Kitting Services

What Is a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Company?

Kitting and other essential services can be handled in-house, but a third-party logistics company, or 3PL, offers you the streamlined operations you need to grow your business. When in-house order fulfillment isn’t feasible any longer, it’s time to partner with Export Corporation. Here are some of the primary features offered by a 3PL:

• Inventory management
• Warehousing
• Custom packaging
• Kitting
• Order fulfillment

Any small tasks that need to be performed between your manufacturing process and final delivery to a customer can be fulfilled by a 3PL. Because of their specialization in the fulfillment process, these companies offer services in a more efficient, cost-effective way than you may be able to handle within your own facility.

What Is Kitting in a Warehouse?

Kitting in a warehouse involves receiving multiple part numbers or SKU’s and creating method of packaging them all into one container, crate or box as a single part number or SKU. This results in the end user having multiple different parts for an application in one ready to use package. Think surgical KIT containing many tools for a specific operation.

Kitting Process

At it’s most basic the kitting process is as follows: A collection of parts or materials that are organized and packaged to create a single part number or SKU. These are delivered to the end user with everything necessary to complete their task or assembly line in manufacturing.

Benefits of Kitting and Assembly Services

When applied to your manufacturing facility, kitting offers a number of distinct benefits. Here are some key reasons why you should consider kitting for your manufacturing process:

• Reduced assembly times: Your in-house technicians should focus on the skilled aspects of assembling products, not organizing separate parts and packing them into kits. Kitting is a way to increase specialization in your assembly process for increased efficiency.
• Reduced storage use: Various parts shipped to your facility without our kitting and assembly services can take up much more storage space. Your assembly team will also need to move between various storage areas to find all the necessary components to assembly kits on their own.
• Improved accuracy: Let our third-party logistics team do what they do best. Our organized warehouse, RFID barcoding and other logistical fulfillment services complement kitting and create an organized structure that promotes scalability.
• Streamlined shipping: Reduce shipping wastes when you ship items to your customers. If your manufacturing facility is sending components to a different assembly facility, the process of kitting packages these products in a clearly labeled, organized and efficiently packed unit.
• Fast-paced services: Work with a third-party logistics team that appreciates deadlines. If your in-house team is particularly busy, they may not have the necessary time and resources to kit your products in a timely manner.
• Reduced costs: Because of the factors outlined above, using a third-party logistics team ultimately saves you time and money.
• Increased production capabilities: Leave the time-consuming task of organizing and packaging components to a team with the experience and specialty facility designed to assemble, label, package, bag and manage your inventory. Whether you’re concerned with the time it takes or the space necessary to create kits for your clients, turn to a kitting service provider to outsource these tasks as you scale up your business.

What is a Kitting Fee?

A kitting fee refers to the labor cost to take multiple different parts and put them together in one package for the end user.

What Does Kitting Mean in Manufacturing?

Kitting in manufacturing means setting up multiple parts or pieces organized in a way for ease of use in an assembly or manufacturing process to create a single part number or SKU.

Kitting can happen at multiple stages throughout the production process. If your facility is creating complex components, you may use kitting services to prepare components for full assembly. Manufacturers in the automotive and defense industries can use this service to streamline vehicle production.

How Kitting Works in the Production Process

The entire goal of kitting is to streamline your production process. At Export Corporation, we provide this service through the following steps:

• Inventory storage: Inventory can be stored in a spacious warehouse provided by your kitting and assembly service provider. This saves you valuable shop floor space as you continue to manufacture components and look for ways to expand your process.
• Assembly steps: You don’t have to sort various components and assemble them on your own time, but transfer these time-consuming steps to your partner in the process. Assembly steps and custom packaging allows you to save on shipping costs and make deliveries more convenient for your customers.
• Just-in-time delivery: Both you and your customers want a streamlined operation. This means timely deliveries, but it also means avoiding excess storage. Just-in-time delivery ensures your customers have the products they need, and your warehouse isn’t full of components just waiting to be delivered.
• Packaging services: Shipping complex components or overweight items requires custom packaging and distribution expertise. Make sure your items are packaged properly so that they are not only protected either in storage or transit to their next destination but that they also meet any specifications necessary should you be shipping internationally.

Applications of Kitting

Another kitting application is at the end of your production stage. Work with our team to create a kit that’s ready for the end user. Kitting in this way is part of the packaging process and improves the overall experience of receiving your products. It can also decrease shipping rates, making it more manageable to send your products around the nation or the world.

The process is streamlined when you work with a third-party logistics company (3PL), like Export Corporation, with the specialized resources necessary to organize, package and deliver kitted products. In-house kitting often leads to wasted time, storage space and accuracy.

Kitting can be used to group items in a package to prepare it for delivery, but it can also be used to disassemble components to prepare for delivery. De-contenting an engine is a common example of this aspect of kitting. This reduces the workload of your in-house assembly team and allows for safe, affordable shipping of bulky or fragile mechanical components.

Kitting and Assembly in Michigan

One of the greatest advantages of kitting is that it’s completely customizable. No two companies organize the same items in the same way, so work with our team to create a kitting strategy that fits the specific needs of each of your components, clients and production deadlines. Personalized kitting services by an industry-leading team may be just what your facility needs to improve its bottom line.

In addition to kitting we also offer packaging services such as custom crating, custom pallets, industrial packaging, automotive packaging, aftermarket packaging, Mil-Spec packaging and more. Contact us for details today.