3PL and B2B / Wrocław area
3PL warehousing: pallets, cartons and pieces on one record.
Pallets, cartons and B2B orders near Wrocław, including retailers. Your team stops chasing pallets and routing guides.
The real problem
Between parcel fulfilment and large contract warehousing.
Parcel fulfilment is usually built around single units, and large contract warehouses around long runs and long contracts. Manufacturers and distributors in between often need all of it: full pallets from the factory, carton orders to wholesalers, and the occasional retailer delivery with a detailed routing guide.
What they need is one stock record covering all three units, and a warehouse that reads the guide before the order arrives, not after the deduction lands on your invoice. Comparing providers for that? Our guide to evaluating a 3PL is written to be useful whichever one you pick.
Handling units
Pallet, carton, piece: what changes on the floor.
One SKU can exist in all three. The conversion between them belongs in your master data, because without it one pallet turns into an argument.
Conversion in your master data. Example figures, matching the drawing.
Choose a unit
Pallet
- ReceivedPallet count against the transport document, seals and visible damage, before the driver leaves where that is possible.
- StoredReserve stock on a location suited to the pallet type, load height and weight.
- PickedFull pallet to wholesale or retail, built and wrapped to the routing guide.
Use and typical errors
- Typical use
- Reserve stock, factory inbound, full-pallet orders to wholesale or retail.
- What we need to know first
- Pallet type, load height and weight, stackable or not, units per pallet.
- Where it goes wrong
- A mixed pallet declared as a single SKU. Overhang that makes the load unstable or unfit for its storage location.
Carton
- ReceivedCartons checked against the notice, by their own barcode and printed unit count.
- StoredOn a location, with units per carton held in the master data.
- PickedFull cases, with the quantity checked against the case multiple.
Use and typical errors
- Typical use
- Wholesale and retail replenishment in full cases.
- What we need to know first
- Units per carton, carton dimensions and weight, a carton barcode distinct from the unit barcode.
- Where it goes wrong
- Carton and unit share one barcode, so a scan counts a carton as one piece.
Piece
- ReceivedThe deepest count against the notice. The deeper the check, the more it costs, and the quote says which one it assumes.
- StoredOpened cartons marked by the agreed rule, so they can be counted without guessing.
- PickedSmall B2B orders, samples and consumer orders, by unit barcode. Loose units only where the recipient accepts them.
Use and typical errors
- Typical use
- Small B2B orders, samples, consumer orders from the same stock.
- What we need to know first
- Unit barcode, and whether opened cartons may be resealed and how they are marked.
- Where it goes wrong
- Cartons opened without a rule, leaving loose units nobody can count at a glance.
Inbound
From advance notice to available stock.
Stock errors often start on the day the goods arrive. So the receiving procedure is the first thing we write with you.
- 01
Advance notice
You send the advance shipping notice (ASN): SKUs, quantities, pallet and carton count, lots, expected arrival and how the load travels.
- 02
Arrival check
Pallet count against the transport document, seals and visible damage. Damage is noted on the document and photographed before the driver leaves, where that is possible.
- 03
Count
Goods are checked against the notice at the agreed level: pallet, carton or piece. The deeper the check, the more it costs, and the quote says which one it assumes.
- 04
Differences
Overs, shorts, wrong SKUs and unlabelled units go to a held status with a report. You decide: accept, relabel or send back.
- 05
Put-away
Accepted goods get a location. Only then do they count as available stock.
Example process. A delivery without notice is not refused on principle, but it waits behind notified ones and stays out of available stock until identified.
Retail and wholesale
A retail order, from routing guide to proof of dispatch.
Retailers write routing guides because their goods-in runs on them. A wrong label can mean a refused delivery or a deduction on your invoice, so the guide is read first.
- 01
Guide reviewed
You send the routing guide. We go through label specification, pallet type and height, SKU mix per pallet, slot booking and documents, then tell you in writing what we can do, what needs set-up and what is unclear.
Input: you. Review: ShipRevo
- 02
Order checked
Purchase order number, ship-to location, delivery window and quantities against carton multiples. Anything that conflicts with the guide comes back to you before picking.
ShipRevo
- 03
Picked by handling unit
Full pallets and full cartons first, with loose pieces only where the customer accepts them. Lot and expiry rules, where agreed in your scope, apply at pick.
ShipRevo
- 04
Pallet built
SKU mix, layering, height and wrapping follow the guide. Where agreed, the finished pallet is photographed.
ShipRevo
- 05
Labelled
Carton and pallet labels to the guide specification, as agreed in your scope. Where SSCC logistic labels are agreed, we first settle the data and who issues the numbers, then test a print before the live order.
Data: you. Printing: as agreed
- 06
Booked and dispatched
Shipped with a carrier we select for the delivery, or with your forwarder. Who books the delivery slot is decided in advance. Transport documents and handover are kept against the order.
Agreed per customer
Scope
What 3PL warehousing includes, and who it suits.
It suits manufacturers, importers and distributors who need reserve stock and wholesale picks on one record, alongside e-commerce fulfilment or sales into Germany if needed. It does not suit bonded storage, full-truckload volumes that belong in a dedicated contract warehouse, or a need for several warehouses: we run one site in Poland.
Included
- Receiving against ASN, with differences and damage reported
- Pallet and carton storage in assigned locations, as agreed in your scope, with client stock kept separate
- Pallet, carton and piece picking
- Pallet building, wrapping and retailer labelling to your routing guide
- Lot and expiry handling where agreed
- Cycle counts and agreed stock reporting
Not included
- A fleet of our own. Transport runs through carriers selected for your shipments, or your forwarder
- Customs brokerage by default
- Cross-docking without a separate assessment
- Dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals and chilled food. Lithium batteries and other restricted goods are checked individually
- Negotiating with your retailers or handling their claims on your behalf
- Any equipment or procedure we would have to set up first, unless the quote names it
FAQ
What 3PL warehousing costs, and what supply chain teams ask.
How does a stock figure stay reliable?
Your goods are tracked as yours from inbound onwards, so counts and corrections are booked to your stock. Three habits keep the figure reliable. Cycle counts by plan: Fast movers and problem locations get counted more often than a slow-moving pallet in reserve storage. Frequency and scope go in the procedure, and the quote says how counts are billed. Look before you correct: Open picks, recent receipts and neighbouring locations are checked first. Many differences turn out to be a misplaced carton rather than a lost one. Adjustments carry a reason and a name: Corrections are recorded with date, operator and cause. Above a limit agreed with you, a correction waits for your approval.
What does 3PL warehousing cost?
Storage, receiving and outbound are separate lines. See what 3PL providers charge for for how to compare offers on the same basis. Receiving (per pallet, carton or hour): notice quality, level of check, hand-unloaded containers. Storage (per pallet or location, by agreed period): pallet type, height, stackability. Picking (per pallet, carton, piece and order line): handling unit, lot rules, lines per order. Pallet building and materials (per pallet): mix per pallet, wrap, pallets supplied. Retailer labelling (per label or carton): label specification, data source, test prints. Transport (per shipment or pallet): destination, service, slot booking. Counts beyond plan and extra work (per hour or job): agreed in the procedure or approved by you first. Rates come with your quote. Set-up for a new routing guide appears as its own line.
What does a good delivery look like?
Pass this to your factory or supplier. If your supply chain cannot meet part of it, tell us: relabelling and re-palletising can be scoped as extra work, which beats finding out at the loading bay. Advance notice (ASN): supplier, reference and expected arrival; SKU, quantity, and pallet and carton count; lot and expiry where relevant; vehicle type, and any container to unload by hand, which is planned and scoped separately. Palletisation: stable, wrapped load that a pallet truck can move; no overhang beyond the pallet edge; pallet type and load height as agreed during set-up; one SKU per pallet where possible. Mixed pallets are marked and listed. Carton labelling: SKU and scannable barcode on an outward-facing side; units per carton printed; lot and expiry, where relevant, readable without opening the carton; old barcodes covered, so one carton does not answer to two codes.
Do you handle lot and expiry control?
Where lot and expiry handling is agreed in your scope, receiving captures the lot number or best-before date as data rather than as a note on the pallet. Picking then follows the rule you set, normally first-expired, first-out (FEFO), plus any minimum remaining shelf life your customers demand. Goods below your limit move to a blocked status, so they stay out of normal picking. If you need to trace or withdraw a lot, the agreed records show which orders it left in. Whether a dated product, and the tracking it needs, fits our scope is confirmed before the quote. Withdrawal decisions and contact with authorities stay with you.
What if a retailer questions a delivery?
If a retailer questions a delivery, we share the pick, label and pallet records so you can go through them with us. Electronic data interchange with retailers is assessed individually.
Can you work to our retailer routing guide?
Send it. We review it before quoting and tell you which requirements we can meet now, which need set-up and which we cannot take on. You get the answer in writing.
What pallet types and heights do you accept?
We confirm that against your goods and the storage agreed in your scope, so we do not publish a table. Tell us the pallet type, load height and weight in your enquiry.
Do you need a minimum number of pallets?
That depends on the handling and the scope. Give us your range in the quote form, and you will get a clear answer.
Can you take kitting or relabelling too?
Yes, to a written work instruction. See value-added services for how kits are built and how they change your stock.
Next step
Send us the routing guide, if you have one.
Add your pallet and carton ranges, the products, and how orders reach you. A quote request commits you to nothing, and the review will tell you what a retailer delivery really involves.