An organization that is searching for third-party fulfillment options is likely to come across a number of providers that are fairly similar in their services and clients. While multiple 3PL organizations offer print and warehousing for clients with large-scale fulfillment needs, they also differ in important ways. 

How can you decide which of these fulfillment providers is most likely to meet your company’s needs over the long term? One of the most important factors you should consider is the level of engagement provided by your 3PL fulfillment team. The phrase “set it and forget it” is definitely not one that should be applied to your fulfillment process! At Spectra, you can depend on having expert fulfillment personnel constantly monitoring and optimizing your print, inventory management, and shipping activities.

Spectra Overview

Spectra has operated in South Carolina for more than 23 years, providing integrated print and fulfillment services to clients in a wide range of different industries. With in-house expertise in both the print and the warehousing/shipping aspects of fulfillment, Spectra offers its clients unique levels of quality and efficiency in the production and distribution of materials.

Spectra is mainly focused on B2B fulfillment, working with national corporations that need to distribute materials to end users around the United States and abroad on a frequent basis. The company is also an ideal partner for e-commerce companies that need to fulfill complex orders for customers with high degrees of accuracy and data security. Whether you recognize the weak points in your current fulfillment game or you’re getting into fulfillment for the first time, Spectra is the team you need on your side.

Who Should Choose Spectra?

Spectra’s fulfillment activity is centered in the southeastern United States, with two centers in the centrally located city of Columbia, South Carolina. Its headquarters is located in a strategic spot, able to reach most of the Eastern seaboard, the Southeast, and the Midwest in one to two days with fulfillment services. 

Spectra’s streamlined services hit the “sweet spot” for many national corporations that need B2B fulfillment on a regular basis. Spectra’s ideal client is a national organization with franchise or retail locations throughout the country, with materials being shipped out multiple times per week or on a daily basis.

Easy Account Setup

One of our favorite ways to describe the account setup process is that it’s like your organization is gaining an expert fulfillment department overnight. Our long history of providing fulfillment for a wide spectrum of different sizes and types of companies means that it’s easy for our project managers to learn about your company, compare your needs with our services, and quickly come up with a fulfillment process that does exactly what you need it to do. 

For small e-commerce businesses and for startups that have not yet developed a fulfillment plan, the Spectra team is a fantastic choice. We can help your growing organization avoid the bumps in the road that cause so many startups to waste money in the area of fulfillment just when they need capital the most. We’ll lead the way in setting up a seamless fulfillment process that avoids accessorial costs and other issues that could otherwise take you by surprise.

Spectra’s Inventory Management

Spectra’s inventory management systems are often paired with our powerful online storefront offering. Many of Spectra’s large national clients utilize an online storefront that is 100% customized to their brand and gives their B2B end users an experience similar to shopping at a major online retailer. The online storefront tracks orders, records metrics, and allows the client to have real-time visibility into what is happening with their end users.

Of course, on the Spectra end we are also carefully watching the metrics in order to keep your inventory management as efficient as possible. The more ordering activity we see within your storefront, the better we can optimize your stock. As we avoid both overstocking and understocking materials for you, your capital is freed up to be invested in other areas.

Print Service Specialties

Spectra offers SOC 2 Type ll and HIPAA compliant print services in house, which sets us apart from many other competitors in the fulfillment space. By eliminating the need to work with another service provider for printing, we save our clients money and greatly streamline the process of getting materials from the press into the hands of the end user while protecting data.

With a fully equipped, powerful print and mailing facility in house, our print experts can also recommend upgrades to your printed materials to make them more effective:

• Marketing materials. Specialty printing, unusual ink colors and textures, and other features can help your materials stand out from the rest.
• Official medical and insurance mailings. We offer a number of secure envelopes and pressure seal mailers to keep private information private while in transit to the recipient. Let our experts help make sure your communications are in compliance with privacy requirements.
• New print possibilities. There may be materials that your organization could be printing to reach end users or customers in new, more effective ways. Take advantage of the 20+ years of print expertise represented in the Spectra team.

Further Comparison

While there are certainly fulfillment players that are larger in scope than Spectra, size is not the most important factor when choosing a 3PL partner. Organizations that are looking to work with a fulfillment expert should investigate thoroughly to find out exactly what services each 3PL provider specializes in, see what current and past clients have to say about their service, and get in touch with representatives to ask specific questions related to their fulfillment needs. 

Spectra serves national clients with high quality print, warehousing, and mailing services that are thoroughly protected by data security measures and managed by an expert team with more than 23 years of experience in the field. One of the most valuable features of our service to our clients is the hands-on approach that we take to fulfillment. With Spectra in charge of your fulfillment chain, you get the benefit of veterans in the industry assessing your process, tweaking it when possible to save you money, and maximizing its effectiveness.