There are many moving parts to a package’s journey and it’s important to have awareness of the language used when communicating the different steps.
First Mile
The first mile typically refers to when your products are moved from the manufacturer to a distribution centre. A distribution centre is a warehouse that stores goods temporarily, before they are transported to stores or onto further destinations. You might have a separate transport company liaise with the manufacturer, which then liaises with a separate distribution centre - or these components might all be linked through a logistics company. Each order needs to be fully accurate from the first mile in terms of labelling, packaging, and shipment to keep the process on schedule and avoid delays, loss or delivery failures.
Middle Mile
The next step in the chain is the middle mile. This refers to the domestic or international journey a product may take to reach a final destination. There are several components in this part and they can become quite convoluted, costly and at times- time consuming. This is where freight forwarders come in. For the middle mile to go smoothly, those involved need to make sure cargo space is booked, that products are consolidated into the chosen freight, documentation including customs paperwork is handled before products even get on a ship, truck or airplane. Then once loaded, a comprehensive freight forwarder should provide vessel tracking, so you can keep track of your goods every step of the way. The goods arrive at the destination port and to ensure as little friction as possible, enter customs bonded distribution centres (so duties and taxes are only paid once a product is sold and leaves the warehouse for its final destination).
Last Mile
Sometimes referred to as the final mile, the last mile encompasses all the steps needed to get an order to a customer’s doorstep once it’s reached the destination country or port. Once at the destination country distribution centre, the products wait until they are purchased by customers. Once purchased, they are picked, packed and collected by local courier networks to travel onto their final destination- your happy customer’s doorstep.
