In March, Extensiv attended the IWLA (International Warehouse Logistics Association) Convention, the premier event for education, networking, and product/service information in the warehouse logistics industry. Before the convention starts, IWLA likes to have a little fun! We started the week off at the Indian Wells Golf Course where Extensiv sponsored hole 13 and hosted a fun chipping game where players could win prizes!
At the convention, Extensiv featured our Billing Manager, Network Manager, Labor Analytics, and Fulfillment Marketplace. Network Manager was a hot topic of conversation for 3PLs looking to expand their reach by working together to serve brands like never before. We really enjoyed our conversations with current customers, other vendors, and warehouses looking to improve their tech stack. And a big congrats to our Apple AirPod Raffle winner, Jess at Renewal Logistics!
Read below to learn what insights the Extensiv team took from the conference:
Brian Harvey
Attending the IWLA Conference in Palm Springs this year was truly amazing, being surrounded by people with the same passion for success. The conference was packed with enthusiasm, knowledge, friendship, and excitement.
I was able to attend two breakout sessions: the opening keynote address and another panel titled, “Amazon Effect 2.0 and the Impact of Amazon Encroaching on 3PLs.” Both of these sessions related to my experience within Extensiv and the 3PL industry as a whole.
To kick off the event, our keynote speaker, Joe Theisman–a legendary Football star from the University of Notre Dame and Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Washington Redskins—discussed the attributes of a winning culture within a championship team. Change, Innovation, and Competition. The Power of the Team will drive success.
Mr. Theisman’s speech made me realize the significance of Extensiv. We embodied “change” within our organization by transforming from a well-known WMS software brand (3PL Central) into one omnichannel fulfillment technology company by uniting four leading technology brands. The innovation of each of the components of the Extensiv technology platform facilitates 3PLs’ ability to drive increased revenue opportunities. Billing Manager allows 3PLs to capture 3% more in billable activities and get paid faster. Labor Analytics helps 3PLs improve worker productivity and analyze customer-level profitability. Network Manager unites Extensiv 3PL Warehouse Manager customers to increase revenue opportunities and leverage warehouse storage capacity. And, Fulfillment Marketplace assists in marketing Extensiv users’ 3PL businesses to ecommerce retailers looking to leverage a 3PL to expand their brand.
Yes, change is hard, but Extensiv is transforming our winning culture to create the future of omnichannel fulfillment to compete against the likes of Amazon, which leads me to the other session I attended, “Amazon Effect 2.0 and the Impact of Amazon on 3PLs.”
Competition drives success. With Amazon only fulfilling 18% of ecommerce orders, the IWLA industry experts believe Amazon is not a threat to 3PLs. In fact, ecommerce business within the 3PL industry is flourishing. Yes, Amazon raised the bar by leveraging technology to enhance the overall fulfillment process, and the Amazon Effect has also led consumers to expect parcel deliveries in 2 days or less.
This competition is driving 3PL’s to innovate in order to compete by leveraging technology, partnerships, value added services, and the personal attention that ecommerce brands require to succeed. Big ecommerce brands don’t need to own their fulfillment process; they need long-term partnerships that streamline their supply chains and make them more profitable. Amazon is a short-term solution, not a long-term, sustainable solution. Our 4PL technology in Network Manager allows 3PLs to decentralize inventory and expand their geographic footprint in ways previously inconceivable due to cost constraints. This distributed inventory facilitates the ability for overnight and two-day parcel delivery at a lower cost to shippers.
3PLs have more options to now compete against the goliath players like Amazon.
The Power of the Team = Change + Innovation + Competition = driving success within the 3PL Industry.
I’m excited to be a part of a dynamic organization that is innovating the industry. Thanks to the IWLA for hosting such a successful event!
Alex Gorney
It was great getting to connect with both prospective and current customers of Extensiv at the IWLA Conference. IWLA provides a unique opportunity to network with so many companies in the supply chain space.
There was a ton of valuable content presented in the breakout sessions as well. Amazon is certainly a big player many 3PL providers continue to compete against, which has inspired companies to embrace adding technology to keep up with the same service level agreements (SLAs) Amazon provides today. However, many 3PL providers have taken on the opportunity to partner with Amazon to support areas where Amazon struggles, specifically on the B2B and retail fulfillment side.
Christine Estevez
This was my first IWLA Conference, and I learned so much more about the state of the industry by getting to experience it live and in person, as part of the 3PL community. The audience’s engagement during the panel discussions led to thought-provoking questions and healthy debates on issues impacting the logistics industry today.
In one breakout session, 3PL warehouse owners discussed how Amazon’s advanced predictive analytics has forced the 3PL industry to be more AI-driven and to grow their transportation footprint to remain competitive. They also discussed how 3PLs can position themselves as strategic partners to ecommerce merchants in early growth stages who are looking to scale their businesses.
Despite a looming recession, the marketplace may still present M&A opportunities for growth. 3PL owners should remain open to finding a good strategic fit that may help them gain access to a new market, adding scope and scale to their operations. Acquiring another company’s customer base may also help 3PLs diversify risk, and panelists offered actionable and specific advice to 3PL leaders on how to ensure they are contractually set up for success.
During a session on the labor shortage, panelists discussed how the use of robotics and wearable tech can help retain frontline workers. Warehouses are implementing creative financial incentives to retain their workers, such as profit-sharing and productivity-based bonuses. I was very inspired hearing from 3PL warehouses that worked with their local corrections facilities to bring in inmates with non-violent criminal histories to work warehouse shifts while they were still incarcerated. Not only were these individuals able to save money they could use after being released, but many also became loyal warehouse employees after their release.
David Miller
The IWLA Conference provided a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into the latest trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in the logistics and supply chain management field. IWLA brings together industry experts, thought leaders, and industry professionals from the third-party logistics (3PL) field to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas about the challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.
One of the most interesting and relevant topics of the IWLA breakout sessions included a seminar called “Build, Buy or Die,” which spoke about the urgency of expanding one’s footprint and warehouse capacity to compete with larger, geographically distributed 3PLs and 4PLs. There was a lively discussion regarding the need to expand, along with all of the challenges of finding new space especially when looking to buy existing 3PLs as a growth plan. The real estate and lending experts on the panel laid out a number of hurdles to overcome and were quick to point out the risks associated with this strategy. The main takeaway was that if you were extremely well-financed, there were better, less risky ways to look at expansion through partnerships as opposed to large capital outlays and the headaches of incorporating an entirely new business unit.
Besides the breakout sessions, it was great to reconnect with so many of our customers. I love finding new solutions to fulfillment challenges, and the IWLA conference gave us the opportunity to show our users—and prospects—some of our new products that will help them grow to the next level: Network Manager that will help with their growth and expansion plans, Billing Manager and Payments that will help them with their cashflow, and Business Analytics that will help them optimize their operations and productivity. Coming off so many COVID interruptions, being able to shake hands and put some new faces to names was refreshingly normal.
Overall, the IWLA Conference provided a valuable learning opportunity providing new insights, perspectives, and knowledge that helps us better understand the 3PL industry and the challenges they are looking to solve in 2023 and beyond. More importantly, we can also use this information to help our 3PL customers capitalize on many emerging opportunities in fulfillment, supply chain, and logistics, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s progress next year.
Wrap Up
We had a fantastic time at IWLA 2023 Conference and look forward to seeing you in 2024! If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for the IWLA 2024 Convention and Expo! 
