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Ashley Furniture Gains Deep Visibility to Unlock Savings with BluJay Solutions
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
- Functional Applications - Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Retail
- Consumer Goods
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Track & Trace of Assets
- Predictive Maintenance
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- System Integration
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Retail buying patterns are changing. Consumers with very high expectations are using numerous methods to shop, order, and procure everyday items. Ashley Furniture felt those changes and realized it needed to react to the marketplace. This included paying close attention to what the company needed to manufacture - and where it needed to be distributed from to be cost-effective - while hitting its customer service objectives. Ashley Furniture realized that with thousands of time-critical loads per month, the potential for missed deliveries could directly impact the customer experience. Like many manufacturers, Ashley Furniture does not manufacture all items in the same area or region, so balancing inventory within regions is critical. Near real-time identification and prioritization of product transfers across Ashley’s network is paramount to servicing customers in a given region. The company also maintains its own fleet operations and divides its freight spend between the fleet and common carriers. In a capacity-constrained marketplace, Ashley Furniture’s fleet was identified as a competitive differentiator to be leveraged - both for ensuring consistent customer deliveries, as well as picking up numerous third-party backhauls. The company handled all payment terms via manual processes and recognized the liability of limited auditing capabilities. Ashley Furniture established a list of goals for a new transportation management system: Track and trace for all aspects of freight moves, Visibility for all supply chain partners, Automate transportation-related processes based on best practices, Deploy a scalable solution to handle multiple aspects of transportation.
About The Customer
Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. is the largest manufacturer and retailer of furniture in the world. Established in 1945, Ashley offers one of the industry’s broadest product assortments to retail partners and consumers throughout the world. From design through residential fulfillment, Ashley continuously strives to provide their customers with the best value, selection, and service in the furniture industry. Headquartered in Arcadia, WI, the company employs over 20,000 associates globally.
The Solution
Ashley Furniture chose BluJay’s Transportation Management solution to provide visibility to all aspects of their transportation network, allowing the company to increase efficiencies and reduce cost. The true SaaS model utilized by BluJay’s Transportation Management provides visibility to inbound raw material loads through the supplier inbound management module (SIM), helping Ashley Furniture ensure that they pick up the right product on the right trailer, at the right time. As Ashley Furniture continues to respond to an ever-changing marketplace, the company can keep pace and sequence with their “just in time” manufacturing with real-time input from their vendor network. This provides savings across the board in terms of both freight costs and production efficiencies. In leveraging BluJay’s Transportation Management, Ashley Furniture utilizes functionality as dispatch consoles, pool points (relays), real-time carrier connectivity, and business intelligence reporting to better react to changing market dynamics and customer needs. Through automated carrier payment via WebSettle®, fully audited processes require fewer touches. Additionally, built-in management tools are used to identify and execute third-party moves on the fleet - reducing empty miles and creating new commercial opportunities. This drives ROI and positions Ashley’s supply chain as a key differentiator in the marketplace they serve. Additional benefits of BluJay Solutions to Ashley Furniture include: Prioritization and mode selection of transfer loads, Data-driven decisions for routing guides, Real-time track and trace of shipments, Carrier and vendor compliance.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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