SPS Ecosystem

3PL and Freight Forwarder Partner Benefits

Third-party logistics providers, 3PLs, and freight forwarders know the power of effective and timely communications via EDI. Domestic and global commerce would virtually halt without the important role of 3PLs and freight forwarders to ensure that goods reach their destinations, especially when crossing international borders. These organizations are experts in order fulfillment, including preparing and processing customs documentation for imports and exports, which rely of timely and accurate shipment and product information.

However, receiving this necessary information in an efficient and timely manner via EDI can be a challenge. The complexities of managing and staffing an internal EDI solution for its business and customers can be daunting. SPS has partnered with many 3PLs to offer an alternative – outsourcing their EDI.  They can focus their attention on the warehousing and transportation aspects of their business, not EDI, and deliver more to their customers. After all, 3PLs know the value of outsourcing non-core competencies, such as logistics for their CPG and grocery customers, and leveraging the expertise of specialists.

Differentiate Your 3PL Services with SaaS EDI
By partnering with SPS Commerce, 3PL companies gain a competitive advantage by offering SaaS EDI services as a component of their 3PL offering. The 3PL’s customers can leverage the proven technology and expertise of largest SaaS EDI service provider with more than 37,000 customers and established connections to more than 1,300 retailers.  
By outsourcing their EDI to SPS Commerce, 3PLs and freight forwarders can offer their customers even more value, including:

• Proven compliance with trading partner business rules
• Timely revenue recognition
• Faster invoicing and order fulfillment
• Improved transaction speed and control

By using SPS’ EDI services, many mid-sized 3PLs have found themselves better able to win additional business, even when competing against FedEx and other large organizations.

No-Worry EDI
The SPS Ecosystem offers 3PLs and freight forwarders the ability to offer EDI services to their clients without the infrastructure, staffing or EDI expertise required by traditional EDI software. Instead, they can team with SPS to offer a more comprehensive supply chain solution to their customers, reduce their internal IT costs, and enable their customers to customer to focus more on marketing their products instead of worrying about logistics, fines, mis-ships and chargebacks.

With SPS Commerce’s EDI services, freight forwarders can easily receive EDI documents directly from their customers or be authorized to see filtered copies of existing EDI transactions, to automatically receive accurate and timely information they need.

For more information about our specific programs, please “Join the SPS Ecosystem”

“Kamino has freed itself, and its 3PL customers, from the restrictive software EDI model by opting to outsource our EDI to SPS Commerce and using their pre-built maps already in use by other vendors.”
- Lesley Hume, Vice President Sales and Marketing - USA at Kamino International Logistics