How does an export/import merchant expand their network?

In a highly competitive and globalized economy many companies have become multi-service enterprises as facilitators of the flow of goods in the supply chain.

Some companies have elected to share resources of warehousing, distribution, or transportation while other have developed logistics platforms for its customers in order to modernize and to get an edge of competitive advantage.

In the age to the Internet third party logistics and trading companies are finding competitive advantage harder to achieve as concentration of resources is the current tendency in order to lower the cost of international transactions.

A trading company specialized in a range of products, it must maintain a stock or a shop, and deliver products to customers or know the supply chain so well that “on time deliveries” can cut inventory costs. Today, trading companies are large and highly diversified businesses that trade in a wide range of goods and services and are mostly b2b business services, highly specialized in one goods category and with a strong logistic organization.

Getting an edge on competitive advantage is the change in practical conditions such as faster distribution, computing and modern marketing that have led many of these companies to changes in their business models.