cargo-partner Creates End-to-End E-Fulfillment Solution for International Beverage Company at Chicago Warehouse
E-commerce has been a rapidly growing business segment for many years, and cargo-partner is constantly expanding its portfolio of innovative solutions in this field. The logistics provider offers a comprehensive range of logistics services for online vendors to streamline every aspect from import and export to short- and long-term storage, parcel shipments and value added warehousing services.
In November 2020, cargo-partner was approached by a successful European-based company from the beverage industry who is growing rapidly in the field of e-commerce. The company was looking for a logistics provider to support the expansion of its business activities in the USA. The customer chose the cargo-partner iLogistics Center in Chicago as its distribution hub, based on the warehouse’s central location, modern equipment and comprehensive portfolio of e-fulfillment services.
Start of cooperation with 500 orders daily
The customer initially anticipated 500 or more orders per day, with an expected doubling in volume by the first quarter of 2021. It quickly became apparent that such order volumes would require a highly efficient e-commerce order handling solution. cargo-partner therefore decided to upgrade its self-developed multi-order picking (MOP) system for the new customer. Designed by cargo-partner’s IT team as part of the company’s warehouse management system (WMS), the “Multi-Order Picking module” streamlines the picking process while keeping it separate from packing operations.
System-guided picking tours
With cargo-partner’s Multi-Order Picking module, multiple dispatch orders are consolidated into one picking tour. Orders can be consolidated by shipping method, service level, delivery addresses, weight and other factors required to have the client’s special demands already processed by the pickers. Pickers use a trolley with several bins, with each bin corresponding to one dispatch order. The picker is guided by scanner from one order position to the next, and a built-in control mechanism automatically prevents scanning of the picked item into the wrong box.
Automated e-fulfillment with Shopify
To further automate and streamline the fulfillment process, cargo-partner’s IT team set up an API connection to the customer’s Shopify web shop. cargo-partner now receives orders directly from the customer’s web shop, while the customer benefits from automated order confirmations and real-time tracking. In addition, the API ensures that the online vendor always has access to up-to-date information about the remaining stock, with stock availability being reported back to Shopify down to set/bundle level.
Parcel carrier integration via SPOT
The customer also makes use of cargo-partner’s supply chain management platform SPOT and its “Parcel module”. SPOT is integrated with all major parcel carriers globally, with further domestic parcel carrier services being added continuously. This not only allows for real-time tracking information being sent back to the customer’s web shop, but also enables intelligent parcel carrier selection based on the required shipment service level.
Benefits for online vendors
Juraj Hric, Chief Operations Officer of cargo-partner in the USA, is delighted about the successful outcome: “The special purpose version of our Multi-Order Picking module has helped us not only to streamline our warehouse operations, but also to provide even faster and more efficient service to our customers. We are glad to be able to offer our new client an end-to-end fulfillment solution for their online business, allowing them to focus fully on marketing and selling their product more effectively. After the successful expansion of our MOP module, we are sure that many more customers from the e-commerce segment will benefit from our continuously growing service portfolio.”
cargo-partner has been represented in the USA since 2001 and today has around 100 employees at its offices in Chicago, Clarksville (Tennessee), Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Atlanta. The company operates two modern warehouses in Chicago, IL and Clarksville, TN with 14,000 m² (150,000 sq ft) of storage space each.