Some people were born with green thumbs and some develop them over time. These days, modern lawn and garden care rely on special equipment and tools to get the job done. The same can be said about getting that equipment delivered to your local lawn care retailer; it takes efficient technology tools, careful planning, and critical thinking to deliver equipment before we can even consider which lawnmowers or pressure washers we could be taking home.
When an outdoor power equipment company approached RedStone about their supply chain, we were excited at the opportunity to get our hands dirty. Despite operational issues, high freight costs, inconsistent deliveries, and lack of visibility, we were able to solve several critical issues and optimize their supply chain.
The Challenge
A wholesale distribution company of commercial and consumer outdoor power equipment was looking for ways to improve their material flow, labor planning, and visibility within their supply chain. When they approached us, we identified the main issue our customer faced; an inbound move from one of their largest suppliers.
The supplier whom the customer received shipments from controlled the way the inbound shipments were handled. While this is not uncommon in the industry, our customer was suffering from high freight costs, inconsistent deliveries, and possessing no visibility to incoming freight from them. In order to reduce costs and address multiple issues, we needed to implement an entirely new process for them to regain control and visibility of inbound shipments.
RedStone Logistics Solution
Through careful analysis and implementation, Intermodal shipments were coordinated through dedicated customer service employees. They monitored pickups and anticipated issues such as containers, chassis, and ramp availability to ensure that they meet the narrow windows for pickups and deliveries. Instead of looking for a simple price solution based on rates, we implemented an effective modal shift from truckload to intermodal. This change drove significant cost reductions while improving consistency in transit and arrival times at the customer’s facility.
With so many moving parts within the shipment, our team ensured the shipments were tracked and that our customer was informed of its status every step of the way. Having timely delivery resulted in the customer’s sales force’s ability to provide status updates on inventory in a timely manner. Our client improved labor planning on their receiving dock, knowing which shipments were going to arrive and when.
Finishing on Top
Mode Optimization turned out to be a useful method in improving our customer’s supply chain. With the recent changes in Hours of Service and capacity constraints, intermodal can be very reliable and provide excellent alternatives. The customer’s VP of operations stated; “We have comfort in the fact that RedStone Logistics is monitoring our loads to guarantee that we are getting the highest level of service.” Lastly, the savings are substantial. Switching from truckload to intermodal is more than 20% per shipment and with 2200 shipments per year.
MORE ABOUT OUR CUSTOMER
Our Customer is a wholesale distribution company of commercial and consumer outdoor power equipment. Located in NJ – they distribute to independent Outdoor Power Dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, and Virginia.
