This environmentally conscious company has an important goal that should resonate with all of us: “developing solid waste management solutions that are environmentally friendly and cost effective.”  They help businesses and cities achieve this goal by providing waste management products and services that include trash compactors and eco-friendly waste bins. As a 3PL who is always ThinKING Green, we were happy to partner with this company and help eliminate the waste within their shipping program.

The challenge
The client manufactures products and ships them to precise locations across the country, but their limited shipping resources were preventing them from coordinating shipments to hundreds of different locations. The carriers they use aren’t tasked with delivering compactors to warehouse shipping docks. Instead, they are dropped off at special locations in parking lots and other areas, which requires customized shipping options. To top it all off, each delivery requires several key components:

• A lift gate to complete delivery
• Precise visibility and shipment monitoring
• Quick turnaround on the Delivery Receipt, allowing the client to quickly invoice customers

Seem complicated? Allow us to compact the challenge down to a single sentence: we needed to create a seamless delivery process that included frequent pickups from the distribution facility as well as timely, trackable deliveries to special locations across the country.

The King solution
The client engaged King Solutions and together a solution was developed that got the units delivered when, where and how they were supposed to. King scrapped their initial shipping plan and started from scratch. We created a customized plan with delivery options that leveraged national and regional LTL freight carriers. The national carrier would pick up units from the client and transfer them to regional destination carriers for final delivery to end destinations.

King streamlined the process by coordinating unit pick up and efficiently managing the relationship between the two carriers. We closely tracked shipments during the transfer and through the final delivery, providing the clear visibility the client was lacking. Finally, we managed the Proof of Delivery (POD) receipt process so the client’s invoicing procedure was as efficient as possible. We provided a single invoice per destination that included all carrier services.

The results
King’s custom shipping plan and special delivery options streamlined spending and introduced a superior level of visibility, tracking and service. Since launching the new plan, we have successfully coordinated deliveries to 200 different locations, which amounts to 400 different shipments when considering both carriers involved. Invoicing is also streamlined and includes one invoice with POD’s, allowing our client to accurately and efficiently invoice their customers after delivery.

Eliminate waste with the right 3PL
At King, we specialize in optimizing your logistics strategy to ensure that you get the most out of your budget. Efficiency is key, and it just so happens to be what we’re best at. Contact a King representative today and let’s talk about solutions for your business.