Sustaining Operational Excellence - Inbound Logistics

3PL, Transportation Management Systems (TMS), DistributionTA Services' transportation management solutions helped MRC Global, a distributor of pipe, infrastructure products, and valves and fittings, improve visibility and enhance service levels.The ChallengeIn these unprecedented times, sustainable success requires flexible, innovative approaches and a commitment to achieving operational excellence.Achieving operational excellence also requires focusing on core value creation capabilities—particularly those that drive growth and contribute to your competitive advantage. Partnering with a 3PL that specializes in areas where you have chosen not to invest can help you reach and sustain operational excellence—or reach it even faster. This is what MRC Global, Inc., the largest distributor of pipe, infrastructure products, and valves and fittings, faced.With multiple regional distribution centers and more than 100 branch locations, MRC wanted to create synergy across their distribution network with greater utilization of their hub-and-spoke model. MRC needed a solution that produced additional value with standardization across their order and fulfillment cycles. Results would be a reduction in touch points and creation of a centralized cost-saving model with key performance indicators to ensure that performance is garnered and surpassed. Even with considerable in-house knowledge, implementing a control tower for transportation network management required time and resources already in high demand. So, this industry leader made the call to outsource transportation management operations to a full-service 3PL—TA Services.The SolutionTA Services contributed its experience serving a wide range of manufacturing and industrial distribution firms along with the ability to back its solutions with truckload assets from its parent company, PS Logistics. The recommended solution included SaaS TMS technology and centralized transportation planning that would drive efficiencies, improve routing compliance, and make a difference to MRC's bottom line.MRC now relies on a more efficient hub-and-spoke network designed by TA Services to serve its branch operations as part of a highly responsive customer service strategy. The network runs after hours and requires unattended nighttime deliveries with OSHA-certified driver-assisted unloading.TA Services also implemented full cycle transportation management within its centralized load control center. The solution includes capacity management, procurement, load execution, tracking, and claims management of irregular route truckloads for customer direct and jobsite shipments.Measurable business value is being delivered by TA Services in the form of lower transportation costs, improved visibility, enhanced service levels, and a more variable cost structure, allowing MRC to fully leverage its transportation management spend and distribution network."We have to manage what's core to our business and drive requirements with our logistics partners to ensure we can get our products to market safer, faster, and more effectively with a value-driven solution. This solution required scalability and measurability while ensuring process and service excellence that our customers and MRC Global are accustomed to receiving," said Barry Gipson, vice president of operational excellence for MRC. "Partnering with TA Services allows us to not only deliver products to market in this manner, it also allows us to expand our services where required in our competitive and dynamic market."To learn more:email: solutions@taservices.comphone: 800-626-2185web: www.taservices.com