Chicago— Delegates from the Japan Warehousing Association Inc. (JWA), that nation’s leading warehousing association, visited IWLA’s home office Sept. 29.
The more than 20 warehouse owners and operators making the trip are visiting the U.S. for a week-long tour of third-party logistics (3PL) operations. Their first stop was IWLA headquarters, where association President and Chief Executive Officer Joel Hoiland gave an overview of 3PL issues and trends in North America.
The presentation included statistics on the size of the North American warehouse industry, logistics costs and a recap of how the logistics industry fits into the U.S.’s macro-economic picture. He also gave an overview of the shifting North American 3PL industry, IWLA’s services and how the association is positioning itself to take advantage of changes in the 3PL market.
“In addition to becoming more global in nature, the logistics industry is becoming more sophisticated, with a higher emphasis on technological systems that enable customers to ‘see’ more information about their products both in the warehouse and in transit,” Hoiland told the JWA members. “Customers continue to want 3PLs to offer efficient, cost-effective services tailored to their specific industry. As a result, logistics providers are getting into businesses they wouldn’t have even considered five years ago. Providing customers with value-added services is key to 3PL success going forward.”
This isn’t the first time the IWLA has worked with international groups to foster better understanding of the various markets and develop relationships that will benefit its membership. Hoiland traveled to India this past February to address that nation’s warehouse and logistics association, and spoke to a similar group at a meeting on the island of Cyprus last year. In addition, he will be speaking to a group of business delegates from Shanghai, China, in Chicago Oct. 3.
“Face-to-face meetings with international groups such as the JWA is just the latest example of how the IWLA helps promote the North American 3PL industry abroad while gathering information on the increasingly important global logistics market for our members, Hoiland, said.”
The JWA represents 53 local and regional warehouse operator associations throughout Japan. It develops the country’s warehousing industry by overseeing it and helping its members operate smoothly and efficiently, while contributing to the overall public welfare.
Since 1891, IWLA, The Association for Logistics Outsourcing, has been defining the standards of excellence in warehousing and logistics outsourcing. The IWLA promotes the growth and success of 3PL companies by providing its members resources, information, education and professional programs designed to advance their businesses and provide greater value to their customers.
