks Turn-key consignment services Bulk to package EDI inventory management Kosher and AIB certification FDA approval USDA inspector on-site

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From Inbound's 3PL Survey page says,

“Each year, in its July issue, Inbound Logistics publishes the most definitive resource on third-party logistics and the outsourced logistics market. If you are already a subscriber, you know that we ask our readers which third-party logistics companies provide excellent service, and publish the results. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can get a list of this year's Excellence Survey winners, as well as the Top 100 third-party companies in the world, by checking the box below.

We're now conducting next year's 3PL Excellence Survey. The results will be presented in the July 2010 3PL issue. Give us your input and we'll express our appreciation by entering you in a drawing for a free 18-carat gold Parker pen, which includes a coupon for free engraving.”



For more information about Jacobson Companies, a supply chain management provider, please check out our website.

Jacobson Warehousing Services

Reducing costs, guaranteeing service and reliability, and reducing capital investment requirements are just a few reasons why customers choose Jacobson Warehousing.

Solutions to warehousing and distribution are “where it all started” with Jacobson back in 1968. Today, warehousing remains at the core of our supply chain management services. Our national network of third party warehouse facilities provides flexible national public warehousing services, contract warehousing services and on-site plant distribution centers. Tap into our national network, our warehousing solutions feature over 145 strategically located distribution centers, totaling over 30 million square feet nationwide, making us one of the nation's largest warehousing providers.

Services We Offer

* Contract and dedicated facilities that facilitate change and reduce costs
* Public/Multi-tenant warehousing for the flexibility you need
* On-site support of manufacturing facilities
* Temperature controlled warehousing (cold and frozen)
* Hazardous goods storage & handling
* Campus-based labor sharing
* Automation, sortation and fulfillment (high volume/high SKU’s)
* Retail mixing center operations
* Reverse Logistics – offering inspection, re-stocking, recycling & disposal of goods.
* Quality Management Systems (QMS), which increase customer service and reduce errors
* Procurement of raw materials & packaging

For more information on Jacobson, a supply chain management company, please visit our site!

Outsourcing and respect

The idea of outsourcing often comes about when the CEO, controller, or another member of senior management reads an article—or has been speaking with a 3PL—about saving a minimum of 10 percent or more of their logistics costs by turning to a third party. However, I've found that these “savings opportunities” are often purely theoretical and are only supported by management due to their lack of logistics knowledge or their lack of confidence in the ability of its logistics team to efficiently manage its processes.

Of course, there are other times when the outsourcing conversation is sparked by the urgent need to reduce headcount.

The transportation teams that feel especially threatened are those that lack the experience, leadership, talent, knowledge, process excellence, and contingency strategies to guide their companies through today's global market. They often fail to anticipate and prepare themselves for tomorrow's challenges. And it often takes just one unpleasant and costly surprise to jumpstart the outsourcing movement in teams like these.

When I hear transportation leaders tell me that their companies keep reminding them that they're just another cost center, I tell them that it's their fault that management doesn't see them as a value-add to the organization. This tends to lead into the question: How do I get some respect?

The answer is simple. It's all about education and managing expectations—neither of which start in the middle of a crisis. Earning respect starts with your knowledge and command of the marketplace and your transportation governance, and it ends with programs that you have created to educate senior management and other organizations on a regular basis. As a quick reminder, I define transportation governance as “the direction and control associated with creation, administration, oversight, and enforcement of your company and supply chain's policies, regulations, and procedures related to the legal, safe, efficient, and service-effective movement of freight it controls either directly or indirectly.”

Transportation governance has both direct and indirect aspects. Direct governance includes: your carrier criteria and operating protocol/guidelines; selection and management of your carrier base; carrier due diligence evaluations, contract models and supporting documents; process with defined/flows/inputs-outputs; metrics and measures and dashboards; carrier performance reviews and process improvements; a carrier council to streamline processes and improve carrier and company productivity; greenfield projects and process improvements; and, of course, audits and benchmarking. Indirect governance, on the other hand, includes your command of the transportation industry including regulatory and political issues as well as a comparison of your approach to industry challenges versus that of your peers.

Read the rest of the logisticsmgmt.com article here.

New Study Highlights Role of Third-Party Logistics Providers in Helping Shippers Adapt to Economic Challenges

The fourteenth Annual Third Party Logistics (3PL) Study examining the current global market for logistics outsourcing was recently released. The study surveyed shippers and logistics service providers in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Key findings included:

* The economic downturn has created significant challenges for both shippers and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) – 82% of shippers are employing cost-cutting tactics and 60% are rethinking their supply chains and relationships with 3PLs
* 88% of shippers feel that IT-based logistics services are important, but only 42% are satisfied with the capabilities of their provider – as a result of this IT capability gap, shipper respondents reported a lack of the key performance indicators, alerts and visibility required for an adaptive supply chain and 3PLs reported similar difficulties in getting the data and commitment they need from shippers
* There are significant differences between how 3PLs evaluate their role in the supply chain and how they are viewed by shippers – 59% of shippers feel their use of 3PLs has a positive effect on customer service compared to 88% of 3PL respondents
* Shipper respondents devote an average of between 47% (in North America) and 66% (in Europe) of their total logistics expenditures to outsourcing and this is expected to increase in the next five years.

“Shipper-3PL relationships are being impacted significantly by the prevailing uncertainty and economic volatility in global markets,” said Dr. C. John Langley Jr., Professor of Supply Chain Management, Georgia Institute of Technology. “It is very important for 3PLs to mitigate or reduce any financial risk or service level impact that this may cause.”

Economic uncertainty and the use of 3PLs
Economic volatility has challenged shippers and 3PLs alike to contend with factors such as unpredictable demand, instability in fuel costs and currency valuation, and excess inventory. In response, not only are shippers attempting to cut costs, 77% are also seeking to improve forecasting and inventory management.

Cost reduction and improved reliability in services are the main factors likely to increase shipper respondents’ use of 3PLs. This includes converting fixed to variable costs (59%), expanding to new markets or offering new products (56%), and restructuring the supply chain network to improve financial performance (48%).

Read the rest of the mhia.org article here.

Transportation News: DOT reports Freight Transportation Services Index is up 1.6 percent from June to July

Following flat growth from May to June, the United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that its Freight Transportation Services Index (Freight TSI) was up 1.6 percent from June to July.

This jump represents the first sequential increase since February and is the biggest monthly gain since January 2008, according to the BTS.

The July Freight TSI at 95.5 outpaces May and June’s matching 94.0, which were the lowest level the Freight TSI hit since June 1997. July falls short of the historic peak of 112.9 from May 2006, and the cumulative 4.8 percent drop over the first seven months of 2009 is the second largest in the past decade, with the 5.9 percent decline over the same time frame in 2000, being the largest, noted the BTS.

Despite the sequential uptick, the current Freight TSI level is the lowest July level it has been since 1997’s 94.8. And the 13.5 percent year-over-year July decrease is its biggest decline for that period in 20 years.

Even though there are indications the recession may be beginning to abate, that has not translated into increased freight volumes on a meaningful level. But U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said it is a step in the right direction.

“The rise in the freight index for the first time since February is a sign that the economic recovery is beginning,” LaHood said in a statement. “Between the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the cash for clunkers program and other actions this Administration has taken, I am hopeful that the economy is starting to turn around. However, despite this tangible sign of progress, we all know that we still have a long way to go. We will redouble our efforts to make sure transportation infrastructure is one of the drivers for the future.”

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, and it includes data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines, and air freight.

Read the rest of the Logistics Management article here.

Inbound Logistics Names Jacobson to 2009 Top 100 3PL List

Des Moines, IA – Jacobson Companies, a national leader in supply chain management solutions, has recently been named to the 2009 Top 100 3PL list by Inbound Logistics, a leading publication for demand-driven logistics.

"Tactical operational results are fundamental to 3PL value, but so is the strategic vision of experienced logistics providers. Today's business logistics leaders say they appreciate 3PLs that are proactive, take the lead in offering suggestions, and help transform the enterprise. Jacobson has shown consistent results in transforming customers' logistics and supply networks, businesses, and enterprises” added Stratton.

"Strategic supply chain vision is a key measurement of 3PL excellence.” says Felicia Stratton, editor of Inbound Logistics. “For having that vision, Inbound Logistics editors recognize Jacobson as a 2009 Top 100 3PL Provider."

The editors of Inbound Logistics select the Top 100 3PLs based on the need of customers and the companies’ skills sets and resources which meet those needs. This year’s top 100 was selected from a pool of more than 300 companies.

About Inbound Logistics
Inbound Logistics the leading trade magazine targeted toward business logistics and supply chain managers. The magazine's editorial mission is to help companies of all sizes better manage corporate resources by speeding and reducing inventory and supporting infrastructure, and better matching demand signals to supply lines. More information is available at www.inboundlogistics.com

About Jacobson Companies
Jacobson Companies was founded in 1968 by Richard Jacobson. The initial Jacobson Warehouse facility was a 96,000 square foot building in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Jacobson Companies offers the following integrated solutions: Warehouse Operations Management, Total Freight Management, Full Truckload and Asset Based Solutions, Contract Packaging and Manufacturing Services, Total Staffing Solutions and Temporary Services. The company serves the needs of leading manufacturing companies, providing full-service, seamless solutions to the complexities of supply chain management and helping clients achieve a greater return on assets. Today, Jacobson operates more than 34 million square feet of warehouse space in over 180 facilities across the United States with over 6,700 employees.