Evaluate port proximity and terminal capabilities, road and rail access to Central Europe, availability of bonded customs facilities, frequency of carrier sailings and trucking lanes, and the 3PL’s existing carrier partnerships. Also verify WMS/APIs for carrier booking, tracking, and EDI to ensure seamless cross-border execution.

Seasonal peaks increase demand for short-term storage, laboured pick/pack resources, and expedited inbound/outbound movements. Plan with flexible lease options, temporary workforce arrangements, pre-positioned inventory, and clear surge SLAs to control incremental costs and preserve service levels during high season.

Key KPIs include order lead time, on-time-in-full (OTIF), order accuracy, pick-and-pack cost per order, inventory accuracy, dock-to-stock cycle time, claims/returns rate, and berth-to-door transit times. Use these metrics to compare providers on both cost and speed dimensions relevant to your SKU mix.