Getting Crafty with Supply Chain Solutions – Verst Logistics
Verst Logistics helped an arts and crafts supplies company address peak season challenges and growing sales by expanding its supply chain capabilities.
The Challenge
A high-growth arts and crafts supplies company decided it had to pursue a new path to improve its limited supply chain capabilities. Sales growth during the 4th quarter peak period had created challenges in getting orders processed accurately and on-time. While growing sales is a very good thing, the problems that resulted were significant, impacting customer satisfaction and lowering fill rates. Additionally, forecasting in a high-growth business was difficult, and staffing for a peak season that lasts only a few days was nearly impossible. Shipping out of a single distribution point in California to reach East Coast customers added to the problems. As peak hit, the management team had to work side-by-side with their 3PL’s employees picking, packing and shipping orders to keep up with volumes.
The Solution
The company began its search for a partner to execute its supply chain and improve customer satisfaction. The search led the company to Verst. Verst created a plan to utilize its 396,000-sq-ft fulfillment facility located in a key Midwest logistics corridor. Additionally, Verst partnered with Locus Robotics, a leader in state-of-the-art robotic technologies, to address peak season challenges by incorporating computer-guided bots for picking and packing speed and accuracy.
Now Verst fills orders for all geography east of the Mississippi, including a portion of product volume shipping direct to retailers, while following strict order compliance. The Verst solution handles over 99% of all orders on time. At the height of the holiday peak, over 100,000 units were picked and packed in one 24-hour period, with 90,000 units being confirmed and shipped out the same day.
The arts and crafts company now has a solution for reaching its direct and indirect customers that can grow with its business and operate smoothly throughout the entire year.
To learn more about Verst solutions, call 800-978-9307 or visit verstlogistics.com.