Contract logistics stands for long-term, outsourcing-based cooperation between a company's logistics department and an external service provider, who takes over central logistics processes that are contractually regulated. BLG offers customized logistics concepts that are specifically tailored to the customer's needs. The aim of this cooperation is to achieve more effective and efficient processes throughout the supply chain and to offer a high level of reliability.

Another example of this is the highly automated Omnichannel European Distribution Center that BLG has been operating for workwear specialist Strauss in Schlüchtern since May 2020. On around 10 soccer pitches with 13 kilometers of conveyor technology, around 40,000 items, 420 autonomous shuttles and high-performance picking workstations, networked via a control and WMS system, digitalization is intelligently transformed and optimized. The focus is on customer focus, sustainability, innovation and top performance, which means that up to 4,000 parcels per hour can be dispatched at peak times.

Value Added Services: Part of the extended workbench

With an international network and around 12,000 employees, BLG provides fully integrated logistics system services at around 60 locations in Germany. These locations cover the entire value chain - from procurement and production to distribution, spare parts logistics and returns. The company is also an expert in value-added services, which go beyond the actual logistics service.
Value Added Services (abbreviated to VAS) are services that add something to the pure logistics service. In most cases, these are services that the customer would otherwise have to take on themselves; Value Added Services could be translated as "value-adding services". However, this is not entirely accurate. VAS are services along the value chain that are not part of the actual logistics services but offer the customer great added value.

Value-added services have long been part of the extended workbench. This means that manufacturing companies outsource part of their value creation to another company. The workbench where the finished product is created is therefore extended to other companies or even other countries. For a specialized electronics manufacturer, it can make economic sense to concentrate on the production of individual circuit boards, have the logistics provider carry out pre-assembly and quality control directly at the warehouse and leave the final sale to the retailer. This is a globalized division of labor. In this way, logistics providers such as BLG are taking over more and more steps in production and thus value creation. For customers, it is a further relief and an opportunity to participate in growing markets.

However, the increase in value does not have to directly affect the product. It can also make the logistics process more valuable. A functional check or surface cleaning of the goods is also a value-added service, without necessarily increasing the value of the goods. Typical value added services offered by the logistics service provider from Bremen in contract logistics are services such as picking, packing, labeling, returns management and shelving services. These value-added services relate to the supply chain - rather than the product - but are a very valuable addition to the logistics service for the customer.

Logistics as the engine of e-commerce

The e-commerce business is a fiercely competitive market. The high level of dynamism presents manufacturers and retailers with challenging tasks. Efficient, flexible and reliable logistics often provide the decisive competitive advantage. However, the logistics tasks in the e-commerce sector have multiplied considerably over time and implementation is complicated: Finding and retaining good specialist staff is difficult, outdated merchandise management and IT systems slow down rapid change. The most important aspect of e-commerce fulfillment is the seamless interaction of all IT systems, including the customer's online store and multi-channel retail. Handling seasonal peak loads or one-off shipping campaigns is also part of the "new" portfolio of a logistics service provider. From the initial idea to planning, implementation and operation, companies need an experienced logistics partner who can support and guide them with tailor-made and solution-oriented concepts. This includes the company constantly optimizing itself and thinking strongly in terms of interfaces, networks and synergies. The goals are maximum transparency, high planning reliability, secure software solutions and robust logistics organization in the warehouses.