Verso Corporation Reshapes Outbound Logistics with MercuryGate TMS, Optimization

• Functional Applications - Transportation Management Systems (TMS)

• Paper & Pulp
• Packaging

• Logistics & Transportation
• Warehouse & Inventory Management

• Fleet Management
• Supply Chain Visibility
• Predictive Maintenance

• System Integration
• Software Design & Engineering Services

Deciding to move to a new Transportation Management System (TMS) isn’t something that logistics managers do without a good reason and careful consideration. Sometimes, however, a company’s hand is forced into making a change. That was the scenario that faced the outbound logistics team at Verso Corporation, a producer of graphic and specialty papers, packaging, and pulp. After a few years on a hosted TMS, Verso was notified by its TMS provider that a system upgrade was required to continue to receive support. The Verso team took that notification as their cue to start their search for a new TMS solution that better fit its needs.\n\n“The biggest thing for us, as a paper company, was to have a system that would be reliable and stable,” said Michael Dailey, Corporate Logistics Manager at Verso. “We needed to make sure that we didn’t have any customer interruptions.”\n\nToday, Verso has more than 5,000 unique customers globally. In the paper industry, these customers often have very late cutoff times and next-day delivery requirements. Delivery appointment times can be difficult to pin down. Cut off times might be at 5 pm while the client’s receiving department leaves at 4 pm. With such tight timeframes, the shipping process must be extremely efficient.

Verso Corporation is a leading producer of graphic and specialty papers, packaging, and pulp. Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, Verso operates seven mills in the United States, located in places like the upper peninsula of Michigan, rural Maine, and isolated areas of West Virginia and Maryland. The company serves more than 5,000 unique customers globally, including merchant partners and direct customers. Verso's operations are characterized by the need for reliable and stable transportation management due to the remote locations of their mills and the tight delivery windows required by their customers. The company manages two distinct supply chains: one for stock material that goes into distribution centers and another for direct shipments from mills to merchant partners or printers.

After considering other hosted solutions and evaluating several SaaS-based systems, Verso chose the MercuryGate TMS. In addition to providing stability, they also found the MercuryGate system much easier to use. With a well-defined implementation plan, Verso was able to get up and running quickly on the MercuryGate TMS and the Mojo optimization tool.\n\nDuring the evaluation process, the Verso team looked at both hosted and SaaS-based options to replace their existing system. While the need to change may have been thrust upon them, they wanted to make the most of the opportunity to select a system that could help reshape their operations. As the team reviewed the list of critical requirements, it became clear that MercuryGate checked many of the boxes and closed the functionality gaps left by their existing software.\n\n“We just really felt more comfortable with the MercuryGate software than we did with everything else,” said Dailey.

• Verso manages about 150,000 loads annually through the MercuryGate TMS, representing a freight spend of $255 million.
• By using Mojo Dark, Verso can identify the optimal mode and route for every load.
• Today, they are managing the same amount of freight with a team of seven that used to require 21 people with their old system.

• Verso manages about 150,000 loads annually through the MercuryGate TMS.
• The freight spend managed through the system is $255 million.
• The team size required to manage the same amount of freight was reduced from 21 to 7 people.