Chicago's Leader in Warehousing and Distribution, Presents its Blog:

 Neill Cartage and Warehouse - Chicago's premier full service logistics, warehousing, and distribution company. Servicing the Midwest since 1946.

Leveraging our core competencies in warehousing and distribution Neill Cartage and Warehouse designs and implements optimized solutions that will allow our customers to do one or more of the following:

Reduce total operating costs
Enhance internal productivity
Enhance competitive standing within their industry

We will design, implement, and operate a complete warehouse program that enhances your supply chain.  If you are looking for a comprehensive package, our strategic relationships with other key third-party providers (including transportation providers, freight forwarders, and other regional warehouses) afford us the capabilities to build a complete logistics solution. At Neill Cartage and Warehouse, you will find a management team dedicated to finding the best solutions for your company.

Optimize Capital & Asset Utilization:

Outsourcing to Neill allows you to free up capital and assets to focus on your core competencies. In today’s economy maximizing the return on your investment is critical. By eliminating the brick and mortar investment of operating your own distribution facility and the costs associated with it, you can divert capital and other resources to areas that directly contribute to your revenue stream.

Accelerate Product Movement:

It is a frequent misconception that outsourcing will result in a loss of control. In fact, Neill's management control along with your management’s attention should actually improve control of your supply chain. Added process control coupled with other efficiencies introduced by Neill will result in a greater velocity of goods through the distribution point. Accelerated product movement and lower inventories will translate to lower distribution costs and less capital tied up in inventory.

Open New Markets:

Outsourcing with Neill can enable you to position your product closer to your target markets, providing better service to your customers, and lower your overall costs. These improvements can help open new markets and enhance your competitive standing within your industry.

Public warehousing removes certain aspects of your supply chain management, and outsources them to a professional in the industry.  When you choose public warehousing your goods and items will be storaged off-site.  They can be repackaged, labeled, and shipped all without you having to manage these process.  This can free you and your business up to focus on producing great products, innovating marketing, and taking care of your customers.

There are many benefits associated with choosing public warehousing that you should consider as you make your choice about how to handle the storage and distribution of your goods.

- Your goods and materials can be stored off-site in a public warehouse.  By doing so, you avoid the need to purchase and maintain the space where your goods are kept.

- With public warehousing you enjoy a great deal of flexibility.  You will only pay for the space that is needed and used.

- Your company saves money.  You go from a fixed cost to a variable cost.  Spending money only on warehouse space that is being utilized.

- You are able to utilize the warehouse’s labor force.  With flexibility in the shared warehouse labor your organization will increased profitability.

- You may also take advantage of the shipping discounts some public warehouses can provide.

Because of the many benefits of public warehousing, it is no wonder that more companies than ever before are looking into this option and consider making use of public warehousing for their storage, transportation and distribution needs. Finding a flexible public warehousing provider will create seamless supply chain solutions for you and your customers.

Contact Neill Cartage and Warehouse for all your warehousing and distribution needs!!

Neill Cartage and Warehouse is Chicago's premier full service logistics, warehousing, and distribution company.  Servicing the Midwest since 1946. 

Firms in the truck transportation and warehousing industry provide a link between manufacturers and consumers. Businesses contract with trucking and warehousing companies to pick up, transport, store, and deliver a variety of goods. The industry includes general freight trucking, specialized freight trucking, and warehousing and storage.

General freight trucking uses motor vehicles, such as trucks and tractor-trailers, to provide over-the-road transportation of general commodities. This industry segment is further subdivided based on distance traveled. Local trucking establishments carry goods primarily within a single metropolitan area and its adjacent non-urban areas. Long-distance trucking establishments carry goods between distant areas.

Local trucking comprised 29,400 trucking establishments in 2008. The work of local trucking firms varies with the products transported. Produce truckers usually pick up loaded trucks early in the morning and spend the rest of the day delivering produce to many different locations.  Some local truck transportation firms may also take on sales and customer relations responsibilities for a client, in addition to delivering the firm's products.

Long-distance trucking comprises establishments engaged primarily in providing trucking between distant areas and sometimes between the United States and Canada or Mexico. Numbering 40,900 establishments, these firms handle every kind of commodity.

Specialized freight trucking provides over-the-road transportation of freight, which, because of size, weight, shape, or other inherent characteristics, requires specialized equipment, such as flatbeds, tankers, or refrigerated trailers. This industry sector also includes the moving industry—that is, the transportation of household, institutional, and commercial furniture for individuals or companies that are relocating. Like general freight trucking, specialized freight trucking is subdivided into local and long-distance components. The specialized freight trucking sector contained 47,600 establishments in 2008.

Many goods are carried using intermodal transportation to save time and money. Intermodal transportation encompasses any combination of transportation by truck, train, plane, or ship. Typically, trucks perform at least one leg of the trip, since they are the most flexible mode of transport. For example, a shipment of paper leaves from the mill and begins its journey when they are loaded onto rail cars. Next, trains hauls the cars across country to a depot, where the shipments are broken into smaller lots and loaded onto tractor-trailers, which drive them to printers or warehouses. Each of these steps is carefully orchestrated and timed so that the cars arrive just in time to be shipped on their next leg of their journey. Though some perishable and time-sensitive goods may be transported by air, they are usually picked up and delivered by trucks.

Warehousing and storage facilities comprised 15,200 establishments in 2008. These firms are engaged primarily in operating warehousing and storage facilities for general merchandise and refrigerated goods. They take responsibility for keeping general merchandise and refrigerated goods secure and in good condition. A growing number of warehousing and storage facilities also may provide some logistical services, such as labeling, inventory control management, repackaging, and transportation arrangement.

Trucking and warehousing firms often provide logistical services encompassing the entire transportation process. Logistical services manage all aspects of the movement of goods between producers and consumers. Among their value-added services are sorting bulk goods into customized lots, packaging and repackaging goods, controlling and managing inventory, order entering and fulfillment, labeling, performing light assembly, and marking prices. Some full-service companies even perform warranty repair work and serve as local parts distributors for manufacturers. Some of these services, such as maintaining and retrieving computerized inventory information on the location, age, and quantity of goods available, have helped to improve the efficiency of relationships between manufacturers and customers.

Many companies use just-in-time shipping, which means that goods arrive just before they are needed, saving recipients money by reducing their need to carry large inventories. These technologies and processes reflect two major trends in warehousing: supply chain integration, whereby firms involved in production, transportation, and storage all move in concert so as to act with the greatest possible efficiency; and ongoing attempts to reduce inventory levels and increase inventory accuracy.

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 Edition, Truck Transportation and Warehousing , on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs021.htm.

Neill Cartage and Warehouse is Chicago's distribution warehouse / center for several clients around the world.

What is a distribution warehouse? How it assist manfactures and retailers in local markets?

A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialize building, which is stocked with products / goods to be re-distributed to consumer, retailers, and wholesalers.  A distribution center is a key part, the ordering process, of the entire order fulfillment.  A distribution center can also be called a warehouse, a DC, a fulfillment center, a cross-dock facility, a bulk break center, and a package handling center. The name by which the distribution center is known is commonly based on the purpose of the operation. Neill Cartage and Warehouse services several different manufactures, retailer, and consumer, and is considered all of the above to different clients.

Distribution centers are the foundation of supply chain as they allow a single location to stock a vast number of products.  Since a large retailer / manufacture might sell thousands of products from thousands of vendors, it would be inefficient to ship each product directly from each vendor to each store.  Many large retailers own and run their own distribution center, while smaller retailers may outsource this function to dedicated local logistics firm that coordinates the distribution of products for a number of companies.

Neill Cartage and Warehouse works with both large and small manufactures / retailers to handle their distribution network in Chicago and the Midwest.  We are the eyes and hears for these manufactures as they hundreds of thousands of dollar of merchandise in our warehouses.   

Neill Cartage and Warehouse is Chicago's premier full service logistics, warehousing, and distribution company.  Servicing the Midwest since 1946. 

A Bonded warehouse is a building in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty. It may be managed by the state or by private enterprise. In the latter case a customs bond must be posted with the government. This system exists in all developed countries of the world.

Upon entry of goods into the warehouse, the importer and warehouse proprietor incur liability under a bond. This liability is generally cancelled when the goods are:

• Exported; or deemed exported;
• Destroyed under Customs supervision; or
• Withdrawn for consumption domestically after payment of duty.

While the goods are in the bonded warehouse, they may, under supervision by the customs authority, be manipulated by cleaning, sorting, repacking, or otherwise changing their condition by processes that do not amount to manufacturing. After manipulation, and within the warehousing period, the goods may be exported without the payment of duty, or they may be withdrawn for consumption upon payment of duty at the rate applicable to the goods in their manipulated condition at the time of withdrawal. In the United States, goods may remain in the bonded warehouse up to five years from the date of importation. Bonded warehouses provide specialized storage services such as deep freeze or bulk liquid storage, commodity processing, and coordination with transportation, and are an integral part of the global supply chain.   

Click Here:

All Qualified New Accounts Receive 1 Month FREE Storage.

Neill Cartage and Warehouse is Chicago's premier full service logistics, warehousing, and distribution company.  Servicing the Midwest since 1946. 

There seems to be a lot of talk in the logistics sector to "go green".  If you read the trade journals you will see a lot of information and discussions on green initiatives in trucking, shipping, ports, and warehousing.  First, you must understand there is a very big difference between "going green," and what I call a lot of "green talk," where companies promote themselves and environmentally friendly but really aren't.  With that being said Neill Cartage and Warehouse has taken several actions to become Chicago's green public warehouse.

What sorts of things will you find in one of these green warehouses?

Here are a few of the things Neill Cartage and Warehouse has done or is doing become Chicago's green public warehouse.

Materials and pallets:

New materials other than wood for pallets seem to last longer, are stronger and more easily recycled. 

Neill Cartage and Warehouse uses reuseable plastic pallets.

Paperless Tracking:

The logistics sector uses a ton of paper, but as their IT systems become better, things are now being tracked electronically, without much paper involved. Any logistics company that claims to be green must reduce the paperwork too.

Neill's, Chicago Warehouse, has recently installed a new tracking system which allows them to work almost in a paperless environment. 

Solar power:

Warehouses are perfectly suited for solar power due to the large amount of roof space. Now that solar panels are more efficient and less costly, this is a must for any green warehouse plan.

Neill's warehouse in Chicago is currently discussing putting solar panels on the roof with their energy company.  We will have more to blog about this matter in a few weeks! 

Lighting:

Use LED ultra-low wattage light bulbs, some as low as 3 watts or less.  Turning light off when they are not needed.  Also use sky lights to provide natural light through out the building.

Neill's, Chicago warehouse, was designed to use natural light to provide most of its lighting.  We have sky lights in every other bay that provide plenty of natural light.  All of our light bulbs are LED ultra-low wattage.   

Hydrogen cell Fork Lifts:

If we are truly worried about CO2 emissions and the air quality for the workers in warehouses why not move to hydrogen cell forklifts. Many warehouses have converted to electric units, but hydrogen cell seems really leading edge.

Neill's next fork lift purchase will mostly likely be an electric unit.  We currently are operating propane powered fork lifts, but would like to start using something a little more green. 

If you have any suggestions for Chicago's green public warehouse we would love to hear them.  We are always looking for more efficient ways to go green. 

Neill Cartage and Warehouse is Chicago's premier full service logistics, warehousing, and distribution company.  Servicing the Midwest since 1946. 

Warehousing might be public, private or contracted. A private warehouse facility is owned or operated and manned by the owner of the products it contains. A public warehouse rents space, typically by the square foot or pallet, and could charge for some other services, such as accepting or perhaps loading goods.

A contract warehouse facility is not owned or operated by the organization whose products it holds, but there is a agreement set between the warehouse operator to the tenant. Normally, staff and management of the merchandise kept are generally part of the agreement. In a real sense, a contract warehouse is an important component of the company whose products are kept there. They will become somebody which assumes order fulfillment services, pick and pack services or even additional logistic tasks.

Advantages of Contract Warehousing

Contract warehousing companies provide a great deal of expertise for logistics demands. Contractors will be experienced in warehouse operations and supply chains. They often have knowledge that business owners don't have. Because there is a long-term association set up, it is in their interest to see that your project goes well.

A contract warehouse can do each of the jobs an in-house operation would likely manage. They will recieve supply and hold products. They're going to pick-and-pack for distribution and supply order fulfillment services. In a nutshell, each of the duties a private warehouse would most likely perform.

A number of contract warehouses offer even more. They have distributor networks set up and associations with other services, allowing them to pre-ship in large quantities to depots across the region. For the majority of entrepreneurs, a fulfillment center gives a complete logistical plan. This frees the company manager to focus efforts into other responsibilities of their business including manufacturing as well as revenue.

Disadvantages

Since this is a contractual relationship, there could be problems if the agreement is finished prematurely. It may be difficult or impossible to alter the contract once it is in effect. This can additionally end up being to your own advantage, so the facility will be bound to the terms and conditions of the agreement. This means that alterations in the business conditions may involve spending money on warehouse services which are not getting used.

While in the contrary circumstance, auxiliary area is usually available to augment increased area demands. Numerous contract warehouses contain both a contract and also a open public sections. The public part may be leased to cover high demand circumstances.

One more drawback arrives when the contract warehouse isnt furnishing a high standard of customer care. Be certain you decide on a honest company to take care of your fulfillment needs.

Charges can be a problem if it is not addressed beforehand. A contract warehouse has a set overhead to satisfy. These people may need to cover equipment or offerings you do not use (like cooling). Make sure you simply buy offerings you need.

Lastly, a contract warehouse center is really a separate business entity. Make sure you work on somebody professional and stable which can certainly fulfill your requirements.

Click Here: All qualified new clients receive 1 months free storage.

When manufacturers or importers find themselves without storage facilities they may often try to deal with the problem by building their own spaces on site. However, unless this is ongoing business, this can usually prove to be an expensive way to do it. On the scene is the Chicago public warehouse facility which will take care of excess stock until the end user is ready for it. Chicago fulfillment takes care of the needs of manufacturers and importers when they find themselves unable to handle all the goods.

The problem lies with one off or larger than normal orders for goods that have to be supplied at a future date. The importer or manufacturer cannot hope to store the goods in good condition because he is normally more concerned with delivery dates. However, making use of other storage facilities in the area will allow him to take on more work to allow him to focus on his core buisness. For example, take the importer who will supply a certain number of goods to a nationwide chain of outlet stores. When his goods come into the country, very often they are huge amounts which have to be broken down. Now what he needs are facilities where these bulk goods can be broken down, repackaged perhaps, and sent on to the vendors in the countryside. This can be a logistical nightmare, particularly for small suppliers, so having the ability to use space that is rented is a godsend to say the least.

He will not have to rent space, rent workers to repackage, or indeed, find the packaging because very often the warehouse facilities (3PL) will handle all of it.  It would be a one stop shop for anyone who imports goods. Once he has taken the order and his goods arrive in the area, he can then leave it to the storage facility to carry on with the work leaving him free to carry on selling.


These storage facilities usually have high ceilings, good ventilation and sometimes controlled temperatures which may be necessary in some circumstances. It also means that he can relax in the knowledge that the goods will not perish therefore no losses. State of the art lifting and loading machines also mean that the goods will not be damaged while the goods are away in storage. Otherwise this would bring complaints from all sides for sure. Once his reputation is shot, he will find it hard to gain the trust of his customers back so it is better to keep everything safe in the first place.

Of course, contracting these services out to other people does not come cheap, however, the cost is borne by the end user who accepts what he has to pay.

 Click Here: All qualified new accounts receive 1 month free storage.

If you can't keep up with today's technology and growth you will not last very long in this economy; it is very demanding for everyone. Each company demands so much from the next and the next right on down the line to where it literally forces each business to move forward and improve their existing ways. In order to provide excellent service and stay ahead of the competition.  Take warehousing for example; instead of just renting or buying out a large building and storing boxes you must have some state of the art equipment to run a profitable company.  Warehousing is a very large industry, if you have a company that made a house hold item that was widely distributed to all of the major department stores but you were based in Chicago you would more than likely choose a local Chicago Public Warehouse to handle warehousing and distribution.  This would free up space at your planet, and also keep traffic down from pick-ups and delivers.

The average warehouse has very high ceilings; along with many shelving units and maintain high quality storage facilities; some provide a repacking service with shrink wrap which is very important keeping items from damage or freshness. The service needs to be efficiently run to ensure the products safety including keeping items cold or frozen; which require special refrigerated departments. And with that they would also need back-up generators in case a loss of power, these things are very important; considering damages could be in the millions.

Inventory is also important to consider and losing a company's product is not very professional; many warehouse use computerized inventory to ensure quality storage. In this time and age even a warehouse facility should provide unique needs for the consumer's demands which can actually be very extensive; but if you cannot provide what they are looking for in a service then they will go somewhere else for their needs.

Having a door to door service is excellent public relations even having a direct store delivery arranged; you need to make your customer happy with the services you provide. Pick up their merchandise right from the factory and delivering directly to the warehouse, track all of the inventory instantly, package and shrink wrap all of their products. Then when it comes time from delivery to the final destination whether it be a department store or a restaurant it will be delivered right from you and they know that they can depend on your services no matter what it is.

So all in all you know what your customers needs are and it is your responsibility to provide quality service to them with state of the art technology and excellent security to protect the consumer's interest and products. Public Warehouses and logistic divisions are a good way to protect and store any product and deliver them in a timely manner.

Many companies are deviating from having their own warehouses and transportation services to that of contracting with various fulfillment services such as Neill Cartage & Warhouse. The use of third party logistics, or 3PL, means a substantial cost savings to companies who would ordinarily have to lease or otherwise contract these services. For the small company who lacks space for building a warehouse, with room for a fleet of trucks, the cost can be prohibitive. For companies who have the space, but don't currently have warehouse or transportation services, the capital expenditure may not be within the scope of their current budget allowance.

For many companies, contracting with a fulfillment services company is easier and cheaper than doing the work themselves. After all, they don't have to worry about storage, transportation, or distribution of the material. With a phone call to the 3PL company, they arrange for the material to be shipped to their customer or they pre-arrange a schedule for a specified amount of product to be released to the customer on certain days of the week or month. They don't even have to call a trucking company, since most fulfillment services companies have their own fleet of trucks for transportation of goods. It takes the responsibility off the company, and they can concentrate on producing more product.

Qualified new clients can receive 1 months free storage.