Multichannel Merchant (MCM) has named SEKO Logistics a MCM Top 3PL for 2021 in its annual listing of leading third-party logistics providers for companies that sell merchandise direct to customers.

It is the eighth consecutive year SEKO has earned Top 3PL recognition, reflecting another year of growth and the delivery of new service benefits, technology and sustainability solutions for SEKO’s global client base.

“Ecommerce and DTC merchants need experienced, qualified 3PL partners as they handle unprecedented growth in their online business, and lack the internal resources or expertise,” said Mike ’Brien, Senior Content Manager of Multichannel Merchant. “Each company has been selected based on their industry experience, services offered, performance and range of capabilities.”

3PLs, already growing in importance prior to COVID-19, saw significant growth in demand for their services in 2020 as the virus fueled a massive shift to ecommerce and the need for outsourced fulfillment and logistics operations. MCM’s Top 3PL listing provides a unique resource for B2B and B2C merchants to search for and vet logistics partners using various criteria to find the best qualified and most experienced 3PLs. This includes the ability to search by key services, average annual client order volume, top merchandise categories handled, facility locations and more.

2020 saw SEKO invest in and launch a series of new benefits for clients using multichannel routes to market, including:

• SEKO Logistics’ largest-ever acquisition with the purchase of New York-based freight forwarder and cross-border ecommerce experts, Air-City, Inc., one of the first group of freight agents authorized by the Chinese Government in 1994.
• A new partnership with Bringg, the leading delivery and fulfillment orchestration platform provider, to scale up and optimize the delivery experience for digital consumers by offering self-service control and visibility of one of the few remaining offline touch points in a consumer’s purchasing process.
• The launch, with Air-City, of a new international parcel delivery service into the United States after gaining approval from U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to process Section 321, Type 86 (T86) ocean imports through SEKO Logistics’ Container Freight Station (CFS) in Long Beach, California, giving marketplaces, merchants and direct-to-consumer brands fully-trackable, 20-22 day, door-to-door deliveries across the U.S. for inbound ocean shipments from China, Asia and Australasia that qualify under the increased $800 de minimus threshold and conditions.
• A strategic partnership with Air & Ground World Transport (AGWorld) to create new cross-border growth opportunities for shippers doing business between Asia and the United States as global trade disputes accelerated demand for broader geographic supply chain solutions. AGWorld’s network of offices includes Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Shenzhen, Guangzhou Manila and Ho Chi Minh City.
• Working with sustainable packaging company, The Better Packaging Co., theworld’s leading provider of Home Compostable packaging, to help significantly replace single-use plastics in Global ecommerce fulfillment supply chains.

Brian Bourke, Chief Growth Officer at SEKO Logistics, commented: “Being listed as an MCM Top 3PL is a great honor. This award is significant because we are being judged by experts in retail and ecommerce and, ultimately, by the B2B companies and DTC brands that base their buying criteria and decisions on the factual information presented within MCM’s directory.”