Logistics consulting firms can manage your warehouse and transportation crews, bring in new marketing strategies and introduce you to emerging IT upgrades. A logistics consultancy can help you to bring in business from sources they have cultivated, review your company programs and create training seminars to introduce new software and business practices to your employees.

Logistics management consultants can make sure your operations are compliant with government regulations and show you where you should invest in equipment upgrades. They can recommend mobile applications to improve your communication systems. There are a variety of ways you can begin making the most of logistics consultants.

1. Use logistics specialists to assess your staff training needs.

2. Look for transportation consultants to improve profits by finding new sources of business.

3. Bring in a logistics consulting firm to manage your operations.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Let a distribution consultant design training seminars

Request a review of your current employees' abilities and assess their ability to deal with new software upgrades after the consultants have installed it. Consultants can assess the level of global market understanding your team has as they guide you into new markets. Ask for a report from the logistics consulting company for how they plan to bring your sales, warehouse and transportation teams to the next level through training and coaching.

I recommend: After they have instituted technical and warehouse changes to increase efficiency, Logistics Consultants can train your staff on how to use the new equipment. CEI Logistics includes training as an integral part of their entire consulting package. Make the most of their services by looking at their entire proposal before signing to make sure the training is sufficient.

Grow your market share using consulting services for transportation logistics

Ask for introductions to new vendors and potential clients. Use the expertise of the consultant to set up trade routes. A logistics consultancy can bring expertise and contacts to the table to introduce you to developing markets and new lines of supply chain vendors and routes. Make sure they are installing the latest software applications and technical programs to keep up with the upgrades they institute.

I recommend: Request a review of your distribution network from a global consultancy such as CTSI. Following the review, you can take time to look over their recommendations for new programs. Find a transportation consultant group to help your company identify the tools you need to streamline your business. A firm such as TCI can help design new shipping warehouses and depot services.

Contract ongoing logistics consultancy services

You may reduce some of your costs by outsourcing some or all of your operations to a management consultancy. They can set up your new systems and manage the delivery and day-to-day business of your warehouse, transportation tracking and HR programs. Consultants can negotiate new contracts and follow through with the deliveries.

I recommend: Utilize the services of a consultancy such as Tompkins Associates on a continuing basis to keep your transportation department running smoothly by providing on-site communications and drivers. Hire an outside company like TALTOA to serve as your permanent freight brokers. They work with start-ups, small businesses and growing companies.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider hiring a different distribution consultant for each kind of project, looking for specialists in transportation, technology and staffing to operate different projects.

Logistics consultants are valuable in today's global economy, because getting your product from the producer to the customer in a timely and cost-efficient manner is no meager task. Consider that you have to package your unit, store it, ship it, sell it and track its whereabouts at every point along the way.

If you're a small to medium-sized company, it's not likely that you have the time, resources or expertise to take care of that on your own. If you have your own distribution system, chances are it could be improved. That's where logistics consultants come in.

When you hear the term "logistics consultant," it might refer to two different things: analysts who make recommendations to improve your current supply chain, or third-party logistics (3pl), consultants who implement a supply chain for you. Frequently, logistics consulting firms do some combination of the two.

Logistics consultants run the gamut from experts that provide analysis or subcontract shipping companies for you, to shipping companies that provide comprehensive consulting services. Here are some things you could expect a logistic consultant to do:

1. Help your company take advantage of economy of scale by consolidating resources wherever possible.

2. Analyze your supply chain to find weaknesses, redundancies and inefficient labor practices.

3. Implement a streamlined system to get your product out of the warehouse and onto store shelves with the quickest possible turnaround time.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Search for a logistics consultant based on your needs

Of course, you wouldn't knowingly hire any consultant who didn't meet your needs. Still, logistics consultancies grow in number by the day. Each specializes in working with a different kind of business, and provides a specific set of services.

I recommend: Inbound Logistics is an online trade magazine that offers a nifty search engine of its top-rated logistics consultancies. Choose your business model and the services you need, and it will match you firm that can meet your needs. The Freight Transportation Consultants Association offers a more extensive directory of logistics consultants, browsable by specialty. Logistics Consultants, Inc., Tompkins Associates and TZA Consulting are just a few of the many supply chain management consulting firms ready to do business with you.

Send out a detailed RFP to logistics consulting firms

To get the service you need, you must ask for it clearly. When writing a request for proposal (or RFP), be specific about the challenges that face your operation and the kind of improvements you'd like to see. Take the time to prepare this document correctly and you're off to a good start.

I recommend: Inbound Logistics offers this online form that allows you to send out an informal RFP by clicking on the services you need along with the companies you'd like to solicit. But you might also want to check out this RFP toolkit, available for free if you sign up with Professional RFP Letters. This template walks you through a comprehensive RFP.

Choose a 3pl that can deliver the logistics applications you need.

In addition to moving your inventory, a distribution consultant firm also implements ways to keep track of it. In recent years, many consultancies have jumped on the technology bandwagon and developed their own warehouse management systems. Some offer applications for sales staff as well.

I recommend: Hire a logistics consultancy firm with an attractive set of applications. But if your primary distribution consultant firm doesn't offer the right technologies, you can always hire another 3pl to install the programs and train your staff. Check out Redwood Systems Logistics Management and their suite of tracking applications. Transplance is another award-winning 3pl technology consultancy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Treat your logistics consultancy firm like a partner in your business because their success is crucial to yours. Train consultants, encourage them and communicate with them as if they were your own employees.
• •  Give your logistics consulting firm space to get the job done. If you're too specific about what you want done and how, you might not get the most creative solution a consultancy can offer. Set guidelines, but let their knowledge of distribution fill in the gaps.
• •  Work with a 3pl consultant to iron out the kinks. Your relationship with your 3pl firm is truly a partnership; and like all partnerships, there will be some rocky times. If you are confident that your firm can deliver, give them the chance to correct mistakes and improve efficiency.

Many consultants in logistics don't have "formal" college educations or professional certificates, but simply rely on real-world experience as the basis for their expertise. If you're looking to break into logistics consulting without working in the industry for 30 years, however, you'll be more appealing to logistics consulting firms and potential clients if you make the effort to learn everything you can about the industry through a variety of sources.

If you already own or work for a logistics consulting firm, you're not exempt from the need for continuing education, especially if you're counting on past industry experience to continue to appeal to an expanding and advancing global market. Add value to your own curriculum vitae, and promote yourself to a higher class of logistics consultants, with some higher learning:

1. Earn a certificate in logistics management to get the most out of your supply chain consulting career.

2. Train with professional transportation consultants as you advance in your field.

3. Seek international logistics consulting education and training to explore all your options.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Rise above others with a certification in supply chain logistics, consulting

Supply chain management consulting requires in-depth knowledge in a wide range of fields, including logistics management, information technology, engineering and business. The most sought-after supply chain logistics consulting professionals possess a combination of formal education and experience, so experienced professionals would do well to pursue a degree or certificate that offers an education in each of the required fields that is specifically focused on supply chain management.

I recommend: Explore higher education options for a degree in supply chain management using resources from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, or earn a certificate in supply chain management from The University of Texas at Dallas.

Complete transportation, distribution training and add value to your logistics consultancy

If your goal is to become a materials distribution consultant, add some formal training to your CV to help your resume stand out. A formal college education always adds value to traditional training in the industry, and professional organizations can help you keep learning throughout your consultancy.

I recommend: Earn a bachelor's or master's degree in transportation and logistics management from American Public University. Offer your customers upgraded consulting services for transportation logistics with the help of the Material Handling Industry of America's (MHIA) online program, Certified Associate in Materials Handling.

Learn the ropes to take your international logistics consulting services to a new level

There aren't many university programs dedicated to logistics consultants' education and training, so a consultant with a formal education on the subject would be rare and valuable to an international company. If you're just starting out in the industry, or you have experience and need that extra edge a degree or two can bring, find programs that provide what your resume lacks. Seek out undergraduate programs that offer a variety of international logistics travel and internship opportunities, and advanced degree programs that focus specifically on business logistics consulting on an international level.

I recommend: Join other would-be logistics specialists and earn an undergraduate degree in international transportation and logistics from The California Maritime Academy. Ohio State's Fisher College of Business offers a MBLE (Master in business logistics engineering). Or, round out your global education with a BS or MBA in International Business from the University of Colorado Denver. Read the course descriptions online to decide whether the MBA option is right for your career objectives.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Very few logistics management consultants work independently -- most work within business consulting firms. As you focus on expanding your knowledge base, first take a look at some consulting firm job postings and the resumes of the consultants on staff with those firms. That should help you glean some direction for your own educational goals.