Retail, e-commerce, manufacturing, FMCG, and almost all industries involve the transportation of goods from one place to another. And to facilitate this transport, logistics plays a significant role. Broadly, it includes first mile, middle mile, and last mile deliveries to ensure safe and smooth transportation of goods from source to destination. Those who have been running logistics operations might be aware of these terms. However, if you haven’t heard or have a little idea about them, then this article is for you. Here, we have explained everything you need to know about these three major processes of logistics management.
First mile delivery- Definition
The process of transporting goods from the seller or retailer to the courier company or company’s hub falls under first mile delivery. For instance, if an e-commerce or any other company ships their products via DHL or any other courier company, then first mile delivery would be the transportation of goods from the company’s warehouse to DHL’s warehouse.
Common challenges in first mile delivery
Packaging, labeling, inefficient resources, poor operational visibility, and incomplete/incorrect details are some of the problems in the last mile delivery. These can be overcome by using logistics management software that offers auto print labelling and AWB generation, order management, and various other features to streamline first mile delivery operations. Automatic label generation, offered by the logistics software, mitigates the requirement of hiring a professional to manually write down details like address, product name, etc. on the packaging. Besides, the software streamlines other order-related processes, which improves visibility, reduces first mile cost, and leaves a positive impression on customers.
Middle mile delivery- Definition
Middle mile involves transportation of goods from one hub to another, a warehouse to the distribution centres or retail outlets, and other facilities. Big retailers, e-commerce, and other businesses with a huge customer base from different regions across the country or world need to focus on the middle mile delivery. An inefficient middle mile delivery system can impact further delivery processes, which might result in delayed deliveries and other allied problems.
Last mile delivery- Definition
Transportation of goods from the last distribution centre or warehouse to customers’ place comes under last mile delivery. It is the last leg of the supply chain operations of a business. Also known as final mile delivery, it can be managed either by using Shipsy’s logistics software (which helps in managing first, middle, or last mile delivery) or last-mile software alone.
Challenges in last mile delivery
Some of the challenges in last leg delivery include poor visibility on delivery operations, inefficient route optimization, delivering orders on the same or next day, and high delivery cost. Logistics management software by Shipsy can overcome all these problems and ensures on-time deliveries at minimum cost and using minimal resources.
Hope the article helped you understand about three major processes of logistics management. Now, if you want to purchase logistics management software or last-mile solution, depending on your particular logistics requirements, then reach out to Shipsy. The company will customize the software and deploy and integrate it in no time.
