Supply chain innovators acknowledge for cross-border initiative

Transplace, Dal-Tile, Whirlpool, Convermex and Werner Co. were recipients of Supply Chain Innovation Award presented recently at the annual meeting of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).

The collection of companies was recognized for their collaborative efforts to consolidate low- and high-density freight onto the same vehicle to reduce demand for transportation resources, thereby reducing costs. The team consisting of Ben Enriquez, country director, Mexico, Transplace; Sonney Jones, director of transportation, Dal-Tile; Bradley Rudasill, transportation lead, Whirlpool; and Rebecca Myers, director of transportation and customs compliance, Werner Co., presented the case study "Opposites Attract – Shippers Consolidate Truckloads to Improve Capacity Utilization and Sustainability," at the CSCMP annual meeting.

"Improving weight or cubic capacity utilization is a challenge many shippers face," said Dal-Tile’s Jones. "Partnering with like-minded businesses has allowed Dal-Tile to bring its shipments much closer to absolute capacity optimization, and realize financial and environmental benefits without sacrificing service. Collaborative consolidation of Dal-Tile’s high density freight with other shipper’s low density freight onto the same vehicle has reduced the demand for transportation resources by 60 percent on applicable lanes, netting cost reductions of 10-25 percent while reducing our carbon footprint."

The Supply Chain Innovation Award was established by CSCMP’s Research Strategies Committee and SupplyChainBrain to recognize a collaborative supply chain team’s outstanding innovations as demonstrated by quantifiable and sustainable cost-savings, revenue-generating, or customer-satisfaction achievements. There were eight finalists in contention for this year’s award.

"It’s an honor to be recognized for innovation by such a respected industry organization," said Transplace’s Enriquez. "Establishing a successful collaborative cross-border shipping program with multiple shippers has resulted in significant savings for every company involved. It was a privilege to share our experience with other supply chain professionals and provide them with the insight to pursue innovation within their own supply chains."

Transplace is a non-asset, North America-based third party logistics (3PL) provider offering manufacturers, retailers, chemical and consumer packaged goods companies the optimal blend of logistics technology and transportation management services.

Supply chain innovators acknowledged for cross-border initiative