Flooring distributors sit in a unique position in the supply chain—serving as intermediaries between suppliers and retailers—tasked with ensuring that deliveries are made without a hitch.
To that end, wholesalers have tapped into the latest logistics and warehousing software to produce better results in forecasting and execution.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our transportation and logistics efficiencies,” AJ Warne, vice president of sales and marketing for Abraham Linc, told FCNews. The Bridgeport, W.Va.-based distributor likes to call itself “The Strongest Linc in Your Supply Chain.” The only way to back up that claim, Warne said, “is to perform as well as our competitors when it comes to order fulfillment.”
Abraham Linc has relied more heavily on analytical tools to evaluate the routes for its inbound ocean freight to avoid delays while balancing service times and costs. As Warne explained, “These tools have been critical in helping us stay in stock for our customers during peak season. The primary benefit of these tools and their subsequent findings is allowing us to make more informed decisions about the trade-off between service time and the high costs on inbound inventory. It has allowed us to avoid passing along a price increase to our customers on these goods at a time when many are forced to [raise prices] while still maintaining the service levels our customers expect.”
Warne said this technology drove home one of the distributor’s most important and prominent core competencies—reliability to its customers. “If a retailer has fewer opportunities to close an end-user than normal, you can be sure they’re going to take them to the products they know are most likely to be in stock and delivered to them on time. That’s part of why we say we’re in the risk-reduction business.”
Like many other top 20 distributors, Carrollton, Texas-based Adleta has continued to leverage technology as it further seeks to optimize operations. “We are investing in a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) operating system that can help us streamline our operations and customer service,” said John Sher, president. “We just had our entire company—from the janitor to the CFO—take a course on improving customer service to make sure that we treat our customers like the person who signs our paycheck deserves.”
Fleet Management Software is one such program that has “revolutionized” Adleta’s operations, according to Sher. Its Fleet Management Software ensures department of transportation (DOT) compliance and offers crucial insights into driver safety by monitoring location, speed and braking. Dashcam technology provides liability protection during accidents, helping Adleta maintain reasonable insurance rates. “By leveraging these tools, we enhance safety and efficiency for our drivers and the community,” Sher explained.
Elias Wilf has been at the forefront of technology advancements for years. Even today it continually reviews, adds and changes its use of technology as it continues to evolve. “From Elias Wilf’s perspective, we’ve made major changes in the past 12 months with a new phone system that converted from the system in our building to the cloud,” said Jeff Striegel, president. “Also, just in the past few months we migrated our mainframe box to the cloud as well. Both were very interesting undertakings. It truly is a new world out there with regards to technology.”
One recent addition for Elias Wilf was the implementation of Auto Status Alert Program (ASAP), which auto updates the back-order status of products. Striegel said dealers benefit by being able to plan around arriving material, whether that be scheduling installers or scheduling lunches for their receiving team. “The feedback has been very positive with over 50% of our customers now registered,” he explained. “And we benefit by reducing noise created by ‘where’s my truck?’ calls to sales reps and customer service allowing those folks to be more productive.”
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