In examining their supply chains, more and more companies are identifying opportunities to incorporate cross-docking – the process of receiving product and shipping it out without putting it into storage.
Cross-docks are generally used for “hub-and-spoke” arrangements, consolidation, or deconsolidation. While not a new practice, cross-docking has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. What is attracting companies to the practice? How is it being implemented? How are practitioners leveraging outsourcing? The following report offers answers to these questions and more.
Companies find that cross-docking gives them an opportunity to take costs out of their supply chains and gain transportation efficiencies, so they can get their products to customers more quickly and economically.
Typically, cross-docks can be developed using a variety of strategies such as (but not limited to) the following arrangements: