This page covers one thing: third-party logistics intake requirements. For the wider view, read lip packaging across Indiana.
When someone else receives your goods
Indianapolis hosts a large amount of third-party logistics capacity, and many brands operating there never physically handle their own packaging: it goes from the converter to a 3PL and from there to customers.
That introduces a party with its own rules. A 3PL is optimised for throughput, and anything that slows intake gets rejected rather than accommodated. Their requirements are not preferences.
The good news is that they are all knowable in advance and all cheap to build in. The bad news is that finding them out at the receiving dock is expensive and delays every order downstream.
What to get from your 3PL before ordering
Seven items to request in writing before packaging is produced.
- Receiving hours and whether deliveries need a booked appointment
- The reference or purchase order number that must appear on paperwork and often on each case
- Case label format, including barcode symbology and placement
- Maximum pallet height and weight, and whether pallets must be stretch wrapped
- Whether mixed-SKU pallets are accepted or each pallet must be single SKU
- Units per case and whether inner packs are required for pick efficiency
- Any restrictions on case dimensions or weight for manual handling
The mixed-SKU question catches people out. A 3PL that only accepts single-SKU pallets changes how a multi-product order has to be packed and palletised.
What a refused delivery actually costs
A refused delivery at a 3PL is more expensive than the redelivery charge suggests, because the stock is not in the system and every order depending on it waits.
The usual causes are mundane: no appointment booked, a missing reference number, case labels in the wrong format, or a pallet over the height limit. All are avoidable with information that takes minutes to gather.
Send the requirements with your order rather than after the pallet is on the road. Building them into the production plan costs nothing; repacking finished goods to meet a requirement discovered late costs labour and risks damage. How freight and delivery are quoted is set out separately.
Questions from Indianapolis brands
What does a 3PL need to know before I order packaging?
Receiving hours and appointment process, the reference number for paperwork and cases, case label format including barcode symbology, maximum pallet height and weight, and whether mixed-SKU pallets are accepted.
Why does the mixed-SKU question matter?
Because a 3PL that only accepts single-SKU pallets changes how a multi-product order has to be packed and palletised. It affects the number of pallets and therefore the freight cost, so it needs knowing before production.
What happens if a 3PL refuses a delivery?
The stock does not enter their system and every order depending on it waits, which costs more than the redelivery charge alone. The usual causes are a missing appointment, a missing reference number or non-conforming case labels.
Can you apply case labels to a 3PL specification?
Yes, to your specification including barcode symbology and placement. Send the requirement with the order, since case labelling discovered at goods-in becomes a repacking job rather than a printing one.
Do inner packs help with 3PL picking?
Often. A counted inner bundle lets a picker take a partial case without opening individual cartons, which speeds picking and reduces damage. Ask your 3PL whether they want them and at what quantity.
Can you ship directly to a 3PL rather than to me?
Yes, and it is the normal arrangement. Send their address, receiving requirements and reference number with the order, and the consignment is prepared and labelled to their specification.
How does this differ from your Indiana page?
The Indiana page covers case pack efficiency and pallet configuration as a freight cost question. This page is about third-party logistics intake requirements, which govern whether a delivery is accepted at all rather than what it costs.
Do you have staff on the ground in Indianapolis?
No. Nobody is employed in Indianapolis. You deal with the same team wherever you are, and delivery to Indianapolis is handled by a national carrier.
Lip Boxes has no address, warehouse, collection point or staff in Indianapolis. Packaging is manufactured to order and shipped to Indianapolis addresses through a nationwide carrier service, with delivery cost and lead time confirmed in writing on each quote.
