Flexport Case Studies End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility and Cost Reduction: Gerber's Success with Flexport

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	End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility and Cost Reduction: Gerber's Success with Flexport Flexport

End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility and Cost Reduction: Gerber's Success with Flexport

Flexport

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Marine & Shipping Transportation
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation Procurement
Use Cases	Picking, Sorting & Positioning Supply Chain Visibility
Services	System Integration
Challenge	Gerber, a leading manufacturer of commercial and residential plumbing fixtures, faced significant challenges in managing its supply chain. With the majority of its supply shipping over the ocean, maintaining visibility of the supply chain to manage customer expectations and warehouse staffing requirements was a constant issue. Gerber imports thousands of container shipments a year from its suppliers in China and Mexico into the United States, and the demand for its products fluctuates. The company also sought greater visibility into what was driving its accessorial costs to optimize performance on the road and in its warehouses. Gerber's U.S. Transportation Manager, RoxAnne Thomas, described operating the company’s supply chain as a continuous balancing act of supply and demand, with the goal of maintaining as little footprint as possible to keep costs low for buyers. Read More
About Customer	Gerber is a leading manufacturer of both commercial and residential plumbing fixtures. Founded in 1932 and headquartered just outside of Chicago in Woodridge, Illinois, Gerber imports thousands of container shipments a year from its suppliers in China and Mexico into the United States. Once they’ve cleared customs, Gerber’s products are moved through its distribution centers and directly to customers across North America. The demand for Gerber’s products ebbs and flows, and the company strives to maintain as little footprint as possible in order to keep costs low for buyers. Read More
Solution	Gerber partnered with Flexport, leveraging its advanced technology and data analytics platform to connect all parties in its supply chain and keep them informed in real time. This provided Gerber with the visibility and control it sought over its inventory, as well as higher levels of personal service at both origin and destination. Flexport also helped Gerber develop warehouse and trucking applications to drive even deeper visibility, assure strong vendor performance, and reduce logistics costs from end to end. Flexport's cloud-based platform connected all stakeholders across Gerber’s supply chain, including its logistics team, suppliers in China, domestic warehouse teams, and local trucking partners. Flexport also helped integrate the platform with Gerber’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, enabling automatic transmission of shipment milestones and providing Gerber with real-time visibility into the estimated arrival of its containers. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Marine & Shipping

Transportation

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Procurement

Use Cases

Picking, Sorting & Positioning

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

System Integration

Challenge

Gerber, a leading manufacturer of commercial and residential plumbing fixtures, faced significant challenges in managing its supply chain. With the majority of its supply shipping over the ocean, maintaining visibility of the supply chain to manage customer expectations and warehouse staffing requirements was a constant issue. Gerber imports thousands of container shipments a year from its suppliers in China and Mexico into the United States, and the demand for its products fluctuates. The company also sought greater visibility into what was driving its accessorial costs to optimize performance on the road and in its warehouses. Gerber's U.S. Transportation Manager, RoxAnne Thomas, described operating the company’s supply chain as a continuous balancing act of supply and demand, with the goal of maintaining as little footprint as possible to keep costs low for buyers.

About Customer

Gerber is a leading manufacturer of both commercial and residential plumbing fixtures. Founded in 1932 and headquartered just outside of Chicago in Woodridge, Illinois, Gerber imports thousands of container shipments a year from its suppliers in China and Mexico into the United States. Once they’ve cleared customs, Gerber’s products are moved through its distribution centers and directly to customers across North America. The demand for Gerber’s products ebbs and flows, and the company strives to maintain as little footprint as possible in order to keep costs low for buyers.

Solution

Gerber partnered with Flexport, leveraging its advanced technology and data analytics platform to connect all parties in its supply chain and keep them informed in real time. This provided Gerber with the visibility and control it sought over its inventory, as well as higher levels of personal service at both origin and destination. Flexport also helped Gerber develop warehouse and trucking applications to drive even deeper visibility, assure strong vendor performance, and reduce logistics costs from end to end. Flexport's cloud-based platform connected all stakeholders across Gerber’s supply chain, including its logistics team, suppliers in China, domestic warehouse teams, and local trucking partners. Flexport also helped integrate the platform with Gerber’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, enabling automatic transmission of shipment milestones and providing Gerber with real-time visibility into the estimated arrival of its containers.

Impact #1	The partnership with Flexport has resulted in significant operational benefits for Gerber. The company has gained end-to-end shipment visibility, with key milestones logged through the Flexport platform. Gerber has also adopted Flexport’s warehouse and trucking applications to provide deeper visibility from pick-up at port to empty return, and to deliver real-time tracking on deliveries and accessorials from Gerber’s trucking partners. The integration of Flexport's platform with Gerber’s ERP system has enabled automatic transmission of shipment milestones, giving Gerber real-time visibility into the estimated arrival of its containers. This has allowed Gerber to plan and pivot as needed, ensuring that the right product is at the right place, at the right time, to fill large orders. The result is a seamless experience for the customer.

Impact #1

The partnership with Flexport has resulted in significant operational benefits for Gerber. The company has gained end-to-end shipment visibility, with key milestones logged through the Flexport platform. Gerber has also adopted Flexport’s warehouse and trucking applications to provide deeper visibility from pick-up at port to empty return, and to deliver real-time tracking on deliveries and accessorials from Gerber’s trucking partners. The integration of Flexport's platform with Gerber’s ERP system has enabled automatic transmission of shipment milestones, giving Gerber real-time visibility into the estimated arrival of its containers. This has allowed Gerber to plan and pivot as needed, ensuring that the right product is at the right place, at the right time, to fill large orders. The result is a seamless experience for the customer.

Benefit #1	Shipped more than 9.7 million units
Benefit #2	Realized a 10% reduction in total costs in its first year
Benefit #3	Less than 1% of its cargo rolled

Benefit #1

Shipped more than 9.7 million units

Benefit #2

Realized a 10% reduction in total costs in its first year

Benefit #3

Less than 1% of its cargo rolled

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Overview

End-to-End Supply Chain Visibility and Cost Reduction: Gerber's Success with Flexport

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit