Retail Shipping Just in Time to go Back To School
The Challenge:
A specialty retailer selling high-quality apparel and accessories for children and adults under a variety brands needed to deliver wooden display tables to 620 stores throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The “Boy Tables” were intended to display special, new and dated children’s merchandise for a “Back to School” sale, so delivery by a specific date was essential. In addition, the tables had two different finishes, and each store had to get a specific color.
All deliveries had to be by appointment and be two-man, White-Glove and occur before store hours. The delivery team was required to place tables as directed by store management and remove two existing tables at the time of delivery and dispose of offsite.
The Approach:
While originally the shipment was planned and priced as a fully assembled fixture in a crate suitable for normal LTL transport, this is not what actually occurred. Due to production delays, half the tables were shipped from the factory unassembled and not packed. So, in order to maintain a seamless project and not raise the cost of logistics for the client, TechTrans had to work with the fixture vendor to develop and produce assembly instructions to provide to our logistics teams.
TechTrans developed a strategic logistics plan utilizing pad-wrapped trucks equipped with full decking and a team of drivers, which enabled us to triple-deck the unassembled tables. The additional costs TechTrans accrued in assembling the tables and then shipping pad-wrapped were offset by fully utilizing our line-haul truck space. With the full decking on the trucks, TechTrans shipped eight unassembled tables in the space of four assembled tables to the regional destination terminals. To save time, TechTrans assembled the fixtures at the destination terminals just before delivery. By collaborating online, TechTrans was able to quickly develop simple assembly instructions and post them online for the logistics teams to access anywhere in the country.
Each table was pad-wrapped and TechTrans created oversize color coded labels and tags with the color of the table on the label attached to pads and fixtures. TechTrans had the color of the table on all documents and reports for each shipment and required the store manager to specifically sign for the color of the table. This ensured the correct color table arrived to the stores. TechTrans also developed a custom report for this project that the customer received daily.
The Result:
TechTrans completed the project in three weeks as planned. More than 98 percent of the stores received deliveries without issues, 99 percent of the tables arrived on time and all arrived damage free. The customer had all of their new display tables in place, and their old ones removed, in time for the release of the new product and the related back to school sale before classes began.
White Glove Logistics for 200 Retail Stores
The Challenge:
A leading specialty retailer of action sportswear needed to rollout an eight square modular wall to 200 of its top stores, located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, before the holiday season. As if this wasn’t daunting enough, all the deliveries were to be White Glove, by appointment and performed at store closing, seven days a week.
Furthermore, the new fixtures required assembly at the store while an old fixture had to be removed for disposal or relocation. Finally, the project had to be concluded within two weeks and all deliveries completed the Friday before Thanksgiving.
The Approach:
TechTrans worked with fixture producer and the customer to develop installation instructions that could be easily communicated to logistics teams in the field. TechTrans went to the fixture vendor’s facility to document a prototype fixture and used the information to develop the complete field instructions. In order for the delivery team to know where to install the fixtures in the stores, the customer provided TechTrans with floor plans. These were posted along with the installation instructions on TechTrans’ secure website so this important information could be available to everyone on the logistics team. Based on the fixture vendor’s production schedules, TechTrans created a realistic shipping schedule and then devised a strategic routing plan. Working with local logistics teams, TechTrans provided a committed delivery schedule to the customer that fulfilled the strict delivery timeline.
The Result:
TechTrans successfully coordinated the safe and timely movement of a product that was shipped on oversized, 10 foot pallets, weighed 1,400 pounds and was not packaged for normal LTL shipping. In the end, TechTrans achieved 99.9 percent on-time deliveries that were 100 percent damage-free. TechTrans completed the complex deliveries within the original pricing bid and the customer was able to have their new strategic fixtures in place just in time for the busy holiday season.
Cutting Edge Transportation Services for Consumer Electronics
The Challenge:
A Consumer electronics manufacturer’s line of flat screen televisions is expensive and delicate, requiring the utmost care in shipping and handling to get it to various retailers nationwide. In addition, the product has a demanding shipping schedule because it arrives from overseas at the end of the month and then must be quickly shipped to retailers to meet consumer demand.
The Approach:
The manufacturer contracted with TechTrans to ship the product to national retailers because of our nationwide network of skilled, professional carriers and air-ride trucks. With our network and automated services, TechTrans can handle the demanding shipping schedule and quick turn-around times.
Because the manufacturer requires that its retail partners can provide installation, this was not a pre-requisite for the logistics company. The knowledge, however, that TechTrans can also take care of installation at the consumer’s home is reassuring to the manufacturer.
The Result:
With growing consumer demand, the number of television shipments has increased. Now, TechTrans ships more than 500 units a month and the product consistently arrives on time and in good condition. TechTrans has the flexibility to meet the growing demand and varied shipping schedules to deliver the product throughout the country.
A Specialized Delivery for Virtual Reality
The Challenge:
A mall-based arcade featuring motor-sport themed games contracted with TechTrans to deliver and install a 4,000-pound NASCAR Virtual Reality Driving Simulator. The equipment had to be placed in the store located on the second floor of Peabody Place, a new shopping center created inside an historic building in downtown Memphis, Tenn. The installation of the simulator and its 2,000-pound base had to occur after hours so as not to disrupt the other businesses in the shopping center. Furthermore, the shopping center management required TechTrans to exercise great care so as not to damage the newly remodeled building.
The Approach:
TechTrans scheduled the installation after midnight when Peabody Place was closed and people and cars were off the typically busy downtown streets. Police closed streets around the building so a flat bed truck holding the simulator, as well as a large crane to lift it, could be parked outside the building.
Crews took the entrance doors to the shopping center off their hinges and removed the door facings so the simulator and moving equipment, including the crane and a six-wheeled forklift, could fit inside the building.
TechTrans took special precautions to protect the building and its tenants, including covering the brand new ceramic tile floors and using powerful fans to remove diesel fumes emitted by the crane.
The Result:
TechTrans successfully installed the NASCAR simulator inside arcade and without damage the historic building or to other tenants. TechTrans accomplished the installation and clean-up well within the narrow time frame allotted, so disruptions to traffic downtown and interference with shoppers at the mall was minimal.
White Glove Delivery, Moving High End Luxury Retail
The Challenge:
TechTrans designed an innovative program to solve a logistics and technical process for its customer, one of the most recognized “high end” retailers in the USA. The retailer was facing several challenges when shipping their larger LTL size orders to customers. These challenges included slow transit times, unprofessional appearance of delivery drivers, high damage rate to furniture shipments, poor shipment tracking capability and no product assembly capability. These problems were resulting in cancelled orders and unhappy customers.
The customer came to TechTrans for a solution. Our challenge was to speed up the transit time, utilize a high tech delivery network for these residential deliveries, reduce the damage rate, provide the customer with web page visibility to track shipments and create management reports and generally upgrade the delivery experience for the retailers high end clients.
The Approach:
TechTrans moved all of the customer’s home delivery orders through an airride transportation system for residential delivery with its network of high tech electronic delivery agents. All the retailer’s shipments were to be delivered to residential customers by skilled same two-man liftgate delivery crews. Also, the use of TechTrans’ network of over 17,000 nationwide field engineers allowed the customer to sell large high ticket items such as plasma screen home theatre systems which required professional installation. TechTrans also set the customer up with electronic order entry and complete web page visibility for shipment tracking & management reports.
The Result:
Transit times were improved by 200% and the level of customer satisfaction with the retailer’s residential delivery experience improved 98%. Damages were reduced to less than one event per 1,000 shipments. The customer was also able to offer “big ticket” items such as plasma screen TV home theatre systems, stainless steel outdoor cooking grills for home delivery which resulted in increased sales, increased profits, increased repeat orders, and increased customer satisfaction.
The luxury retailer is able to offer large LTL size “big ticket” items that require professional in home delivery and professional in home product assembly and installation without having to own a delivery network or a network of product installers.
Warehousing, Installation—A Full Service Suite for Office Equipment Logistics
The Challenge:
An office equipment manufacturer of began selling its line of midrange copiers designed for small businesses through valued added resellers (VARs), namely national office supply retailers. Because the VARs did not have infrastructure for warehousing, delivering or installing the machines, the manufacturer relied on a third party logistics (3PL) company to pick up the copiers from a central warehouse and provide nationwide delivery. The 3PL also had to install the machines and teach the end users how to operate them. In addition, because most of the equipment is leased, the manufacturer required careful tracking of all the machines and components by serial number.
The Approach:
The manufacturer contracted with TechTrans to coordinate both the delivery and the installation of the copiers. Upon receiving a copier order from one of the VARs, TechTrans contacts the purchaser to schedule a delivery and installation appointment. TechTrans picks up the copier from a central warehouse and delivers it to the buyer. When the copier is delivered, a trained technician is there to complete the installation and offer a tutorial to the customer/user. In addition, TechTrans records all related serial numbers for each copier and component shipped.
The Result:
Now, VAR customers purchasing copiers have delivery, installation and a user’s tutorial all on the same day. The coordinated effort prevents down-time by allowing the customer to begin using the machine the day it is delivered. The VARs have a single point of contact to handle all these procedures and proof of delivery and installation, with signature verification, is available over TechTrans’ secure website The manufacturer uses the same website to track and monitor the equipment and components, such as paper feeders and sorters, by serial number.
Providing Reverse Logistics for the Healthcare Industry
The Challenge:
TechTrans designed an innovative program to solve a logistics and technical process for its customer, one of the largest sellers of diagnostic medical equipment in the world. When medical labs and hospitals replaced blood-analyzing equipment from this medical equipment manufacturer, the existing machines needed to be decontaminated and returned for refurbishment.
The manufacturer’s technicians were overwhelmed working on both old and new machines and sometimes they were unable to respond to assignments in a timely manner. To allow the manufacturer’s technicians to focus on new analyzer equipment installs, TechTrans stepped in to support the process of decontaminating and returning equipment from the field.
The Approach:
First, TechTrans posted the complete step down procedures for decontaminating the machines on its secure website so field engineers could review the information. Next, TechTrans created a safety kit, including goggles, a lab coat and gloves. When a lab orders the removal of a piece of equipment a safety kit is shipped directly to the site and is waiting for the technician scheduled for the job. When the decontamination is complete, TechTrans packs and initiates shipment of the equipment back to the manufacturer.
The Result:
Now, when a hospital or lab has equipment to be decontaminated and returned, the manufacturer makes one call to schedule all the reverse logistics services. TechTrans arranges for a technician to decontaminate the machine and schedules the reverse logistics shipment. Now, rather than spending their time working on older units, the manufacturer’s technicians are able to concentrate on providing service for the new equipment their customers are using. As a result, technician response times have improved and customers are pleased with the service they receive. Throughout the process, the work schedule, proof of de-installation and shipment-tracking information is available to online at TechTrans’ own secure website.
A Full and Comprehensive Install: Healthcare Equipment Demo Logistics
The Challenge:
A major manufacturer of anesthesia equipment mainly used in hospitals, relied on a single employee to administer its demonstration equipment program. This person was responsible for managing 150 to 200 demo units that the 80 field sales reps wanted shipped to various hospitals for evaluation. The machines were moved to and from hospitals or any of 60 warehouses throughout the United States. The process, often taking up to three days, involved multiple steps causing inefficient use of resources.
The Approach:
Technical Transportation created Demo Move, a customized resource planning and tracking tool to efficiently manage all the logistic processes related to the anesthesia machine demonstration program. Available through TechTrans’ secure Web site, the Demo Move Tool tracks each serialized unit based on a variety of criteria and allows sales representatives to order specific instrument types with required transportation parameters and technical pick-up and/or delivery services.
The Result:
The tracking software has streamlined and accelerated the process of ordering and shipping demo machines for the customer. The software allows both the customer and TechTrans to track and trace the history of any machine instantly. Users interface with a chart using numerous criteria and filters to obtain the exact data needed. Sorts can be arranged based on serial number, region or sales representative as well as by distance and duration. With distance tracking, the unit closest to a particular destination can be selected, reducing the shipping costs and ensuring timely pick-up and delivery. Duration tracking allows control on the turn rate by charting the amount of time each unit has been at a particular hospital or out of circulation at a warehouse.
Sales representatives no longer have to wait to get information and the orders are confirmed and delivery is arranged within 24 hours. In addition, through improved efficiency, TechTrans was able to reduce the number of warehouses the customer used from 60 to 20 strategically located facilities that best serve the various regions. The Demo Move program is easily adapted to meet any customer’s specific requirements.
Heavyweight Medical Equipment Logistics
The Challenge:
A major worldwide manufacturer of analyzation devices, mainly utilized in hospitals and large commercial laboratories, had contracted with TechTrans to perform a “white glove” tech delivery of two analyzer devices. Each device weighed approximately 2,034 lbs., and needed to be unpacked and delivered to a second story laboratory facility. Deliveries of this nature are typically routine and experience very few challenges. In this particular project, however, the freight elevator for the facility could not accommodate the footprint of space required to lift the analyzers to the second floor. The analyzers would ultimately need to be carried up two flights of stairs, with a turn-landing between each flight.
The Approach:
The local TechTrans delivery agent assigned to perform this task accepted the stair obstacle challenge. The delivery techs, as well as field service personnel from the analyzer manufacturer, worked together to partially disassemble each analyzer, making them both lighter in weight and more maneuverable. To aid in getting the units up the stairs, the TechTrans delivery team decided to utilize a Stair Climbing Robot. Robots of this nature require extremely experienced operators and are very expensive as well as not readily available to most in the industry. Each analyzer was properly rigged and secured to the robot then elevated up the two flights of stairs individually.
The Result:
Despite much disbelief from many employees at the facility that this project could be successfully performed, the TechTrans delivery team maneuvered both units to the second story laboratory, delivering them damage-free. TechTrans accomplished the stair rigging, delivery / installation and clean-up after normal business hours so limited disruptions to the laboratory operations were experienced. The end-user clients as well as the manufacturer were extremely pleased with the professionalism deployed to identify and minimalize the known risks. Overall the delivery was considered a huge success on all levels.
High-end Residential Logistics
The Challenge:
When TechTrans was contracted to deliver and install a high-end, oversized cooking range in a second-floor urban apartment, the company knew things could heat up quickly without a careful and precise installation process planned. In of itself, the cooking range weighed more than 1,400 lbs., measured more than 10 feet long by 5 feet tall, and was valued at more than $100,000, making installation a potentially costly and challenging endeavor. And as is the case in most urban apartments, the stairs couldn’t be used to bring up the unit, due to its size and weight, therefore, a different approach would need to be taken.
The Approach:
Prior to the White Glove delivery team coming on site, a full site survey was done to assess the best possible approach to take for install. For delivery and install, an eight-man crew was required to complete this project within the specified time. Using a truck with lift gate to bring it on site, a forklift and shooting boom where used to bring it up to the second-floor. Install teams needed to remove the exterior balcony before bringing the unit through the second-floor window, before final white glove, inside-delivery to its final location.
The Result:
The unit was successfully delivered and installed in the new kitchen area of the apartment, and TechTrans crew teams performed final unpacking, debris removal and replacement of the exterior balcony – bringing everything back to its pre-install condition.
