Higher operating efficiency by reducing the number of carriers making deliveries.
As many as ten carriers a day were trying to make pickups at a client’s three shipping docks. Adding to the problem was the fact that the pickups usually occurred within a time window of just a couple hours. The result was a lot of overtime pay and missed pickups when carriers weren’t able to wait in line.
Our Logistics Analysis team mapped out a solution that consolidated all outbound freight onto three carriers. The solution met all of the client’s service requirements while limiting the cost impact to under one percent.
Result: The client actually realized a savings once reduced overtime was taken into consideration while significantly reducing the workload and complexity for its shipping and receiving department.
A regional retailer was having the same problem with its inbound freight. In this case, more than 15 carriers were making deliveries, which hindered staff from efficiently managing inventory. Making the problem worse was a lack of visibility on inbound prepaid freight.
UTS developed a solution that consolidated inbound activity to three carriers. We rolled this solution into our carrier rankings so that it would be automatically enforced with suppliers shipping freight on an inbound collect basis. For suppliers shipping inbound prepaid, we developed a routing guide that assigned a primary carrier as well as two backups if needed.
UTS also implemented a customized solution to show inbound prepaid freight in transit, which helps with warehouse planning and inventory management.
