Outsourcing International Supply Chain Management with ICS Logistics Limited
Ian Simmonds • 1 April 2020
Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) Services
Outsourcing International Supply Chain Management with ICS Logistics Limited
Several of our
ICS Global Services
clients requested Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) solutions to manage the complexities of their company’s logistical operations. To support our valued partnership with these clients we established a sister company,
ICS Logistics Limited.
Outsourcing your international supply chain management by contracting with ICS Logistics Limited will not only save money and provide a higher level of service, but it also frees up your internal resources to focus on the company’s core business.
Being a Fourth-Party Logistics (4PL) provider, we have a broad role within our customers’ international supply chains. We assume many of the same roles as third-party logistics (3PL) providers, but we have a much broader responsibility and accountability in helping our customers reach their strategic goals.
If your company is dealing with an increasingly complex supply chain and struggling to meet customer expectations, then we may be the best solution for you. We have a passion for helping businesses with limited resources to manage their import and export activities. Functioning as a 4PL, we become a true partner with our customers, working to create lean, cost-effective international supply chains.
We are a non-asset based business with no contractual obligations to any freight forwarding companies. It is our company policy not to receive any margin or revenue from our clients’ international transportation spend. This enables us to remain neutral within the shipping market and to obtain the best cost-effective solution for our clients.
The 4PL Service Advantages
The primary advantage of our 4PL services is that we are a strategic partner focused on providing the highest level of services for the best value, as opposed to Third-Party Logistics Providers (3PL) who may be more transaction focused. As a 4PL we provide a single point of contact for your international supply chain. With a 3PL, there may be some aspects that you still have to manage. We take over those processes for you, acting as the intermediary for 3PLs, carriers, warehouse vendors, cargo consolidation, clearance agents and other participants in your international supply chains.
Businesses have looked to 3PLs to fill essential roles within the international supply chain and this works well for many businesses. However, the relationship between the client and the 3PL is not always successful. There are many reasons that the 3PL relationship does not always work. This is normally because the client does not have the internal resources or expertise to manage their international supply chain processes, which would enable effective 3PL services solutions. In addition, many 3PLs are task or functional operations without trade process facilitators or international commerce specialists. 3PLs are essentially not international supply chain service companies, their primary focus is freight or warehousing.
We take the 3PL service solution one step further to optimise efficiency, reduce international supply chain costs and improve service performance. As a 4PL, we fill the service vacuum created by 3PLs by understanding that international supply chain management is a key business process and needs to be managed efficiently. We manage the end-to-end international supply chain process to meet the client’s needs, regardless of what carriers, freight forwarders or warehouses are used. As a 4PL we even manage the 3PLs selected by our clients and achieve optimise efficiencies by developing agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the 3PLs.
We provide our clients with outsourced resources and expertise to manage their international supply chain processes and create a seamless comprehensive fulfilment experience. We provide our clients with valuable insights into where processes and transit times can be improved, whilst identifying cost reductions. We are more than just service providers, our integration in your business allows us to better understand our client’s long-term vision and goals.
Our aim is to optimise efficiency, reduce international supply chain costs and improve service performance.
Solutions
As a 4PL, we support your business by offering a full range of logistics support as well as customised end-to-end import / export solutions:
- Freight Management
- Order Management
- Cargo Consolidation
- Warehousing
- Import Documentation
- Import Customs Clearance
- Import Licensing
- Export Documentation
- Export Customs Clearance
- Export Licensing
- Invoice Auditing
4PL Benefits
Focus on core business
By outsourcing the international supply chain activities to our company with its in-depth expertise and experience, this allows our clients to focus on other critical operations within their business.
Back-Office
We have the resources to reduce back office activities, therefore releasing staff and increasing resources to focus on other business matters which in turn increases productivity. We can also manage the international logistics contracts and KPIs on behalf of our clients.
Waste
Working with clients in proactive partnership, we highlight waste within the business as well as an explanation of where and why it occurs.
Clarity
We act as the single contact point between our clients and their contracted 3PLs functional operations. As a Fourth Party Logistics Provider (4PL) we oversee and manage the complexities of a company’s logistical operations.
Company Expansion
When growth is a company’s goal, we can make that aspiration a reality without disruption to daily operations. We have access and relationships within the supply chain industry to easily assist business’ during times of growth and expansion.
Business Processes
As international supply chain architects, we design and develop processes to support a growing company’s logistical needs and provide the seamless execution of the flow of goods.
Synergies
Synergies emerge because we are committed to achieving the same goal as our client. We keep our client’s interests at the forefront of our focus since the relationship between a 4PL provider and an international business is a valued
partnership.
If you would like more details, please call +44 (0) 118 932 8447 or email
info@icslogistics.co.uk
We provide IOR services for foreign importers and take care of every phase of the importation from customs clearance to the payment of duties and taxes. As the IOR for your products we are responsible for all paperwork relating to import of your products, customs classification and we will arrange the payment of duties and taxes.
A manufacturer in Germany supplies EU qualifying products to a GB company and zero tariffs applies. The GB company places the products within their common stock warehouse and later they are purchased by a company in the Republic of Ireland. Under the TCA rules of origin for preferential trade, these goods when imported into Ireland are not covered by the agreement and full tariffs apply.
Not having clearly defined export / import processes with the EU caused unnecessary documentation issues resulting in long delays at the ports and some vehicles being sent back to the UK. Exporters of food products from Great Britain (GB) were especially impacted due to their Export Health Certificates (EHCs) not being compliant with EU import regulations. Food exporters and their Official Veterinarians complete and issued these certificates in compliance with the directives of the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs.
We have been developing contingency plans to ensure our customers’ products are delivered correctly after 1 January 2021. Significant changes will occur once the UK has left the EU. All UK businesses will be required to provide Customs documentation for products exported to, or imported from the EU, even with the ‘EU Deal’ on Brexit.
ICS, as part of our customer services, will be supporting companies with the necessary Customs documentation to comply with the new regulations.
XI EORI required for Northern Ireland.
The Government have confirmed that businesses moving goods to or from Northern Ireland (NI) will need a special EORI number with a ‘XI’ country prefix.
On 14 October, the Government published the requirements for submitting Intrastat declarations after 1 January 2021. There will be no Intrastat requirement for the movement of goods exported from GB to the EU or goods imported from EU to GB, from 1 January 2022.
The UK Government has updated the rules for wine importers, exporters, producers, retailers and distributors, as from 1 January 2021.
The Government announced, during the Budget, that on 1 January 2021 Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA) will be introduced on imports. Currently, imported goods from a non-EU country are liable for payment of import VAT at the same time as customs duty. The process will provide importers with a new cashflow benefit, as they will be able to postpone VAT at the time of import, as opposed to paying it immediately upon importation.
The UK Government have stated that on 1 January 2021 the transition period with the European Union (EU) will end and the United Kingdom (UK) will operate a full, external border as a sovereign nation. This means that controls will be placed on the movement of goods between Great Britain (GB) and the EU.
The UK Government have recognised the impact of coronavirus on UK businesses’ ability to prepare and therefore have announced that they will implement full border controls on imports coming into GB in three stages up until 1 July 2021.
The UK Government has now released their new Import and Export Guides for the end of the Transition Period. The guides have been designed to provide a step-by-step process and aim to provide clarity around what is required at the end of the year. When it comes to following the new import / export processes and completing your Customs declarations, we can provide you with assistance and support.