Background
PolySource specializes in engineered resins for plastic processors serving multiple market segments. More than just distributors, the PolySource team are expert consultants with application development methods solving material challenges through years of plastics technology experience.
The challenge
Working with 15 warehouses, PolySource anticipated challenges created by siloed locations, systems, and operators. Knowing change through automation was needed, they sought support for the technical and operational resources to consolidate their operations. A fragmented warehousing model meant that PolySource had critical limitations moving forward: inventory, technology, and invoicing processes were all customized over the years.
Have you ever suspected your inventory levels were not completely accurate? PolySource shared some of these concerns. Future concerns that inventory levels were not completely accurate, and the use of technology varying by operator skill sets and the invoicing process becoming less efficient were top of mind. Needless to say, working with countless 3PL partners made managing their supply chain more difficult and time consuming than it needed to be.
The solution
The solution was rolled out (3) phases: network placement analysis, warehousing program and implementation, and ongoing performance management.
Since PolySource wanted to be able to implement new warehouses quickly, the project had under 60 days to go live. This way, the team would have a repeatable model that they could rely on as they continued to grow. Upon implementing the solution, their team no longer had to manage communications with 15 different warehouse providers. Complicated and customized invoicing processes vanished, too.
From a time-saving perspective, the software and warehouse implementation benefits have been transformative. In addition to inventory consolidation, the WarehouseQuote engineering team integrated many of PolySource’s business systems through an EDI integration, further connecting their supply chain.
Today, WarehouseQuote provides PolySource with inventory and order management capabilities, near real-time visibility, turn analytics, and network insights, all from a single technology platform. We also provide PolySource with networkwide warehouse operations and ongoing performance management.
The results
- 15 percent reduction est. annual transportation spend savings
- 15x reduction in monthly vendor invoices
- 1 single point of contact across network
Voice of the customer
“We now have full visibility to our global warehouse network and SKUs – in seconds. The WarehouseQuote team provides end-to-end visibility that’s impossible to achieve by working directly with the suppliers and carriers.” – Chief Financial Officer, PolySource