Here’s What You Should Know About Container Transport in Perth

Since 2023, the regional economy in Western Australia has blossomed in contrast to the rest of the Commonwealth. Even as the post-pandemic recovery of the national economy began slowing down, the WA statistics show a low rate of insolvencies, a high rate of employment, wage growth on the rise, and a solid property market. Recent events such as the arrival of American entertainment brands such as UFC and WWE are boosting the WA economy; moreover, Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent a large business delegation to Perth in June 2024 to discuss commercial ties.

With more people relocating to WA to find work and explore the abundant business opportunities therein, the demand for container transport in Perth has grown accordingly. Old-timers in Perth who are familiar with container logistics can tell you that the current pace of trade and overall business activity has never been higher.

For business-minded people who believe in making hay while the sun shines, WA and Perth are looking enticingly lucrative. If this describes your general goals, and if your business requires freight transport, warehousing, packing, and other aspects of logistics, your best bet would be to go with third-party logistics (3PL).

Understanding 3PL in Perth

3PL logistics, or simply 3PL, is a strategic partnership with an external company to outsource logistics and distribution operations. You can think of 3PL as hiring a professional team to handle the complexities of your supply chain, from warehousing and inventory management to transportation and delivery. These are all business processes that take time to develop internally, but 3PL breaks them down into tasks to outsource and delegate.

With a dependable 3PL solution, you can hit the ground running as you launch your business venture in Perth. Let’s say you broker a profitable deal to deliver supplies to a mining operation in WA; the cargo is coming from Guangzhou and will arrive at Fremantle, but you don’t have the logistics to pick and pack the container. Unless your mining client agrees to accept delivery of the container and pays to keep it, you are going to need warehousing. The beauty of 3PL is that you don’t need to create and administer a supply chain; you can get the show on the road with convenient and cost-effective solutions that provide container transport, picking, unpacking, packing, storage, distribution, and delivery at both local and statewide levels.

By outsourcing logistics, you can focus on other aspects of business. The right 3PL partner will provide the type of efficient and reliable supply chain management you need to thrive in the dynamic economy of Perth. This is particularly crucial in segments such as mining, in which fluctuating demand requires rapid response times. When you operate in a region with growing economic prominence, logistics can make a difference in a competitive marketplace.

3PL Services You Can Contract in Perth

If you only need freight transport and delivery, the companies providing such services are two a penny in Perth, but only a few can be rightfully called 3PL partners. Transport is just one aspect of the supply chain, and there will be times when you need more than just shipping goods across the city. The best 3PL solutions can handle statewide deliveries because they are part of a WA network running from the Pilbara to Albany. These networks make transport more efficient so that shipping a single pallet doesn’t end up breaking the bank.

Beyond freight transport, a comprehensive 3PL provider will also offer the following services:

Refrigerated Transport

This is what often separates full-service 3PL companies from others that claim to offer 3PL, but are just a notch above Deliveroo. Perishable goods that must be sold fresh need refrigerated freight services, particularly when they must be transported across the state. You want to look for 3PL partners that can chill and transport everything from a few boxes of shrimp to pallets full of produce or a whole truckload.

Container Transport

Once you start dealing with shipping containers, the 3PL process becomes more intricate. There’s more than just the heavy haulage to consider; there are also matters such as temporary warehouse storage, packing, unpacking, cargo reporting, quarantine periods, inspections, and others. These matters apply to once-off consignments and regular deliveries alike, so you want to look for 3PL partners that offer turnkey solutions for handling containers.

Picking, Packing, and Unpacking

Many 3PL providers will agree to transport your containers only if they don’t have to open them. Comprehensive 3PL partners that operate warehouse space in multiple locations can open containers and organize cargo according to your instructions.

Let’s say you operate two shops in Perth, and you see a great deal in Shanghai on a container filled with household goods. A 3PL turnkey solution will take care of receiving the container, opening it, and unpacking it to extract the goods that will go to each shop. The remainder of the cargo can be stored in the 3PL partner’s warehouse until you have space in your shops.

Warehouse Storage and Distribution

You don’t have to purchase or lease a warehouse for your business in Perth. Established full-service 3PL partners offer warehouse space for short and long-term storage in clean, secure, and climate-controlled facilities. Your stock can be buffered and distributed from these facilities; all you have to do is provide instructions for picking, packing, and transporting. These warehouses are dedicated to logistics, so your instructions can include transferring boxes to pallets, wrapping them, assigning barcodes, and labelling for shipping.

The ability to seamlessly integrate various logistics services is a hallmark of a 3PL provider you want to do business with. From the moment your goods leave the production line to the time they reach your clients or customers, a comprehensive 3PL solution can optimize every step of the journey, thus resulting in increased efficiency and cost savings. Without a doubt, 3PL is a smart and fast way to advance your business in Perth.