Transforming an Achilles Heel into a Competitive edge

CASE STUDY:
Gautier UK Ltd: www.gautier.co.uk

Customer
Operating from three production facilities in France and a UK office close to Oxford, Gautier design, manufacture & supply a range of high quality home and office furniture to distributors and domestic customers.

Customer Profile
In 1958 the baby boom was at its height in France. The visionary Patrice Gautier dreamt up the first bedrooms for children. Their originality and quality made the brand famous and such creativity remained Gautier’s strength during its development and diversification into Adult bedrooms, Living rooms and Offices.

“GAP” Analysis
In meeting both the growth expectations for UK sales and minimum supplier specifications, Gautier UK required a more all round logistics provider as opposed to a traditional haulier with basic warehousing space. The immediate areas of concern centered upon damage levels, accuracy, lead times and management information. A more sophisticated solution was sought with a transparent logistics provider.
  • The very nature of the goods (furniture) resulted in an unsustainable amount of damages incurred caused either during warehousing or in transit.
  • Mis-picks were common place and costly to put right.
  • Lead-times from order placement with provider to delivery were indefinite with the fulfillment cycle taking up to 15 days.
  • Information sharing was difficult resulting in a lack of transparency of order status, stock holding and overall service performance.
“Closing the Gap”
In listening and carefully understanding the clients’ recent service experiences we were able to quantify the pain and apply a number of our core services to the account.
  • Damages – Review packaging, Validate integrity of goods upon arrival
  • A minimum 3PL finished goods spec via handling and tansit trials
  • Mis-picks – Review item codes and apply RF barcode scanning
  • Lead-Time Reduction – Provide an extended picking window to 3pm
  • Lead-Time Reduction - offer premium and economy pallet services
  • M.I.S. – Provide automated end of business confirmations and service pack
The Task:
  • Reduce damages
  • Improve accuracy
  • Reduce Lead Times
  • Ensure transparency
The Result:
Various control measures remain in place today however an immediate step change in service and customer perception was realized. The main areas of opportunity and increased focus have been addressed and will continue to be closely monitored.
  • Damage reduction: Applying the right type of packaging and service to each specific consignment has resulted in a significant reduction on goods in transit.
  • Pick Accuracy: Applying basic warehouse principles has resulted in a large drop in the number of mis-picks reported. 3pl continue to work with packaging development to help clearly identify each item.
  • Lead-time reduction: A typical day 1 for day 2 order and delivery cycle is now in place providing Gautier with a distinctive market place advantage. For less time critical shipments an Economy option is also available.
  • Transparency: From remote access to automated end of business reporting, Gautier now has “live” information at their fingertips. Whether it be “real time” order status, stock balance on hand or service performance Gautier have 24/7 visibility as required resulting in increased availability.
Customer Feedback:
“3P Logistics have given us a new dimension in our movement of goods. We know they will arrive on time and in good condition, which is essential in times where attention to detail and customer service matters.”

“We are able to manage our transportation better, and by the regular reports we receive are also able to constantly monitor and plan improvements. I would have no hesitation in recommending 3P Logistics to anyone who has goods to move and requires peace of mind in doing so.”

Martyn Lincoln: General Manager - Gautier UK Ltd