The Challenge:

In 3PL operations, time is money. Each additional minute spent locating, picking, verifying or shipping an order cuts into profit margins. The more efficiently product traverses the warehouse—from the moment it leaves the inbound truck to the time it reaches the outbound dock— the stronger the financial performance.

When fulfillment times drag, common culprits include:

• Excessive travel time for pickers moving between distant storage locations
• Poor warehouse layout and unoptimized product placement
• Excessive touches—handling the same product multiple times before shipment
• Manual data entry and printing delays that slow order processing
• Inventory inaccuracies that force employees to search for misplaced items
• Bottlenecks caused by inefficient batching or outdated warehouse technology.

Left unaddressed, these hazards create ripple effects: missed deadlines, overtime costs and diminished customer satisfaction.

To compete in the fast-paced era of same-day shipping expectations, 3PLs must continuously analyze and streamline every step of their order-fulfillment workflow.

The SC Codeworks Solution: Codeworks Enterprise

SC Codeworks partners with 3PLs to identify and address inefficiencies that slow fulfillment. Using its flagship warehouse management system, or WMS— Codeworks Enterprise — the company provides the data visibility, automation and process discipline that propel faster throughput.

Codeworks Enterprise supports:

• Warehouse layout optimization: Identifying high-velocity items and assigning them to dedicated pick lines or preferred lower-rack locations to minimize travel and lift time
• Batch picking: Combining orders with common items, destinations or carriers to eliminate redundant travel and reduce total picks
• Touch reduction: Streamlining workflows so product can move directly from inbound docks to optimized pick zones, reducing handling steps
• Automated order and label printing: Managing bulk printing intelligently through a shared bullpen of networked printers and through merging packing and pick lists. Documents and labels are automatically queued and rerouted to available printers to prevent delays.
• Order prioritization: Analyzing the relative urgency of orders and getting the shorter deadline jobs done first
• Distinguishing sources of hold-ups: Breaking down whether a delay is due to a training or human-error issue
• RF scanning and enforcement: Ensuring every movement of an order is validated by radio-frequency scan, enforcing process discipline and pinpointing product location in real time
• Standardizing order verification: Consolidating and streamlining the process of verifying order fulfillment accuracy
• EDI integration: Automating data flow between the customer’s ordering system and Codeworks Enterprise, eliminating manual data entry and reducing errors
• Real-time performance tracking: Monitor metrics such as pick-rate, on-time shipping and labor performance to identify bottlenecks
• Dynamic process adjustment: Allowing operations to shift strategies—whether pallet, case or parcel picking—depending on order volume and customer requirements.
• Routine re-analysis: Continuing to identify areas for improved efficiency at defined intervals, depending on each account’s need to improve key-point indicators
• Accelerated processing time: State-of-the art technology bests competitors’ WMSs for speed and ease of use.

Through these tools, Codeworks assesses every step in the fulfillment chain. Managers can isolate inefficiencies—in receiving, picking, or shipping—and implement data-driven adjustments that quickly improve cycle times.

The Results:

3PLs that implement Codeworks Enterprise to address fulfillment speed have achieved:

• Faster order turnaround through an optimized warehouse layout and travel paths—improving throughput and cutting fulfillment times significantly.
• RF scanning implementation increased order accuracy and reduced mis-picks by up to 100%, boosting inventory precision and customer confidence.
• EDI integration eliminated manual data entry for CSRs, saving an average of 3 minutes per document and reducing clerical lag between systems.
• Shorter print queues and automated document handling reduced paperwork processing time by 1.5 seconds per document— saving roughly 25 minutes per 1,000 orders.
• Reduced manual touches and improved workflow efficiency led to fewer bottlenecks and smoother operations.
• Higher labor productivity and reduced overtime as teams completed more orders per shift with fewer errors and interruptions.
• Streamlined training and cross-training programs enabled new hires to become productive within 2–3 days, cutting onboarding time dramatically.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction through faster, more accurate order fulfillment and consistent communication.

The Benefits:

The chief tangible benefit is reduced order-fulfillment time. The broader impact includes:

• Higher throughput and improved profitability
• Greater confidence in system accuracy and workflow predictability
• Fewer processing errors, mis-picks and stockouts
• Stronger competitiveness in winning and retaining customer accounts
• Improved employee morale through smoother, more reliable and less physically taxing operations.

Conclusion:

For 3PLs, reducing fulfillment time isn’t just an efficiency goal—it’s a competitive necessity. Codeworks Enterprise provides warehouse operators the visibility, control and automation needed to run faster, smarter and leaner. By aligning receiving, inventory, picking and shipping into one continuous, data-driven flow, Codeworks helps 3PLs transform every minute saved into profit.