Do you think the Logistics Association of Australia blog could use a graphical update? We’re not ready to upgrade to a new layout yet, but we’re going to break from the regular formula of talking about logistics. This time, we’re going to find out how professional web designers and web developers create a high-impact website for companies in the logistics industry. We interviewed a local group of designers who are in the middle of working on a website for a large international shipping company’s local subsidiary, and they were more than happy to give us the run-down on what goes into a great design for a logistics-oriented website.

Website designers in Melbourne Zaaax had the following to say: “To design an effective website for a shipping company, you need to understand a few things,” Paul from Zaaax explained, “You want to communicate the brand very well through the colours, motifs, and design schemes you use. For example, this client’s brand logo is purple and orange, so we want to create a strong brand association for this company by creating a website for them that looks a lot like their logo, so we use purple and orange accents in certain elements on the design.”

Paul went into further detail, “Since they’re a shipping company that specialises in professional-grade logistics services for corporations and large companies in Australia, we create a variety of different graphics that exude professionalism, speed, and thoroughness. Clients need to come to the website and immediately trust the brand, so we really build the website to sell that the company is reliable, well-established, and stable to potential clients and investors.”

A lot of thought goes into the design of websites. Like logistics, you have to consider all of the factors carefully and make smart decisions to avoid delays and unforeseen circumstances.

Transporting roller blinds isn’t an easy job. Not only do you have to ensure that they keep their form and aren’t bent or broken, but you also have to transport multiple components when you haul them from city to city. As always, we’re taking another opportunity to look at the logistics behind a variety of different industries in Australia, and today, we’re looking at the interior design industry and how logistics specialists transport roller blinds from place to place. If your company is currently being contracted to move supplies for a company in the interior design business, pay close attention, as this article will help you in your work.

We spoke to the local interior design experts at Interior Illusions as we wrote this article, and Paul from the company was more than willing to share his perspective with us, “If you’re going to be transporting blinds or any other supplies for an interior design company, you need to keep to their schedule and recognize that they need to be a reliable provider for their clients,” Paul adds, “This is why it’s so important to keep an open line of communication with your interior design client as a logistics contractor. If the blinds show up to the job late, then it makes the company look bad. You want to make sure everything is on time so companies like ours can continue to provide service unhindered.”

Interior Illusions Melbourne and thousands of other similar providers across the country depend on fast and thorough logistics contractors to deliver their supplies on-time. Some of the goods you’ll be working with are fragile if you ever have the opportunity to work for a similar company, so your company should pay close attention to the needs of your clients. Everything must be loaded onto the moving truck carefully and must be insulated against damage.

Tune in next week when we cover another unique industry in Australia!

As we continue our regularly schedule blog post on the topic of logistics, this week, we’ll examine exactly what it takes to run an emergency electrical repair company in Melbourne, and the sort of hard work that goes into ensuring that customers receive around-the-clock repairs. Running any kind of trades business is difficult, but being available at a moment’s notice to come out to a client’s location and perform a highly technical fix requires a certain level of mastery. Logistically speaking, if you’re late for one client, then you’ll be late for them all. It requires pinpoint-precise time management, responsive customer support, and knowledge of a wide number of different common and uncommon electrical problems.

“I won’t lie. Some days, I almost go crazy,” Tom from Bone Electrician Melbourne laughs, “But it’s the job I love, and I wouldn’t ever want to do anything else with my life. I really feel good about my skills and I feel like I’m providing a useful service to people in my community, and that’s all that really matters in the end, isn’t it?” Bone Electrical and thousands of other of specialists across the country provide fast electrical repairs for companies of all sizes, as well as residential customers in Melbourne and beyond.

The key to being as efficient as possible in any industry is keeping a line of communication open with customers to assuage their fears while keeping excellent and current records on your end. Update customer information and keep plenty of notes, and make sure that your databases are well-organized so you can access any relevant data on a particular job on-the-go. This is the secret behind why so many companies like this one are able to serve thousands of clients in the local area without breaking a sweat.

If you’re looking to revitalize your business and serve more customers more quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly, take a page from this Melbourne electrician’s book!

The work that goes into transporting and setting up office fit outs and office partitions is mind-boggling. It’s something most people don’t normally put a lot of thought into, but setting up a corporate office and getting it all fitted out with the best possible furnishings and workspaces can be very difficult. Whether we’re talking about a small business or a large corporate office, a lot of work goes into the delivery and setup of these pieces. While many of the fixtures can easily be broken down and transported, others have to be hauled in, in large segments before being bolted down or secured to the floors with another method.

We spoke to James from Sydney Interiors. Sydney Interiors are a commercial office fit out company based in Sydney with a wealth of knowledge and expertise on the subject, “The average office fitout job will be done in a couple of weeks, with the biggest, longest jobs taking up to two months at most,” James explained, “We work closely with our clients and find out what they need, then we work with logistics companies to get each piece deployed to their location as soon as possible so that our professionals can go to work getting everything installed properly.”

During the conceptualisation stages of any office fit out work, a company will typically ask you about your growth plans, or how much your company is expecting to grow within 5 to 10 years, as this will allow you to plan your office out for the future. Lease expiry, mergers and acquisitions, changes in business location, and your industry’s unique circumstances are also taken into consideration when you work with one of these companies. The best among them will be very thorough, learning the ins and outs of your business before performing the delivery and installation.

“There are a lot of different companies in Sydney specialising in this kind of work, and it takes a lot on the logistical side of things to get everything moved.” James emphasised the importance of how good logistical planning helps his company give their customers faster, better service.

Whether you’re running an office fit out and interior design firm in the metropolitan area, or your business is a smaller, family-owned operation,  like Sydney Interiors, you should put a lot of consideration into the logistical aspects of your company in order to maximise profits and better server your customers with the service that they deserve.

In order to prevent long and short-term injury to the spine and the other joints in the body, it’s important to learn how to properly lift heavy items. One of the most common mistakes made by the average person is improper form when handling inordinately heavy objects. This is a common problem for workers in the shipping and logistics industry, and when we spend years or decades without lifting with the proper form, we end up with chronic pain from handling packages for clients without lifting with the right muscles.

Rather than give you anything but the best advice, we turned to the experts at Dee Why Chiropractor – S3C.com.au to get more information, “To avoid compressing your spine or putting a lot of strain on your lower back, you should always stand with your feet a shoulder-width apart, with your dominant foot slightly in front of the other foot,” Randall from S3C explained, “When you’re lifting, keep good posture, squat down, and slowly lift up the object by straightening your knees and hips rather than your back. Also, remember not to twist your body as you’re lifting heavy objects, as this could cause some damage. Always practice these techniques.”

For any workers who do a lot of heavy lifting in the logistics industry, Randall’s tips are invaluable, “When you’re setting the object down after carrying it, ensure that you set it down carefully and you squat down using only your knees and hips. When you’re carrying the object, use small steps to change direction and keep your hips in line with your shoulders as you move the object.” Another good tip that Randall gave us was that heavy objects should never be lifted above the shoulder level, meaning all heavy objects that you’re carrying should be below your shoulders.

If you’re already suffering from years of damage as a result of heavy lifting, ensure that you keep your inflammation low whenever you get a flare-up. Having cold packs on hand is essential for treating any swelling of the knees or the spine. Likewise, you should schedule an appointment with a specialise like a chiropractor in order to reduce chronic pain. In logistics, workers are known to work intensely for long hours on the go, so it’s important that anyone working in the industry maintains their good health as much as possible to avoid long and short-term industry and reduce chronic pain.

If your company is already spending enough like things on shipping, you may want to consider cutting costs in other areas you haven’t examined. For example, you might consider adding ventilation to your roofing in order to cut down on energy costs, which can dramatically reduce the amount of money your company has to spend per annum on energy. Installing vents in the attic actually helps regular the climate of your business or residential location, keeping it cool during the summer while trapping in heat during the cooler months. Installing these yourself is possible, but as with all things covered on this blog, we’d recommend calling in the professionals.

We asked a little more about the energy saving features of roof ventilation by speaking to Dennis from Genesis Roofing a Perth Roof Ventilation Expert, “I’m surprised that more people don’t know about the costs you can save by keeping your property well ventilated,” Dennis explained, “It’s something that a lot of businesses overlook, and it’s relatively easy to install good ventilation in the attic. You can save yourself a lot of money by spending less on heating and air conditioning, and since our country has a lot of varying weather, it’s a great investment for anyone looking to cut costs for their business in the long term.”

We did a breakdown of the costs and found out that the majority of Australian companies aren’t paying attention to their energy bills as much as they should. While some companies have taken measures like switching over to solar energy to power their business locations, good ventilation is often an overlooked aspect of any company’s energy plan, and it can save your business a lot of money.

When it comes to logistics, we’re all about maximizing efficiency for minimal cost, and that philosophy applies to everything else just as well.

Today, we’re taking a look at the interesting logistics behind Australia’s slate roofing industry, which is growing year by year. Because the material is highly desired for its beauty and hardiness, the market is constantly growing for both commercial and residential applications. We briefly interviewed Damian Hand about the process of acquiring materials for his company, Mr. Shingles a Sydney slate roofer, “We acquire all of our slate from the highest-quality dealers who draw from various mines across Australia and other countries. Depending on the color, texture, size, and style you want, it might be from our country or from another country. As an example, Welsh variants are highly desired.”

Purchasing and transporting the material is a job in and of itself, and roofers like Damian spend a lot of time hunting down the best resellers of the finest slate tiles for roofing. It has been used in some capacity for all of human history, whether as a building material or as a tool. In the purview of roofing, it makes an excellent material and can last over a century if properly maintained.

While it is a hardy material, it needs to be transported to ensure that no cracks or imperfections develop along the way that would make it undesirable on the market. A trucker specializing in the transport of slate and other minerals told us, “We are really careful about loading and offloading it, and we secure it tightly whenever we’re planning on moving it.”

Impervious to moisture and highly resistant to pests, it is one of the best building materials out there for home and commercial use, and is strikingly beautiful when paired with a variety of different design schemes, dignifying any home it adorns. On top of that, it’s ecologically sound, requiring less replacement than any other form of tiling or shingle. Shingles comprise a huge portion of the planet’s landfills, considering the fact that most people have their roofing replaced every six or seven years. As such, choosing something with more longevity helps directly reduce your company’s or home’s carbon footprint!

As anyone with extensive experience in the field of logistics knows, it can really get overcomplicated quickly. A lot of thought goes into moving homes and businesses across the country. Australia is a vast nation, and the fact that our country has a very harsh climate and a lot of land to cover means that we really need to plan journeys out carefully when it comes to transporting personal belongings across hundreds of miles.

Recently, we interviewed Albert from Bmoved, an Interstate Removalist Adelaide company specializing in removals across state lines, “There are many considerations you need to take into account when you’re moving a client’s stuff across the country. For example, you need to think about how you’re going to protect their stuff from the weather.” This company uses environmentally-controlled trucks to protect a client’s personal belongings against inclement weather, moisture, and extreme heat, and bumps in the road, “Keeping everything well-insulated is important, especially since the weather can change suddenly when traveling on the road.”

Time is also a factor, especially if you’re helping a business move to another location in the country, “Timelines are really crucial,” says Albert, “We want to make sure that everything’s ahead of schedule if possible, but obviously that isn’t always achievable due to road traffic and other unforeseen circumstances.” Albert further explains, “I think this lesson can be applied to any business, and that is to give estimates with a bit of flexibility and breathing room to avoid making your clients upset should something go wrong.”

Indeed, these lessons can be applied to any business that deals with logistical operations. Albert elaborates on one final point: “If you’re going to do [logistics] right, then you need to think about what methodology is best for organizing information so that it’s easy to record and easy to access later on. Personally, we use Evernote on our mobile devices to keep track of clients and inventory.”

Take these lessons and apply them to your own business!

Gardener Bathurst is the best landscaping and gardening company in the neighborhood. After checking out all of the area’s options, I’m fully convinced that they are the best company without a doubt. They are inexpensive, fast, and really get the job done quickly. If you’re looking for quality service in the area without having to spend an arm and a leg, they really are the best company around. I’ve been very satisfied and I’ve hired them multiple times to tend my property. They always get the job done fast, and they get it done right, which is the most important thing.

I called them up first to find out their prices and they gave me an instant quote so that I could compare their rates to other rates in the area. I was surprised to find that they could come out the following day and their prices were lower than all of the other rates I was offered by other companies. When you’re looking to get the job done quickly and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, this company really is the best. I’m so impressed with how well they handled everything and how beautiful my garden looks after they finished.

If you’re looking to get the work done faster and cheaper, this is the company to choose. They made my yard look beautiful and they can handle any amount of acreage without a problem. You won’t be waiting around for them to get the job done, because they finish it quickly. I was very impressed with how they handled everything and they came off as being experts compared to the other providers I called. With lower prices, more experience, and faster delivery times than any other companies, they are really the best example of the company you should choose if you live or work in the local area and you need residential or commercial service.