Product types

What sort of products would we be helping you with? It’s helpful to know about things like…

• Size & weight
• Fragility
• Hazardous nature
• Shelf life
• Product variants
• Seasonal variations

Customer details

Share anything you think might be useful about your customer base. That might include info about the following:

• Product returns
• Seasonality or volume spikes
• Shipping preferences
• Product preferences
• Anticipated growth (e.g., a retail customer planning to open new locations)

Locations

Tell us about where your products will be going. It helps to know things like…

• Geographical distribution
• Residential vs business vs warehouse
• Special delivery requirements
• Special regulatory requirements

Services

Here are short descriptions of our primary services. If you need more info on any of them, click here to open our website in a new tab. 

• Amazon FBA – We can prep your products when a portion of your line is “fulfilled by Amazon.”
• Cross Docking – We can unload ocean containers and road trailers, palletize as needed and get you back on the road.
• Display Builds – We can design, build, test and deploy your retail displays.
• E-Commerce Distribution – We can ensure that your online customers get exactly what they ordered.
• Final Assembly – We can help your company with final assemply and packaging of your products.
• Home Delivery – We can get your products to your customers’ front doors.
• Home Shopping Networks – We can ensure that massive demand for your featured products are met.
• Kitting – We can combine multiple products to send to your customers.
• Liftgate – We can ensure that your large products are delivered safely with liftgate service.
• Manufacturing Support – We can store materials needed in your manufacturing process.
• Repackaging – We can support your brand by repackaging
• Retail Distribution – We can help you meet the special compliance needs of retail.
• Special Labeling – We can provide different labeling for different customers.
• Subscription Services – We can ensure that your subscription customers get their products right on time.

Volume

Understanding the monthly shipping volume of our clients is essential for capacity planning, resource allocation, and maintaining high service levels. This information enables us to allocate sufficient personnel, transportation resources, and warehouse space, ensuring that we can handle the volume efficiently and meet delivery commitments without delays or disruptions.

Inventory

Knowing the amount of inventory a client wants us to store in our warehouses is impartant for resource allocation, optimal space utilization, and efficient order fulfillment. This information allows us to plan warehouse layout, manage stock levels, and ensure that the right products are available when needed, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and meeting customer demands effectively.

Order management

Order management policies are the rules and regulations that dictate how orders are handled and fulfilled. These policies often include guidelines for order cut-off times, packaging standards, shipping methods, delivery timeframes, and return procedures. They ensure that all orders are processed according to the agreed-upon standards, leading to a consistent and reliable customer experience.

What is a routing guide?

A routing guide is a reference document that outlines the preferred carriers, shipping methods, transportation modes, packaging requirements, delivery schedules, and other specific instructions for shipping goods. The routing guide helps ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance with transportation and logistics policies, promoting smooth operations and effective coordination throughout the supply chain.

What is the difference between the quote types?

Turn-key: This approach means that Valley takes care of everything from start to finish, providing a complete package of services that require minimal involvement or effort from the client. It often includes services like warehousing, order processing, inventory management, transportation, and even technology integration, creating a seamless and hassle-free solution for the client’s logistics needs.

Detailed or Complete Project Pricing: This approach provides a comprehensive breakdown of costs associated with a specific logistics project or service. This type of pricing provides a detailed itemization of expenses involved in executing the project, taking into account various components such as transportation, warehousing, labor, packaging, technology integration, and any other relevant factors.

Freight Lane: This approach gives cost estimates for shipping goods along specific transportation routes or lanes. A freight lane quote includes the anticipated expenses associated with moving a shipment from one point to another, considering factors such as distance, mode of transportation (e.g., truckload, less-than-truckload, air freight), fuel costs, tolls, and any other relevant charges.