Case Studies Ferrara Candy leverages BluJay’s LaaS while preparing for business growth

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	Ferrara Candy leverages BluJay’s LaaS while preparing for business growth

Ferrara Candy leverages BluJay’s LaaS while preparing for business growth

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries	Consumer Goods Food & Beverage
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases	Fleet Management Predictive Maintenance Supply Chain Visibility
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration Training
Challenge	Ferrara Candy Company faced a significant challenge when it needed to manage a projected 70 percent volume growth within 24 months due to an acquisition, while simultaneously dealing with a 50 percent reduction in its transportation department staff. The company had already implemented BluJay’s Transportation Management System (TMS) and Procurement Tool to streamline its transportation processes, but the sudden increase in volume and decrease in staff created a critical need for a more efficient and scalable solution. The transportation team, which had dwindled to just four people, was under immense pressure to meet the logistics demands of the growing business. Ferrara needed to find a way to manage this growth without compromising on efficiency or customer satisfaction. Read More
About Customer	Ferrara Candy Company is a renowned international manufacturer of iconic confectionary brands such as Lemonheads, Now and Later, Atomic Fireball, Sather’s, and Trolli. Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, the company boasts over $1 billion in annual sales. Ferrara operates five manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Mexico, two U.S.-based distribution centers, and numerous co-manufacturing and co-packaging partners worldwide. The company also leverages 18 partners across 32 locations in the U.S. for consolidated, regional LTL distribution. With an annual freight spend of about $60 million, Ferrara recognized the need for a modern and structured approach to transportation management to support its extensive operations and growth ambitions. Read More
Solution	To address the transportation challenges, Ferrara initially attempted to rebuild its transportation department by hiring and training young talent. However, this approach proved difficult due to the time and effort required for training and development, which detracted from the team’s ability to meet current logistics demands. Consequently, Ferrara considered outsourcing its logistics planning and execution to BluJay’s Logistics as a Service (LaaS). This solution offered several advantages, including access to a team of experienced TMS users, faster execution timelines, and the ability to scale operations. Despite concerns about relying on an external party, Ferrara decided to proceed with BluJay LaaS. The implementation involved leveraging three years of historical planning data, consistent interaction with BluJay’s team, and a staggered rollout of executional responsibilities within the TMS. This approach allowed Ferrara to increase internal bandwidth, enabling its transportation team to focus on strategic initiatives and process improvements. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods

Food & Beverage

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Fleet Management

Predictive Maintenance

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

Ferrara Candy Company faced a significant challenge when it needed to manage a projected 70 percent volume growth within 24 months due to an acquisition, while simultaneously dealing with a 50 percent reduction in its transportation department staff. The company had already implemented BluJay’s Transportation Management System (TMS) and Procurement Tool to streamline its transportation processes, but the sudden increase in volume and decrease in staff created a critical need for a more efficient and scalable solution. The transportation team, which had dwindled to just four people, was under immense pressure to meet the logistics demands of the growing business. Ferrara needed to find a way to manage this growth without compromising on efficiency or customer satisfaction.

About Customer

Ferrara Candy Company is a renowned international manufacturer of iconic confectionary brands such as Lemonheads, Now and Later, Atomic Fireball, Sather’s, and Trolli. Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, the company boasts over $1 billion in annual sales. Ferrara operates five manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Mexico, two U.S.-based distribution centers, and numerous co-manufacturing and co-packaging partners worldwide. The company also leverages 18 partners across 32 locations in the U.S. for consolidated, regional LTL distribution. With an annual freight spend of about $60 million, Ferrara recognized the need for a modern and structured approach to transportation management to support its extensive operations and growth ambitions.

Solution

To address the transportation challenges, Ferrara initially attempted to rebuild its transportation department by hiring and training young talent. However, this approach proved difficult due to the time and effort required for training and development, which detracted from the team’s ability to meet current logistics demands. Consequently, Ferrara considered outsourcing its logistics planning and execution to BluJay’s Logistics as a Service (LaaS). This solution offered several advantages, including access to a team of experienced TMS users, faster execution timelines, and the ability to scale operations. Despite concerns about relying on an external party, Ferrara decided to proceed with BluJay LaaS. The implementation involved leveraging three years of historical planning data, consistent interaction with BluJay’s team, and a staggered rollout of executional responsibilities within the TMS. This approach allowed Ferrara to increase internal bandwidth, enabling its transportation team to focus on strategic initiatives and process improvements.

Impact #1	Ferrara’s internal transportation team gained increased bandwidth, allowing them to focus on strategic process development and system integration projects.
Impact #2	The partnership with BluJay provided better visibility to data and tracking capabilities, driving process improvements.
Impact #3	The consistent interaction and on-site shadowing with BluJay’s team helped Ferrara’s transportation team understand the nuances of the business and leverage the TMS tool more effectively.

Impact #1

Ferrara’s internal transportation team gained increased bandwidth, allowing them to focus on strategic process development and system integration projects.

Impact #2

The partnership with BluJay provided better visibility to data and tracking capabilities, driving process improvements.

Impact #3

The consistent interaction and on-site shadowing with BluJay’s team helped Ferrara’s transportation team understand the nuances of the business and leverage the TMS tool more effectively.

Benefit #1	Ferrara managed a projected 70 percent volume growth within 24 months.
Benefit #2	The transportation department experienced a 50 percent staff reduction, yet maintained efficiency and workflow.

Benefit #1

Ferrara managed a projected 70 percent volume growth within 24 months.

Benefit #2

The transportation department experienced a 50 percent staff reduction, yet maintained efficiency and workflow.

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Overview

Ferrara Candy leverages BluJay’s LaaS while preparing for business growth

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit