Bonded Logistics, Author at Bonded Logistics

Bonded Logistics Hires Ryan Haas as Chief Financial Officer

CHARLOTTE, NC (September 20, 2018) – Bonded Logistics, a single-source provider of third-party logistics, announces that Ryan Haas has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer.

Haas, currently a member of Bonded’s Board of Advisors, previously served as CFO of the family-owned business from 2011-2013 after having been a consultant to the company for a number of years. He brings over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance with companies across a range of verticals that span from small, privately held operations to $1+ billion, publicly traded businesses. In his position as CFO, he is responsible for finance, risk management, treasury, market analysis and administrative functions.

“We’re extremely excited to have Ryan back at Bonded,” states Scott Carr, President of Bonded Logistics. “He has made a big impact as a member of our Board of Advisors, and the timing is right with the growth of the business to bring him back in a CFO role. He’s already very familiar with the company as a whole, and his industry knowledge and experience will help to make an immediate impact on our business.”

“There is so much opportunity for the company to continue its growth and expand its client offerings while staying faithful to its rich history, strong values, and truly unique organizational culture,” says Haas, a Certified Public Account (CPA) who holds twin degrees in Corporate Finance and Accounting from UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business as well as an MBA from Northeastern University. “My role will be to help Bonded continue to build the business while managing risk, identify strategic opportunities, and ensure that Bonded has all the resources (human and financial), tools, and assets that it needs to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.”

Before rejoining Bonded, Haas led all aspects of corporate strategy including sales, marketing, manufacturing operations, logistics, HR and administration for Carrington Court, a furniture manufacturer in Hickory, NC from 2015 until 2018. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Finance for LiftOne, LLC, one of largest materials handling dealers in the Southeast, where he re-designed financial controls, simplified difficult processes, and built operational and financial decision support tools to help grow the company organically and through acquisitions.

“Ryan brings a whole new level of skillset to the company,” adds Dave Jesse, Chief Operating Officer at Bonded Logistics. “His vast financial expertise and leadership skills coupled with his knowledge of our systems and processes will help us better identify and execute growth opportunities. We’re glad to have him back as part of the Senior Management team.”

###

Industry Partner Announces New Strategic Partnership

Exciting news from the Contract Packaging Association, an industry partner of Bonded Pac…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CPA Announces New Strategic Partnership with PMMI

Reston, VA – June 14, 2018 – The Contract Packaging Association (CPA) today announces a new strategic partnership with PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. The agreement enables the CPA to bring added value to members while expanding the association’s vital role in the contract packaging/contract manufacturing industry.

Under the terms of the agreement, PMMI will provide administrative, technical, and marketing support. The CPA believes this will boost capabilities, presence, and valuable member services.

“We are, and will continue to be, an independent association,” said Tim Koers, current CPA president. “It’s all about value and growth. Our industry will exceed $75 Billion by 2020; continuing to grow about four times faster than the markets it serves. Our role, as the leading association for contract packaging and manufacturing, is to continue to innovate on behalf of our members. We will be able to do more for our members, enabling them to address better the markets they serve.”

Now in its 26^th year, the CPA’s mission is supporting the industry and member companies through education, awareness, lead generation, and best practices. Since its founding, the CPA has continued to upgrade and expand its member support services. This enhanced relationship is the next logical step in the association’s evolution.

Link to PMMI press release

Weathering the Transportation Storm

By Valerie Lemond, Carrier and Compliance Manager

There is a climate change upon us but it’s not necessarily related to the weather. It is the transportation industry – and it is starting to get hot. Many challenges and obstacles revolving around capacity, drivers, ELD mandates, congestion, and fuel are influencing the current trends as the winds shift away from the shipper and towards the carrier. This is leading 3PL’s like Bonded to work together with clients and carriers to weather the transportation storm.

Capacity Issues

Capacity issues are already visible in the market and are expected to worsen. The American Journal of Transportation (AJOT) reports that 70% of all domestic freight moves by truck. They also indicated that 900,000 drivers are needed to simply handle the current volume of freight. With a booming US economy, the growth of e-commerce, and increased global activity, truck tonnage is expected to continue to rise despite the shortage of drivers. The increased volume of freight is also affecting the railroads. US weekly rail traffic is up close to 4% over the same period in 2017 according to the AJOT, and Canadian companies have reported a 6.5% increase in volume and a whopping 10.7% increase of intermodal units.

Driver Shortage

It’s truck drivers that represent the most worrisome constraint on US economic growth. The capacity crunch caused by the lack of skilled drivers as well as fewer new entrants into the trucking industry is not new. In fact, it has been talked about as if imminent over the last decade or so. In a recent industry analysis by DAT Solutions, one truck was available for every 12 loads shipped in the beginning of 2018.This year’s shortage is causing retailers to decide if they should delay nonessential shipments or pay higher prices to get their goods delivered on time.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the average age of the predominately male driver pool is 55 years – not far off from exiting the industry through retirement or losing their CDL as tighter health restrictions are imposed on commercial drivers. Annual compensation around $75,000 is the new normal along with the operational challenge of how often a company can send a driver home. Trucks moving on today’s highways are rolling billboards for recruiting new drivers with huge signing bonuses, but it’s yet to be determined if these efforts will truly make a difference.

ELD Mandates

The electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, fully enforced as of April 1, 2018, is also causing issues. Operationally, truckload lanes under 500 miles (short hauls) are becoming unattractive for a lot of trucking companies striving to maintain efficiencies in manpower, fuel costs, and profitability of loads. The same holds true, for example, on a run taking a day and a half to complete. Carriers will price this lane based on two full days if they cannot find work for the other half-day the truck is empty, causing a steep rise in the rate. Technological problems with the devices themselves have been a burden, especially for smaller trucking companies. Issues with the expensive devices malfunctioning in both the tracking accuracy and recording performance of the data are constantly being reported. Other issues reported by Clarrisa Hawes of Trucks.com are problems with uploading into the FMCSA’s (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) system, yet any violation from improperly working ELD’s still falls on the carrier.

Fuel Costs

The most recent challenge revolves around rising fuel costs. The latest U.S. Energy Information Administration fuel pricing reports the average price of diesel reached $3.28 per gallon in May, a 29% jump from a year ago and highest level in 41 months. They could jump as high as $3.50 by the end of the year says Noel Perry, an industry analyst and principal with Transport Futures. According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), fuel accounts for 21% of carrier expenses in 2016 but is rapidly rising. And it’s not just carriers that are immune, ocean carrier MSC recently put out a customer advisory stating fuel prices are up more than 30% this year, and almost 70% from a year ago. All this is again helping the railroads, with Railway Age reporting the Cass Truckload Linehaul Index in April showed pricing up 8.2% year-on-year – the largest gain since the base year of 2005.

Congestion

Congestion is ultimately the largest culprit for costly delays, with the ATA reporting that congestion costs the trucking industry $50 billion annually. The rail yards and maritime ports all report congestion based on heavier freight volumes. For either rail, ramp, or port container yards, congestion and wait times were already proving to be a big problem and the ELD’s have added to the complication, thwarting independent contractors’ efforts to make money as a drayage company as reported by MAREX. The railroads are experiencing increased volume as shippers divert over the road shipments to rail in an attempt to save costs. The down side for the shipper is the additional transit time rail requires.

Not all ports are created equal, either. Some offer 24/7 operations while others do not. Sitting to wait in line to pick up or deliver containers does not make money for the independents that largely comprise the driver and equipment pool at ports, making this line of work unattractive. Other factors include the physical conditions of our infrastructure. With President Trumps’ $200 billion federal plan in limbo, there doesn’t seem to be any help on the horizon.

How We All Can Help

So what can 3PLs, shippers, and carriers do to address these various issues while working together to keep costs at a minimum? And meet service levels? Traditionally, all can become better partners by being flexible to work with, sharing pertinent information, billing and paying faster, unloading and loading quicker, and guaranteeing business for a set timeframe. Other suggestions include the use of digital technologies for better communication; consolidation of freight into larger shipments, longer lead times on orders, and improved turnaround speed for drivers. Having loads ready (pre-staged) for shipping, dock scheduling in time slots aligned with carrier resources (to reduce deadheads for the carrier), hours longer than 8-5pm at shipping/receiving facilities, and locations allowing trucks to park overnight are ideas worth thinking about. Also worth considering is routing international cargo via a port with smoother gate processes and/or longer hours of operations, especially at night, rather than a tight eight hour window during the day. If even some of these things can be accomplished, we may be able to weather the transportation storm after all.

Interested in talking with someone to learn a little bit more about our transportation capabilities, reach out to us here.

Bonded Logistics Celebrates 2018 Family Business Awards Honors

3PL owned by the Carr family recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal as a business contributing to region’s success

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 10, 2018) – Bonded Logistics, a privately owned third-party logistics (3PL) provider headquartered in Charlotte, celebrated its Finalist nomination at the Charlotte Business Journal 2018 Family Business Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 3, 2018. The 46-year old company, founded and owned by the Carr family, was honored along with 10 other organizations for their contributions to the strength of the region.

“It’s an honor to be selected by the Charlotte Business Journal,” stated Scott Carr, President and CEO of Bonded Logistics. “My father and mother started this company back in 1972, and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come as a family business. I think it’s because we all work so well together, recognize our differences, and stay in our silos to get the work done.”

The third annual event, held at the Ritz Carlton, highlighted businesses founded and run by families that exude excellence, innovation, ethics, and philanthropy. Bonded Logistics was one of three Finalists for the large company category (250+ employees) along with staffing firm Elite Resources and telecom Comporium, the category winner. In attendance from the family was Co-Founder Robin Carr, Scott and his wife Susan, Executive Vice President Barbara Carr Woodall, Project Manager Aaron Carr, Financial Analyst Stephen Woodall, and relatives Vickie Carr and John Warner.

Bonded has been a staple in the Charlotte logistics landscape since 1972 when Founders Jim and Robin Carr purchased Terminal Bonded Warehouse and opened Bonded Distribution out of a 32,000 sq. foot space downtown. Four decades later with second generation owners Scott and Barbara at the helm, the company holds over 2 million sq. ft. in 12 facilities in the region. It employs over 300 people across three divisions and is focused on creating supply chain solutions through a broad range of warehousing, contract packaging, and transportation services.

“This is exciting and humbling for our family,” added Barbara Carr Woodall, Executive Vice President at Bonded Logistics. “It can be hard working together, but we do our own thing and we trust each other. We make sure to keep in mind what’s important – our employees. My parents instilled in us early to appreciate our employees, because if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.”

Asked about advice Scott would give his parents if he could go back in time to when the family business was founded, he had this to say, “We are very employee-centric. It takes a lot of different people to tackle the workload at our facilities. So, it comes down to finding, retaining, and treating employees well. We are a faith-based company, so to us that means practicing the Golden Rule of treating others with dignity and respect.”

###

Five Advantages of a Packaging Partner

By Jan McCormick, Jr., Marketing Director

When you look at the advantages a packaging partner can bring, it’s easy to see why so many companies are choosing to go the outsourcing route. According to Mordor Intelligence, the North American contract packaging market is projected to reach $16.35 billion by the end of 2022, at a growth rate of 12.7%. Packaging has become a critical component within the supply chain, but it’s hard for some brands to focus on it because it takes them away from their core business. We did some research with our own clients to find out why they partner with us and discovered five key factors – experience, flexibility, speed, cost, and resources.

Valuable experience

Packaging partners breathe, eat, and drink packaging every day of the year. So, it makes sense that experience is one of the main reasons our clients decide to partner with us. “A lot of times brands like CPGs come to us because they’ve got a problem to solve and we’ve got the experience to provide solutions for them,” says Bill Gilmore, Sales Manager for Bonded Pac. Our Key Account Managers have a broad range of industry experience and act as extensions of our client’s team. We utilize a Tier1 inventory and production management software specifically built to handle the challenges of packaging while allowing clients real-time visibility into our facility. Quality Assurance Supervisors are trained how to inspect finished product to make sure everything is matching or exceeding client standards.

Flexibility to ebb and flow

Managing the ebbs and flows of a production schedule can be a nightmare, but it’s something packaging partners understand is part of the business. We have a large, versatile production floor that can scale up for big projects but also scale back when working on smaller projects. This is especially helpful when it comes to seasonal displays or larger runs for big-box stores like Walmart and Costco. We have the ability to work with our labor force to flex up or down to meet client demands. And because most co-packers work with more than one client, we can manage the workflow to make sure the production floor is being optimized. “Flexibility is an overlooked benefit for co-packing clients, but it’s so important because there’s no way most would be able to handle this type of ebb and flow on their own successfully,” states Jon Hayward, Bonded Pac Vice President.

Speed to market

In today’s marketplace, it’s all about who can get on the shelves or in the stores first. Outsourcing to a packaging partner allows the packaging process to accelerate, helping brands get their products to market faster than their competitors. “Speed to market has become a consistent need across all our clients to stay ahead of the competition,” adds Gilmore. We also help to reduce turnaround times because everything from equipment to labor is already in place and can be up and running quickly once we have everything we need for the project. There is also a mindset of continuous improvement, especially here at Bonded Pac, focusing on getting faster and faster with each production run we make to cut down time in the supply chain.

Opportunity costs

It takes a lot to set-up an efficient packaging operation – including space, equipment, and people to name just a few – and all that requires a heavy investment. By investing in a packaging partner, companies can refocus these resources away from packaging to more strategic growth and profit generating initiatives. There is only so much time in the day, and successfully outsourcing non-core or non-strategic activities allows them to focus on more important things. “Our anchor clients take advantage of this and concentrate their spend on product design, R&D, manufacturing, and marketing where they can get a better return on their investment,” adds Hayward.

Variety of resources

Packaging partners are often packed with resources because they have to be ready for anything clients throw at them. This usually includes being well-versed in a broad range of services, which for us is bundling, kitting, sleeving, assembly, and fulfillment. In order to provide these, co-packers house various types of equipment like shrink sleeve bundlers, steam tunnels, and even filling lines (we have all of three). “Often our clients come to us for a project using one piece of equipment, then see our capabilities and make use of another one,” states Hayward. Utilizing our sourcing network, we can find experienced partners to help with creative design, sourcing corrugate, and purchasing other raw materials. And then there’s the value-added resources like warehousing and transportation to help us become an end-to-end logistics solution.

Thinking that outsourcing to a packaging partner like Bonded Pac makes sense for your company? Reach out to us to see how we can help!

Bonded Logistics Achieves ISO 9001:2015 Standard, Adds to Certificate

Quality management systems audit by MCNA shows 3PL provider’s commitment to processes and efficiency

CHARLOTTE, NC (March 22, 2018) – Bonded Logistics, a customer-centric third-party logistics (3PL) provider headquartered in Charlotte, NC, announces that the company has successfully achieved the ISO 9001:2015 Standard. This comes as a result of a thorough audit by Management Certification of North America (MCNA), who included a recommendation to add three units to Bonded’s certificate.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment for the entire organization to see us achieve the ISO 9001:2015 Standard,” states Scott Carr, President and CEO of Bonded Logistics. “This is not an easy task with so many sites and a wide variety of client needs. It is truly a team effort, and only possible with the help of each and every one of our team members involved with the process.”

The ISO (International Organization for Standards) 9001 Standard provides guidance and tools across various aspects of quality management to help companies be more efficient and effective. This upgrade to the 2015 version, which took place in February, covered five days and five locations. The MCNA auditor reviewed processes and documentation across a variety of areas, focusing for the 9001:2015 certificate on management of risk and opportunities, context of business, and how the supply chain management company’s processes cater to clients and their customers.

“This successful upgrade speaks to who we are and how we do business,” states Wallace Everett, who was hired in 2014 to lead ISO efforts as Quality Administrator/Project Manager for Bonded Logistics. “The ISO 9001:2015 Standard focuses on performance and requires companies to clearly understand their role by combining process approach with risk-based thinking in order to deliver quality services consistently to clients and customers. ISO is not just something we do, it is how we do everything and has become a part of our Corporate Culture.”

In addition to the upgrade, the MCNA auditor recommended three units that Bonded had been preparing for ISO certification. The first unit was Bonded’s new 495,000 sq. ft. distribution facility, located at 5224 Gibbon Road, that opened last year with a focus on meeting ISO standards. The second unit, a warehousing operation at Bonded’s 7335 Statesville Rd location, has been part of the Bonded footprint since 2013 and was ISO 9001 compliant but had not been audited previously. The third unit is Bonded’s transportation division, Bonded Transportation Services, which spent last quarter preparing to meet the ISO standard.

“It’s very rare that after going through the initial audit there are no issues, recommendations, or non-conformances, but we came out with none for each of these units,” adds Everett. “This happens because the groundwork was laid from the beginning, creating and documenting effective processes as we went along so the operations team had everything in place from an ISO standard when they started work.”

This upgrade, coupled with three additional units, means that 8 of 12 Bonded locations meet the ISO 9001:2015 Standard. “Our hope is to get all of our facilities certified under the ISO standard,” adds Carr. “It shows our commitment to meeting or exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

###

Bonded Logistics Chooses 3Gtms Transportation Management System

Robust functionality and partnership approach will help 3PL expand its transportation division

Shelton, Conn. February 21, 2018 — 3Gtms, Inc., a global provider of Tier 1 transportation management software, announced that Bonded Logistics has chosen its 3G-TM transportation management system (TMS). Bonded Logistics is a global 3PL provider based in Charlotte, North Carolina with 2.4 million square feet of facility space across 12 locations. Privately owned, it integrates warehousing, contract packaging, and transportation services to offer single-source supply chain solutions.

Bonded sought a TMS to support the growth and expansion of its transportation division, as well as provide optimization for managing loads across its client network. With 3Gtms, it has a powerful solution to manage all activity, from planning and optimization through rate management, integration, execution and payment. 3Gtms will ensure greater automation for all processes; provide load building and tendering; expand Bonded’s visibility of shipments; deliver optimization capabilities, reporting and metrics tracking; and include intuitive portals for carriers and customers.

“We chose 3Gtms because its Tier 1 TMS platform was robust and the interface was more user-friendly compared to the competition,” said Tom Williams, director of transportation at Bonded Logistics. “The technology has all of the functionality we need and then some, which will help us as we continue to grow. 3Gtms’ partnership approach stood out as well, and we feel like we have a trusted advisor who is committed to our success.”

“As the 3PL industry faces changes and uncertainty, Bonded’s commitment to speed and cost-savings for its operations and its customers will make it stand out,” said Mitch Weseley, CEO of 3Gtms. “We’re proud that our TMS solution will support its growth and our teams look forward to partnering with Bonded to ensure they are successful no matter what the future holds.”

About 3Gtms
3Gtms is the fastest growing Tier 1 transportation management system (TMS) provider and is committed to giving mid-to-large shippers and logistics service providers a competitive advantage through technology. Whether you move $5 million or $5 billion in freight, the 3G-TM solution seamlessly manages the full transportation lifecycle, including transportation planning and optimization, execution and settlement, empowering customers to make better shipping decisions while meeting their service goals. 3Gtms’ reputation for being a trusted partner is reflected in customer satisfaction and retention rates that are unmatched in the TMS industry. For more information, visit: www.3gtms.com.

About Bonded Logistics
Bonded Logistics is a global third-party logistics (3PL) provider based in Charlotte, N.C with 2.4 million sq. ft. of facility space spread across 12 locations. Privately owned, Bonded integrates warehousing, contract packaging, and transportation services to offer a single-source supply chain solution to their broad client base. Since 1972, Bonded Logistics has been committed to providing its clients with customized, innovative, and superior solution-based logistics. For more information, please visit www.bondedlogistics.com.

###

EHS Manager Q&A: How We’re Building A Culture of Safety

By Jan McCormick, Jr., Marketing Director

The importance of safety in logistics cannot be understated. With so many different facets of work we do, whether it involves forklifts, mass production, or hazardous materials, making sure the working environment is safe has to be a top priority. That can take a lot of effort, but if you make it part of the company culture it makes it much easier. That’s exactly what our Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Manager Cynthia Lewis has been able to do since coming to Bonded in 2015. This Q&A outlines how communication, documentation, and a change in mindset are getting it done.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I started my career in the Delaware State Fire Marshall Office holding many roles, including Technical Services and Acting Chief of Technical Services. After that I moved to DuPont where I lead the Safety, Health, and Environmental Communications and Activity Team. We managed and motivated a diverse workgroup to communicate safety messages and engage employees in safe work practices on and off the job. Before coming to Bonded, I worked as a Safety Specialist at Coty US. There I was responsible for ensuring compliance with OSHA and NC Department of Labor. We developed and implemented several sustainable systems for safety training, Process Safety Management, Behavior Based Safety System (BOSS) audits, incident investigations, and communication methods.

What were some of your first priorities after joining Bonded?

Bonded already had a safety culture when I came aboard, so I had a baseline that I could build upon. I spent the first 30 days assessing. I implemented Six Sigma, observed things, put them into categories, and then presented to key executives initiatives on emergency preparedness, maintenance, capital projects, etc. We established priorities for each area, and that helped us start attacking what was important. Documenting was also a top priority. Some of our clients were auditing us and safety is a big part of it, such as security and risk assessment. I also created monthly topics on things like safe lifting and fire prevention. I do training updates and track the number of training sessions. The first year we documented training 1,201 times and we are up to 6,641 times this year.

Can you give some examples of how you communicate safety?

When I started, Bonded’s safety committee was pretty static. I made it more active by having them establish Safety Boards and deciding as a group what they wanted the boards and information to look like. Each year I added more responsibilities like conducting weekly eye wash/safety shower inspections, monthly fire extinguisher and spill kit inspections, assisting with monthly audits, and leading a tailgate topic once a week. This year, they are taking turns leading the Safety Committee Meetings including developing the agenda, taking minutes, and time keeping during the meetings. I worked with management to put in term limits to get more employees involved, keep them engaged, and identify those employees that we can develop into the future safety leaders of the company. I also started a meeting with Facility and General Managers to discuss what’s going on at higher level. I let them know what safety committee members are working on, what they are looking for, and try to get everyone’s feedback. It’s a good way to network internally and share experiences. I also do weekly emails to let all FM’s know what’s going on with incidents at different facilities. Being transparent and showing everyone every incident helps so they can learn from other’s mistakes.

Talk about some of your big safety wins.

Instituting behavioral observation audits is a big one. It’s where you train people on what safe behavior looks like, such as are they lifting safely, are they operating a forklift safely. If you get those unsafe acts reduced, you are going to have less near misses, and that means less incidents. Preventative actions are another, where I established a root cause handout that everybody has to go over when there is an incident, even witnesses. And it’s not just for human instances, but also physical and systematic. I want them to think about job layout, equipment, is it anything that Bonded owns that could be changed or fixed. Gladhand locks have been a recent big win to keep trucks from driving away from our buildings before we’re ready.

How have the employees embraced this culture of safety?

Buy-in from employees has been very good and they appreciate having a safety culture in place. Sometimes you have to convince people that know the culture, but don’t necessarily want to abide by it. They want to cut corners to speed up the work that has to get done. And it takes time; it’s a constant journey with changes all the time. It’s not flip-a-switch. And it’s not just convincing the warehouse workers, but folks in the offices as well. Those folks can get hurt and training them on safety initiatives helps. And when warehouse workers see executive getting trained, then they are going to find ways to make time for it.

How about our customers?

I believe our customers are very happy to see the safety culture that we’ve got. Most of the big companies get it. They get that no one wants an employee hurt, even first aid. But they also look at if from the business side and say it’s just not good business to have an unsafe workplace.

What are some initiatives you are working on now?

I would like to get to the point where I can focus on e-learning, rolling out training modules to catch people at their desks and have them work for 15 minutes to get some training done. Feedback is also extremely important. We started doing employee pulse surveys on the corporate level, and safety is a part of it. I’d like to be able to work on a safety specific survey. I could take the results to the safety committee to see what we need to work on, discuss how we’re going to make changes.

What would you recommend to others who want to build a culture of safety?

First thing is recognizing you have a safety culture, whether good or bad, and establish a baseline. You have to assess the needs, prioritize them, and get to work. It’s also important to recognize it’s a journey and not a destination because even after you get to the point where all your policies are written, you have to sustain it, which is the hardest part of it. Following Six Sigma, five-s, or whatever lean approach, it’s going to be a struggle but you have to keep it going.

Interested in learning how our safety culture can improve your supply chain logistics? Contact us today!

Bonded Logistics Opens New Facility at Metrolina Park, Takes Remaining 124K Sq. Ft. of Available Space

Mix of current customers and new business opportunities prompt lease of entire warehouse by Charlotte-based 3PL

CHARLOTTE, NC (August 17, 2017) – Bonded Logistics, a leading global provider of third-party logistics (3PL), announces the opening of its 371K sq. ft. warehousing facility at Metrolina Park in north Charlotte. Additionally, to accommodate the needs of current customers and new business, it has agreed to lease the remaining 124K sq. ft. of available space in Building 2 of Beacon Partners’ new industrial park.

“It’s always an exciting time when a new facility gets up and running,” states Scott Carr, President and CEO of Bonded Logistics. “There’s so much work that goes into a project like this, especially one of this magnitude, that it feels really good when everything comes together. Special thanks to Beacon Partners and Edifice for their great work on the construction of the building. And a big thank you to our operations team for all their hard work to make sure everything was ready for our customers.”

Located at 5224 Gibbon Road, the 495,950 sq. ft. warehouse is the anchor property in Beacon Partners’ new master-planned industrial complex on the old Metrolina Fairgrounds just north of downtown Charlotte. It’s Bonded’s largest building to date and includes a mix of bulk and rack storage, 32’ ceilings, an ESFR sprinkler system, and 84 dock doors. It’s being used for a wide range of logistics services including distribution, fulfillment, and plant support.

“We are excited that a long-standing and valued customer of the caliber of Bonded Logistics has grown their commitment to Metrolina Park with their expansion,” said Tim Robertson, Director – Industrial Leasing at Beacon Partners.

This new facility has become the centerpiece of Bonded’s now 889,943 sq. ft. logistics campus along Statesville Rd, which includes three properties leased from Beacon Partners. Adjacent to 5224 Gibbon Road at 7320 Statesville Rd is a 176K sq. ft. public facility that currently offers a mix of bulk and rack storage in ambient as well as temp-controlled environments. The third building, located directly across the street at 7335 Statesville Rd, is a 218K sq. ft. warehouse that houses Bonded Pac, the company’s contract packaging division.

“Plans for the additional space are already taking shape,” adds Carr, who is a second-generation owner of the Charlotte-based 3PL. “There’s been so much interest from current customers that it just made sense to go ahead and take the whole building.”

The opening of Bonded’s newest facility brings its total footprint to 2.6 million sq. ft. across 14 locations with over 300 full-time employees in four NC counties. The new building, once fully operational, will employ 75 full-time staff, including 35-40 new employees.

###

How to Make Packaging Multiple Products Easier

By Jan McCormick, Jr., Marketing Director

Packaging multiple products to boost marketing efforts has become commonplace for manufacturers across the consumer goods industry. Take a walk around big box stores like Walmart or Costco and you’ll see promotional displays packed with multiple sizes of apparel, variety packs of soft drinks on pallets, and aisles lined with combo-packs of household or automotive products – to name just a few.

Unfortunately for most CPG manufacturers, the work that goes into packaging multiple products is difficult. Their production facilities and distribution centers are focused on producing, storing, and picking single SKU packaging for their retail customers. Facility space is often at a premium, and because this type of work is done as a secondary step after products are in inventory, it’s hard to justify the cost of equipment or hassle of finding the labor it takes to complete these projects.

So, what do manufacturers do to make packaging multiple products easier on themselves? They outsource it to an experienced contract packager like Bonded Pac. Our resources are planned and designed for this type of environment, specifically when it comes to equipment, facilities, systems, and project management.

Equipment

We house a variety of equipment options when it comes to packaging multiple products together. This includes a shrink tray wrapper that is perfect for bundling a range of products like cans, bottles, or jars into variety packs and multi-packs. It uses heavy, clear film allowing consumers to see the product through the packaging. We also have an L-sealer that is better with lightweight films to put a fully-encased protective cover over variety pack and multi-pack boxes. Our newest piece of equipment is a steam tunnel, which is perfect for consumer goods manufacturers looking to package different-shaped products into twin packs, combo-packs, or bonus packs. And steam provides a much cleaner finish with the shrink film than heat, making the finished product look pristine and perfect.

Facilities

Our 218,000 sq. ft. packaging facility is set-up with the flexibility to handle projects that involve multiple products. This includes bulk and rack storage for raw materials, a versatile production floor, and a labor pool with regular and temporary employees that can scale to accommodate different sized projects. We also have access to over two million sq. ft. of space across 13 additional locations if our dedicated facility is at capacity. This is particularly helpful when it comes to meeting the demands for seasonal point-of-purchase (POP) displays that involve many SKUs and a larger footprint to complete the project.

Once production is complete, value-added warehousing services can help with storage and distribution of finished product pallets or displays to ensure they get delivered on-time.

Systems

Keeping up with projects that involve multiple product SKUs can be hectic, but we’ve put systems in place to make this easy to manage. Our packaging software from Nulogy allows us to inventory and organize all raw materials needed for the project as they come in. It also gives us the ability to manage workflow and keep track of inventory in real-time using scanning devices to make sure we have everything we need to keep pace with production. Our software also allows our customers real-time visibility into what’s been produced, what’s happening on the production floor, and any work remaining.

In addition to packaging software, we’ve established systems to manage production and quality control for each project. This includes producing a first article for approval before production begins along with dedicated leads on each line to supervise and make sure production is running smoothly. We also have trained quality assurance supervisors on the production floor inspecting the work to make sure it’s done correctly and up to customer standards.

Project Management

Project management is one of the areas where we set ourselves apart from the competition, especially when it comes to packaging projects with multiple products. With experience in industries such as apparel, food and beverage, automotive, and household products, our Key Account Managers know all the right questions to ask ahead of time to make sure they have all the details covered. Every customer is assigned a dedicated account manager to work through the entire process, including management of raw materials, production on the floor, and finished products distribution. They also have the ability to help source raw material components like corrugate, labels, or shrink film to make things turnkey for the customer.

Ready to learn more about our capabilities and see some examples of recent work we did packaging multiple products, click here!

Plant Support Keeps the Focus on Manufacturing

By Sean Kelley, Vice President of Business Development

It’s great to see manufacturing on the rise across so many industries, especially automotive, infrastructure, construction, and consumer goods. With the economy trending upward, companies are making capital investments, consumer spending is up, and economic development is booming in many regions.

With this increase in demand comes a need for companies to look within and make adjustments to ensure they are running at optimal levels. This means looking at areas where they might be able to create efficiencies such as expanding manufacturing capabilities and moving warehouse capacity to a third-party. This is where a 3PL can make a big impact by providing plant support services.

Plant Support, or manufacturing support, is outsourcing some or all of the support needed to operate a manufacturing facility. It can take many different shapes, such as inbound container flow, raw materials storage, finished goods storage, inventory management, kitting, and distribution. In addition, by utilizing shared resources such as warehouse footprint, forklifts, and labor, they can reduce operating costs.

To help you get a better idea of our plant support services, check out these three scenarios where our clients were able to increase capacity, keep pace with growth, and operate lean manufacturing facilities.

Increased Capacity

A coatings manufacturer client that stores raw material with us was struggling to fill orders quickly enough for customers out of their manufacturing facility after an acquisition. An analysis of their production plant revealed that finished goods storage had become a big bottleneck in their process. Without relieving this strain on the operation, they would continue to lose sales.

Capitalizing on one of our public warehousing facilities within 10 miles of manufacturing, Bonded expanded the partnership so that we could store and ship raw materials on the front end and pick up finished goods until they were ready for shipment on the trip back. In some cases, we are able to utilize our distribution capabilities to ship orders directly to their customers.

Keep Pace with Explosive Growth

An automotive parts manufacturer was experiencing explosive growth and their current 3PL was struggling to keep up. The client wanted visibility to their inventory, a state-of-the-art WMS (warehouse management system), FTZ capabilities, and a provider that was able to collaborate and help them sustain the growth.

Bonded worked with the customer to help build and now manages a state-of-the-art 135,000 sq. ft. warehouse close to manufacturing that is helping to sustain the client’s growth. Our WMS powered by Cadre Technologies helped meet the need of today’s clients to integrate operations and automate the order process for their just-in-time manufacturing. In addition, our customer web portal, BLI Web, allows them to get updates automatically to their ERP so they have complete visibility and transparency to order status and inventory levels.

Lean Manufacturing

A leading communications manufacturer was looking for a solution to get two of their JIT production facilities running as lean as possible to keep up with increasing demand. One way to do this was to optimize facility space by reducing the amount of raw materials storage from weeks down to 1-2 days.

Utilizing one of our public warehouses, Bonded condensed raw materials storage from the two facilities and now backfills these facilities with daily milk runs. Taking away this raw material storage space allowed the facilities to pick up over 100,000 sq. ft. for manufacturing efforts.

Do any of these scenarios sounds like something that may be affecting your ability to keep up with increased demand at your manufacturing facility? If so, reach out to us to see how our plant support services can help!

Jim Carr, Bonded’s Founder, Passes Away

CHARLOTTE, NC (June 5, 2017) – James A. Carr, Jr. passed away into the presence of our Lord June 1, 2017 after a brief illness. He was surrounded in death, as he was in life, by friends and his beloved family.

Mr. Carr is preceded in death by his parents, Mae Manson Carr and James A. Carr, his sister, Leila Freeman, and his son, Pastor Jim Carr. He is survived by his wife, the love of his life, Robin Carr of Charlotte, son Scott Carr and his wife, Susan, of Charlotte, Jim’s widow, Vickie Carr of Charlotte, daughters Kathryn Carr Warner and her husband, John, of Asheville, and Barbara Carr Woodall of Charlotte. He is also survived by nine grandchildren of whom he was ever proud: Jamie Warner, Erin Warner Guill, Aaron Carr, Camie Carr James, Beth Carr, Alex Carr Harris, Stephen Woodall, Sam Warner and Morgan Carr, as well as four great-grandchildren: Jaedon Carr, Ryleigh James, Madeline Warner and Zion Carr.

He was born on December 20, 1926, to the late Mae Manson Carr and James A. Carr in Maplewood, New Jersey, where he spent his childhood. There he grew up across the street from his eventual wife of almost 66 years, Robin Wood Carr. Mr. Carr served in the U.S. Army in Japan from 1945-1946. He attended Yale University and Virginia Tech before graduating from Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career in New York City, then worked in the corporate world for 20 years before co-founding Bonded Distribution in 1972, a warehousing and logistics business, in Charlotte with Robin Carr. Bonded Distribution, renamed Bonded Logistics in 2001, celebrated its 45th anniversary on February 1 of 2017. Mr. Carr, or “Mr. C” as he was called at work, remained passionate about the business and maintained an office and a presence at Bonded until his death. Its legacy continues under the leadership of two of his children, Scott Carr and Barbara Woodall.

Besides the two passions of his life, his family to whom he was devoted, and his business, Bonded Distribution, Mr. Carr was a Renaissance man with avid curiosity, a delicious sense of humor, and many interests that kept him young. His storytelling was full of great detail and entertained all. At 75, he began taking art classes at UNC-Charlotte and rekindled a lifelong interest in art that had taken a back seat to his career. He loved music, anything ‘Peanuts’ by Charles Schulz, enjoyed tennis for many years, and always had a stack of books by his side. Despite all that he did and all of his interests, he never made one feel that he was too busy. He would drop what he was doing and give any member of his family his full attention. While he – Jim, Dad, Gramps, Mr. C. – will be greatly missed, we are ever grateful for his long and full life, and for his presence in our lives.

Bonded Logistics Announces Plans for 762K Sq. Ft. Campus in Charlotte

Charlotte-based 3PL to use mix of new and current facilities to offer full-suite of supply chain management services

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 4, 2017) – Bonded Logistics, a premier third party logistics (3PL) provider, announces plans for creating a 762K sq. ft. logistics campus in Charlotte, NC. Utilizing a mix of new and current facilities, it will offer a broad range of options for companies looking for supply chain management solutions in one of the fastest growing regions in the Southeast.

“This campus really opens up so many opportunities,” states Scott Carr, President of Bonded Logistics. “Not only does it help us benefit from synergies with labor, equipment, and communication, it also adds another flagship, Class A building to our portfolio that we can market to current and prospective clients. I’m very excited about the growth potential that this campus will bring.”

The campus centers around a new 372K sq. ft. Class A space at 5224 Gibbons Road in Building 2 of Metrolina Park, a new distribution park being built by Beacon Partners. Located off Statesville Rd on the old Metrolina Fairgrounds, this will be Bonded’s largest building and include a mixture of racked and bulk ambient storage to help with the growth of current customers as well as new business opportunities.

“This is our second new facility in two years and our largest to date,” states Dave Jesse, Chief Operations Officer for Bonded Logistics. “We are excited to add a third building to our Statesville Rd campus. This will provide us the opportunity to share resources between all three facilities and enhance our service offerings to our customers.”

Adjacent to the new facility at 7320 Statesville Rd is a 176K sq. ft. public facility that Bonded has occupied since 2002. This location currently offers a mix of bulk and rack storage in ambient as well as temp-controlled environments. Plans are to convert almost the entire warehouse into temp-controlled space once inventory is moved into the new space.

The third building, located directly across the street at 7335 Statesville Rd, is a 215K sq. ft. warehouse that houses Bonded Pac, the company’s contract packaging division. This location, opened in 2013, is a dedicated facility that provides efficient and cost-competitive packaging solutions to help clients gain expertise, increase flexibility, reduce costs, and get products to market quicker.

“We strive to be a full-service warehousing group,” adds Carr. “Not only do we have Grade A food and medical facilities, but also separate hazmat facilities in our network. By adding more temp-controlled space, it gives us opportunity to offer a full range of services to existing and potential clients. With packaging, the closer you are to the customer the better because transportation is expensive. Having a facility so close, it just gives us the opportunity to provide quicker turn around with minimal expenses.”

Plans call for the new building to be completed by the middle of June, and once operational will employ 65 full-time staff, including 25-30 new employees. It will bring Bonded’s total footprint to 2.6 million sq. ft. across 14 facilities with over 300 full-time employees in five NC counties.

“Bonded has been in Charlotte for 45 years, and we’ve seen its growth to become a major East Coast distribution hub with a global reach,” says Carr, who is a second-generation owner of the company. “Charlotte has proven to be not only a good business climate, but continues to offer a well-rounded talent pool for finding the right employees. We feel like growth for the warehousing and logistics industry is just beginning here as demand continues to rise.”

###

Why Companies Rely on Us for Rework Services

By Bill Gilmore, Bonded Pac Sales Manager

One of the areas of growth for Bonded Pac over the past year has been our ability to provide rework services for a broad range of companies. Rework can be categorized in a lot of different ways depending upon what industry you are in, but it typically has to do with repurposing a product for one reason or another. The problem most businesses run into is that this work is outside their day-to-day operations, which means they are limited with capacity and resources. That’s where co-packers like us come in.

Companies across industries like apparel, furniture, medical, and consumer goods have come to rely on us for these labor-intensive projects because we’re built to have the capacity and resources for this type of work. Typical rework projects that come through our facility involve repackaging, repairs, relabeling, inspection, recalls, and returns. I asked some of our customers why they choose us for rework services, and three themes jumped out over and over – quality control, flexibility, and experience.

Quality Control

Quality Control stands out as the biggest determining factor when it comes to providing rework services for our customers. For us, it starts with a complete understanding of the project so that we can incorporate the standards set by the customer. This typically involves getting a statement of work (work instructions), sending a packaging engineer up to a facility, or having a customer come into our facility, to show us what to do. Our ultimate goal is to learn their requirements so we can put together a detailed quality plan that meets or exceeds those expectations. “The ability to do the job and do it correctly was a major part of getting the business,” is the response from a global apparel manufacturer that utilizes us for inspection projects.

The detailed quality plan is put together by our Key Account Managers who provide project management throughout the entire process. They are focused on asking a lot of questions initially, following work process instructions, identifying issues, and communicating back any changes that would need to be made to get the work done successfully. In addition, we have trained quality assurance supervisors on the production floor inspecting the work being done, performing predefined or customer specific audits, and looking to ensure no defects leave the facility.

“The detailed quality plan meant a lot,” states a Fortune 500 tool manufacturer. “From staging first piece to performing audits through check pieces, Bonded’s well thought-out plan and quality control gave us confidence that the job was going to get done correctly.”

Flexibility

One of the frustrating things about rework projects is that it’s hard to predict when they will happen. So when they do, it’s hard to plan or make adjustments to handle the increased workload. “We just don’t have the space in our facility to do this kind of work,” states an apparel manufacturer. But for contract packagers like us, this is where we excel. We have access to a flexible labor pool that can flex up to meet customer demands. Our 215,000 sq. ft. dedicated facility houses a versatile production floor to give us the ability to manage multiple large scale projects. We also have the ability to store and ship product directly to retailers utilizing value-added logistics services like warehousing and transportation.

We have also come to realize that a lot of times rework projects don’t have the final details and quantities are best guesses, which makes for a very dynamic work environment. We had one tool project recently that involved multiple adjustments to the product throughout the process as issues kept popping up. “That flexibility to make changes in direction in the middle of a project is very, very important to us,” states a global quality manager.

Experience

One of the benefits of working as a contract packer is that over the course of our 25-year history we’ve worked with customers in a wide variety of industries to take care of a large number of projects. These projects mainly revolved around primary and secondary packaging for companies in consumer goods, food and beverage, apparel, and hardware industries. Having that experience allowed us to excel when we were asked to do rework projects because we were already familiar with the products involved. “Having experience working in our industry played a big part in you getting the business,” adds the global quality manager.

This experience with a variety of rework services allows us to continue to get better with these types of projects, giving the customer little worry about the outcome. “What’s reassuring is that normally when we start a project with you guys, everyone gives the green light and it just goes,” explains the tool manufacturer. “Typically, we don’t have any speed bumps or road blocks, and even when we do they are dealt with very quickly. It always goes very, very well.”

Let’s face it, no one wants to have to deal with rework but it’s inevitably going to come up. But when it does, know that we’ve got the quality control, flexibility, and experience to get the job done right. “With our limitations,” adds a quality assurance manager, “we definitely expect to outsource to Pac when projects like this come up again.” And that makes sense, especially when they’ve got the confidence we’ll do it correctly and consistently every time.

Ready to learn more about our rework capabilities, click here!

Bonded Logistics Celebrates 45th Anniversary

Charlotte-based 3PL cites focus on customer service and employee dedication as keys to success

CHARLOTTE, NC (February 9, 2017) – Bonded Logistics, a privately-owned third-party logistics (3PL) provider, celebrated in 45th Anniversary of outsourced supply chain logistics’ services on the 1^st of February. What started out as a five-man operation in one warehouse in downtown Charlotte has turned into a 280-employee business with 13 facilities spread across North Carolina.

Anniversary festivities will kick off with a celebration at its N. Graham Street headquarters honoring the company’s founders, Jim and Robin Carr. Over 75 employees are scheduled to be in attendance, many of whom have been with the company for 20 years or more. Mr. Carr attributes much of the company’s success to outstanding customer service and dedicated employees.

“We never expected anything like this,” stated Jim Carr, who founded Bonded when he was 42 years old. “Honesty and establishing relationships with our customers really made the difference getting started.The fact that so many employees have stayed with us for so long is such a wonderful feeling. I always felt they were critical to making sure our business could continue.”

It was early 1972 when Jim and Robin purchased Terminal Bonded Warehouse in south Charlotte from W. R. Grier, Jr. and renamed it Bonded Distribution. Business was up and down in the early years, but the Carr’s stayed the course as operations expanded in and around Charlotte. In 2001, Bonded transitioned to Bonded Logistics with Scott Carr, the founder’s son, taking over as President and Scott’s sister Barbara (Carr) Woodall becoming Executive Vice President.

Today, Bonded operates a 2.4 million sq. ft. warehouse footprint spread across five NC counties. The company’s focus is building customized supply chain solutions through a broad range of warehousing, contract packaging, and transportation brokerage services. Growth is poised to continue in its 45^th year of operation as they open a new 371,895 sq. ft. facility at Metrolina Park in north Charlotte.

“In the beginning, we never dreamt it would get to this point,” added Scott Carr, who clearly still remembers sweeping floors in the early years. “A high level of integrity and transparency emphasized by my father – good, bad, or indifferent – has really been the difference. We are so fortunate to have such phenomenal, dedicated people that elevate us to another level. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come.”

Throughout the month, Bonded is sharing memorable moments celebrating its 45th Anniversary across its social media channels to showcase the company’s history. Visit www.bondedlogistics.com for more information.