This week we are covering the advantages of the transportation industry. Thanks to our company’s strategic and centralized location in the Heartland of the USA, we have access to a network of railroads, highways, and airports that facilitate the shipping and transportation of products throughout the region.
“Rivers, railroad, and highway networks represent the veins and arteries through which the economic lifeblood flows. The Heartland is assumed to be rhythmically constant despite periodic changes around it” (Sisson, Cayton, & Zacher, 2007).
In the Midwest, we count with over 160,000 miles of roadways, 160 passenger rail hubs, 273 freight stations, 33 international airports, and about 60 mid-to large-size airports. Thanks to the vast transportation possibilities, there are approximately 3.472 billion tons of goods transported through the Midwest. These transportation advantages allow Apex Plastics to ship customers’ products with little to no disruption in our logistics department, even during natural disasters, or any other challenging situation that might arise, like the COVID-19 pandemic we are living in today.
Logistics
We have an excellent logistics team, with many years of experience working with customers around the area. Our goal is to build strong relationships and transparent communication between our customers and delivery companies and to make sure our customers’ products get delivered on time.
The majority of freight in and out of Apex Plastics is customer routed. We provide our customers with estimated completion dates at the time of order. When the order is complete, we contact our customers with all the pertinent shipping information. If our customer needs assistance in arranging shipment, our team is here to help.
Our logistics team will make sure the documentation is correct to allow efficient transfer of the products to our customers. We understand the importance of accurate reporting of product delivery, and we are committed to offering our customers a clear and straightforward process.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made some changes in the logistics department, to make sure our employees and everyone else in the process, can safely perform their job. Therefore, we are no longer allowing over the road drivers into the building past the shipping entrance, this way we can limit the presence of outside people into the building and reduce the possibility of spreading the virus.
Warehouse
Apex Plastics has a large on-site warehouse where we store all the different components necessary for production. All of our tools, resins, packaging materials, and so on, can be quickly accessed from inventory we keep on hand.
We also offer various on-site inventory programs for our customers, and we can split orders and drop ship to the locations you desire. By using this service, you can lower your overhead and shipping costs.
Inventory
Apex Plastics’ suppliers are all based domestically. As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have purchased additional raw materials and packaging to prevent shortages in the event one of our suppliers has an interruption in production. During these challenging times, our suppliers have not experienced any major disruptions. Still, we keep frequent communication with our suppliers to stay up to date on any condition that might affect them, to allow us to plan accordingly.
At Apex Plastics, we understand the importance of delivering our customers’ products on time. We also know how important it is for our company to stay open and operating during this pandemic. That is why we are committed to the safety of our employees and the integrity of our operation. We will continue to update the necessary work safety measures, so we can be there when you need us the most.
If you have any questions about our warehouse and shipping operations, or about our company and capabilities, please visit us at www.apexplastics.com or call us at 1- 800-467-4640, and one of our customer services representatives will be happy to help.
References
MidWest US-China Association (2015). The Midwest The Premier Place to do Business. Retrieved from: https://www.springfieldregion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/midwests-business-advantages-english-1.pdf
Sisson, R., Cayton, A. R. L., & Zacher, C. (2007). The American Midwest: an interpretive encyclopedia. Bloomington, IN: Indiana Univ. Press.