An international retailer of industrial safety gear built its reputation by providing first-class customer service to its B2B buyers regardless of where in the world they were located. So when the company became aware of glitches and inefficiencies in its Canadian distribution processes, resulting in higher-than-expected costs and transit times, the company knew it had a problem. The company turned to Purolator International for help. Purolator reviewed the company’s existing logistics and transportation strategy, and was able to recommend new approaches in several key areas. Today the company’s safety goggles, hard hats, earplugs, and other products move seamlessly to Canadian distributors and retailers via a highly efficient, fully automated logistics and transportation strategy.
The challenge
At first, the previous provider’s logistics plan did seem like a viable solution. But bit by bit, flaws became apparent. The provider noticed a high level of mistakes in SKUs, meaning that distributors in Canada were receiving the wrong products. The retailer also noticed flaws in the logistics provider’s technology system, as fields were not aligning, which prevented the accurate and seamless transfer of data for functions like order fulfillment and tracking.
Another inconsistency was the seemingly long transit time. The provider was relying on a three-day-deferred ground solution that began with an unnecessary trip from the retailer’s Memphis warehouse across town to their own distribution center.
Finally, the realization set in that this transportation provider just didn’t seem to care. The retailer provided a steady amount of business, but given some of the retail giants the provider also served, the client was left out in the cold. Customer service was lacking at best, with no one seeming to take ownership for the retailer’s business or step forward to offer innovative ideas. The final straw came when the retailer realized the provider had to generate its waybills by hand, while doing so electronically for its larger accounts.
A Purolator team-driven truck picks up shipments at the retailer’s Memphis warehouse every night. After a brief stop at our consolidation facility, shipments move seamlessly across the border, arriving in Canada in two days—a full day faster than the previous provider.
Our line-haul solution allows shipments to share truck space with products from other brand-name retailers. This is a significant cost-saver that makes the entire shipping process more efficient and affordable.
We dramatically improved warehousing operations by integrating our unique Beacon customer portal directly with the retailer's system. This solved the data transfer issues and eliminated the high number of SKU mistakes.
The fully integrated system allows forms and reports to be generated electronically. Waybills that once took ten minutes to create manually are now produced in about one minute. All required customs forms are also completed and submitted electronically.
The results
This includes a dedicated Client Relationship Representative (CRR), who is the retailer’s assigned customer service agent. The CRR is fully up-to-date with regard to the retailer’s logistics plan, and should anything go awry, it usually has the problem solved before the retailer even knows there was a problem. And the CRR is generally just a phone call away.
Purolator’s customized solution has helped this retailer in three key ways: (1) better transit times, (2) better IT functionality, and (3) better warehousing operations. Shipments are arriving in Canada — usually ahead of schedule. The retailer has a high degree of confidence that its customers are being well served, and there is a high degree of accountability thanks to Purolator’s integrated technology solution. And proof positive that this retailer has its Canadian logistics plan figured out: since partnering with Purolator, the company has exceeded its Canadian growth projections.
“We knew pretty much right away that we could provide a better solution,” says Betty Jo Rodey, Purolator International’s Strategic Account Executive. “No one else has the access to the Canadian market that Purolator does, so we went to work to deliver the solution this company wanted in the first place.”
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In today’s world, your logistics provider’s technology should integrate seamlessly with your own. We can help you automate everything from waybills to customs forms, reducing errors and saving valuable time.
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