Mid-Size Company Adds Logistics Expertise for Growing Business

MID-SIZE COMPANY ADDS LOGISTICS EXPERTISE FOR GROWING BUSINESS

miq logistics GLOBAL AND WAREHOUSE services

DELIVERING SOLUTIONS CASE STUDY OVERVIEW The Customer Sultra sells exceptionally high quality professional hair products including The Challenge: hair dryers, straighteners, styling tools, and hair enhancements. Their Customer’s warehousing solution primary customers are leading beauty retailers in the U.S. and Canada, lacked the capabilities to support although they also sell to individuals through the Internet. their growing needs and was not competitively priced The Challenge Sourcing product from Korea, the customer initially used MIQ Logistics Strategy: to assist with international freight forwarding and the custom clearance process for shipments to the U.S. As Sultra grew their customer base Improve processes within the and product offering, it was apparent their outsourced warehouse warehouse and with customers solution in the U.S. could not keep up with their needs. Sultra’s customers’ orders frequently required special packing, rush deliveries, Solution: and special project handling, straining Sultra’s inventory management Implement an end-to-end solution practices. Each of its retail customers had specific shipping and routing that allowed Sultra more control procedures, and Internet sales required separate processes. In addition and visibility to service limitations, Sultra felt its warehouse provider was not pricing its services competitively. Familiar with the portfolio and professionalism Results: of MIQ Logistics, Sultra asked us to analyze the situation. 80% of orders ship same day with The Strategy 99.5% accuracy, contributing MIQ Logistics realized we could provide Sultra a one-stop shop for all of to Sultra’s four-year growth their supply chain needs, from origin to destination. We recognized that trajectory we needed to quickly fix their warehouse management process by improving inventory flow and visibility for better planning and greater flexibility.

miq.com The Solution MIQ Logistics added warehouse management services to the international freight forwarding and customs clearance services we already were providing. This gave Sultra an end-to-end solution for their supply chain, which would allow for more control and visibility to their product.

As part of the warehouse management service, MIQ Logistics set up processes to handle and ship orders to Sultra’s customers, including rush orders with specialty needs. The MIQ Logistics services enable Sultra to meet customers’ specific delivery requirements such as delivery appointments and carrier selection. MIQ Logistics also supports Sultra’s e-commerce efforts, with Intranet orders sent directly to us for picking, packing and shipping.

As part of the MIQ Logistics service, Sultra is able to get real-time data through a Web portal. This is used as a daily tool to assist Sultra in tracking inventory, reporting shipped orders, and maintaining pre- determined inventory levels.

MIQ Logistics also helped Sultra to quickly establish EDI connections with their large retail customers. EDI allows Sultra to reduce operational costs, improve reporting accuracy and speed, and reduce cycle time from order placement to product delivery.

Sultra and MIQ Logistics value continuous improvement in their collaborative relationship. MIQ Logistics remains receptive to our customer’s suggestions, making the relationship even more effective.

The Results MIQ Logistics has become an extension of Sultra, operating much like an in-house logistics department. Sultra is able to run a full inventory cycle, from booking the shipment overseas with their manufacturer to delivering the product to their customers, using one service provider – MIQ Logistics. This has proven to be a very efficient way to manage and track their inventory at all times.

Our services contributed to the customer’s growth over the past four years. Rush deliveries are no problem with over 80 percent of orders shipped the same day and the remaining 20 percent shipped the following day. Accuracy is equally strong at 99.5 percent.

ABOUT THE CUSTOMER Based in Westlake Village, Calif., Sultra Corporation is a private company that specializes in exceptionally high quality professional hair technologies. Used by stylists to the stars, Sultra is known for products that protect hair while styling.

ABOUT MIQ LOGISTICS MIQ Logistics is a global logistics company headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., and with offices in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America. MIQ Logistics enables companies to improve their transportation network and overall supply chain efficiency by offering flexible logistics solutions supported by Web-native technology and global logistics management capabilities.

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