Packaging distributors often hold printed stock for each brand at their own warehouse or at a 3PL, and ship it on call-off. CartonCloud and Extensiv are two of the cloud warehouse systems most used by small and mid-size 3PLs, one Australian and one American.
The short version
| CartonCloud | Extensiv | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Warehouse management, transport management and 3PL billing | Warehouse management for 3PLs (formerly 3PL Central) |
| Home market | Australia, with a US site | USA |
| Typical customer | Small to mid-size 3PLs and warehouses | Small to mid-size 3PLs |
| Pricing | Not public | Not public; a reviewer site estimates from about US$499 a month |
| ERP connections | Lists integrations with Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, NetSuite, MYOB and others | Common US pattern is EDI between ERP and 3PL |
| Developer API | Public API documentation | Public API documentation |
Where CartonCloud suits
CartonCloud suits Australian distributors and 3PLs that want warehouse, transport and billing in one product, with API connections to their ERP. An Australian consultancy lists it among the leading warehouse systems for local 3PLs.
Where Extensiv suits
Extensiv suits US 3PLs and distributors using US 3PLs. In the USA, ERPs usually exchange orders and stock with 3PLs through EDI messages, and Extensiv sits in that ecosystem.
Which suits you
- Your stock is in Australia or New Zealand. CartonCloud is the more common choice among local 3PLs.
- Your stock is with a US 3PL. Extensiv is more likely to be what your 3PL already runs.
- Your 3PL chooses the system. Often the 3PL decides. What matters then is that you can raise call-offs and read stock back without re-keying.
Whichever you choose, Otopack automates the work around it
Warehouse systems hold the stock. They do not take a brand’s emailed call-off, check it against the approved artwork version, raise the pick, book the freight and chase proof of delivery. Otopack does. It raises outbound orders in your warehouse system from brand call-offs, reads stock on hand back for every brand, and flags aged stock before it becomes a write-off. See Stockholding & Call-offs.
See how Otopack connects to CartonCloud and Extensiv, or the Microsoft Dynamics + CartonCloud workflows.
