Most people dread lawn and garden chores. But Gardner, Inc. relishes the hours and money people spend on their lawns and gardens. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the company ships more than 700,000 orders for outdoor power equipment parts, accessories, and small engines a year. That`s a lot of lawnwork, especially when you consider Gardner, Inc. (www.gardnerinc.com) is a master source distributor for over 7,000 lawn and garden dealer, landscapers, and one of the world`s leading mass merchants.
To handle all those orders from lawn and garden dealers, repair shops and gardening enthusiasts, Gardner, Inc. has long automated its shipping. But about six years ago, it decided it needed a system that could integrate with the company`s main computer systems to add the flexibility of automatically invoicing orders, capturing tracking info for their customer service reps, and other customized capabilities. The company turned to Kewill`s Clippership, installing five stations at its Columbus location which handles 2,500 to 3,000 shipments a day and one station at each of its other seven distribution centers around the country. Gardner, Inc.`s largest center, Columbus, distributes lawn and garden parts and accessories for the entire U.S. in partnership with one of the world`s largest mass merchants, and covers Ohio and surrounding states for its own customer shipments. Gardner, Inc. ships 98 percent of orders the same day they`re placed, mostly using UPS. Gardner uses customized logic in Clippership that automatically chooses the carrier based on certain customer criteria; (weight, order type, and zip code) and selects to ship via UPS, USPS,Airborne Express or LTL.The company ships about 20 to 30 less-than-truckload shipments a day for items that are oversized or over the normal carriers` weight limits.
Kewill`s Clippership is a Windows-based shipping application that creates shipping integration, ease, efficiency and flexibility for businesses. Clippership automates shipment processing for UPS, FedEx Express and Ground, USPS, Airborne Express, DHL, BAX Global and LTLS, as well as user-defined carriers. Clippership integrates well with the company`s other systems so now the mainframe updates automatically as Kewill records order shipping. For example, Clippership automatically invoices orders once they`re shipped, saving Gardner, Inc. time and labor cost.
"Whatever we wanted it to do, we`ve been able to get the Kewill system to do," said Mike Hickman, director of operations for Gardner, Inc. "Maybe not right out of the box, but through customization and working with Kewill technicians, we`ve been able to streamline so many aspects of our order processing and shipping."
The company added the bill of lading automation feature to its system more than a year ago to automate the paperwork for truckload shipments, which up until then were handwritten. "That`s turned out to be a real time saver," Hickman said. Processing the bills of lading through Clippership, which can be tailored to include many checks and balances for addresses and order information, eliminates errors, illegibility and time. The Kewill shipping automation system`s added flexibility and its ability to streamline so many of Gardner`s processes put the company in the position to become a distribution partner for a major mass merchant. "Whatever it has cost, the Kewill System has paid off in the long run with fewer operator decisions to make, more error checking built in, and better support for our customer service representatives," Hickman said. "Kewill saves on personnel, on time, and cuts down on errors - all those efficiencies everybody wants."
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