The bigger they are, the harder they stall.

This is an unfortunate truth for large-scale supply chains. When you ship to every corner of the country, a loose link in the supply chain can cause everything from delivery delays to increased costs, higher claims ratios, and shipments that are more complex than they have to be.

For this King client—a global leader and manufacturer of professional cleaning supplies—the problem was a combination of two things:

A facility that had limited room for staging and loading their oversized products for shipping via ground transportation.
A complex supply chain

It was a mess, and King was happy to dive in and get their hands dirty.

Supply Chain Challenge #1: Only One Way Out

Dock control is everything in a warehouse. If you cannot control the flow of goods out of your facility, you’re essentially driving a truck without the gas or brake pedals.

King’s client was sending off multiple shipments a day. Some were only going across town; others were headed across the nation. There was one big issue: they were loading and sending out all these shipments from what was essentially a single door for ground transportation. This led to dock congestion and missed pickups from various carriers. The constant focus on staging and loading products also left little time for data entry, which impacted data visibility across their organization.

Supply Chain Challenge #2: LTL Was Also Less Than Efficient

To save on shipping costs, the client was also utilizing a network of LTL (less than truckload) carriers to send out shipments across the nation. While LTL shipping can be a cost-effective method of shipping—as sharing trailer space with other loads also means sharing costs—it’s not always the most effective and cost-efficient way to ship. LTL service is not always available on all routes, shipping times can be longer, and moving freight between trailers can lead to higher damage claims ratios.

As a company that specializes in large cleaning products, King’s client was unable to ship many of their oversized products via LTL. Those products that could fit into the traditional LTL routes they were using were experiencing higher rates of damage.

Using multiple LTL carriers was also causing issues at their warehouse. With only one door to send out ground shipments and a small staging area from which to load trailers, using multiple LTL carriers was actually less efficient, more costly, and causing more problems than it solved.

The King Solution:Simplify Through Consolidation

Sometimes more is less in logistics, and sometimes a PTL (partial truckload) solution is the best option for shipping. Rather than relying on multiple carriers, routes, and shipping times, a single drop trailer from King consolidated their efforts and gave them the time they needed to load shipments through their single ground transportation door.

No carriers waiting in line. No missed pickups. No excess transfers from trailer to trailer. With King’s PTL program, everything would be loaded once onto a trailer and sent via direct linehauls with no cross docking in between.

King also helped their IT department streamline the entry and management of their data, promoting visibility across their organization and helping them further optimize their supply chain from end to end.

The Results: A Cleaner Operation

With a King dropped trailer, the client was able to concentrate more on manufacturing, staging, and loading a single, stationary trailer on their time. This created a safer, more efficient and organized staging space and loading dock, allowing them to gain better control over the flow of products from their warehouse.

By replacing the network of LTL carriers with a PTL solution, the client will also see a decrease in damage claims that comes with the reduced handling and transfer of oversized pallets and products.

Benefits fit for a King

Efficient dock control
More cost effective
Lower damage claims ratio
No rush to load trailers
More time for data management
A simplified solution that leads to peace of mind

About King Solutions

Established in 1989, King Solutions is an asset-based 3PL and freight forwarder headquartered in Dayton, MN. As a Women’s Business Enterprise and leader in the logistics industry, King provides freight transportation services, fulfillment, and warehousing to its customers. King is committed to a customer-focused approach, creating tailored solutions through a robust network of shipping resources, information services, and dedicated employees.