boxes, says Rich Huziak, senior operations manager with Evans. When developing customized solutions for Evans’ clients, verbal explanations typically go only so far, Huziak says. To gain a thorough understanding of Bon Bon Bon’s operations, the Evans team toured its manufacturing facility and stores. Evans then built a solution that considered the processes already in place. For instance, when Bon Bon Bon delivers inventory to Evans, it’s in trays of single bon bons. These are recorded in the Evans WMS. Evans developed a kitting process so employees know which chocolates to pull for each order. CUSTOMIZED FULFILLMENT Many packages are nished with colorful wrapping tape; customers can choose from several designs. They also can request a handwritten note accompany their orders. The WMS lets Evans employees know which packages will include these embellishments, as well the card, message, and tape to include. The employee who packs the box also initials and dates it before sending it on its way. Depending on the destination and time of year, the order may be packed in ice. “It’s a very custom experience,” Delekta says.
Handing responsibility for packing customers’ orders and creating handwritten notes means entrusting another company to accurately represent the Bon Bon Bon brand. “It’s a big thing,” Rodriguez says. When Bon Bon Bon receives very large orders—say, from corporate clients— it currently emails the information to Evans. This allows Bon Bon Bon to designate speci c products for these customized orders. Evans receives Bon Bon Bon inventory anywhere from several times each week, to almost daily during the busiest season. Because Bon Bon Bon’s products are perishable and custom-made, it’s not feasible to stockpile inventory in advance. Getting up and running with the Evans team was fairly rapid, Rodriguez says. The longest piece of the puzzle was redesigning the website and creating new stock-keeping units. “It was almost as though we created a new store,” Rodriguez says. The bene t? Setting up a new website and new SKUs from the beginning of the partnership minimized the need for Bon Bon Bon to retroactively adjust any information. Once the new website was complete, testing took a couple of months. The teams mapped out multiple scenarios so everyone could be prepared for any type of order.
Evans’ handling of these functions enables Bon Bon Bon to focus on its core competency—making great chocolate—as well as increasing sales and expanding to other markets, says Leslie Delekta, director of customer solutions with Evans. Evans direct-ships online and corporate
orders. To ensure a temperature- controlled environment, Evans has
located a refrigerated container within its warehouse. The 3PL is able to add staff to the Bon Bon Bon account to manage the holiday increase in sales. As volume tapers off, Evans can shift those employees to other clients. Bon Bon Bon and Evans are electronically connected through Shopify, which transmits most orders to Evans; currently, corporate and other large orders are handled separately. Once Evans receives the order within its warehouse management system (WMS), employees kit the product and place it into custom
CASEBOOK STUDY How Sweet It Is THE CHALLENGES
Finding a way to eectively and eciently manage order fulfillment and shipping as Bon Bon Bon grew to encompass multiple locations and national and international shipments, while still creating quality chocolate. THE SOLUTION Partner with Evans Distribution to handle fulfillment, shipping, logistics, warehousing, and product storage. THE RESULTS A significant reduction in order processing time and greater ability to handle large orders. NEXT STEPS Working on extensions to Bon Bon Bon’s website, including a pre- order feature and the ability to enable customers to create large orders with several clicks.
Evans helps manage Bon Bon Bon’s fulfillment process, which is challenging because the chocolate is perishable and requires a temperature-controlled environment. The 3PL also helps with additional labor when orders rise dramatically between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
206 Inbound Logistics • January 2024
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