Inbound Logistics | January 2022

Many vendors claimed their solutions would handle the functions critical to OVOL’s operations. Yet when Krizay probed deeper—say, asking them to demonstrate the steps needed to complete a process—it became clear many couldn’t, at least not efciently. For instance, Krizay asked about the steps required to change a shipment from one carrier to another. In general, when this occurs, the rst carrier needs to be notied not to make a pickup, so OVOL isn’t incorrectly charged, and then the shipment needs to be moved to the correct carrier. “It’s a real-world challenge and happens all the time,” he says. Yet some systems required an employee to call the original carrier, cancel the shipment, and then rebook it with the second carrier—cutting little time from the existing process. Continuing his research, Krizay came across ShippersEdge, a Burnsville, Minnesota-based provider of multi-carrier shipping software and transportation management systems. The company met the qualications outlined within OVOL’s RFP, and Krizay added them to the list. “When I was done with the rst phone call, I knew where I wanted to go,” he says. Ultimately, OVOL did choose ShippersEdge, and the two companies have been working together for several years. GETTING AN EDGE ShippersEdge provides a suite of logistics tools, including a Tier 1 TMS that’s the backbone of its offerings, says Joe Taylor, director of engineering with the company. The company generally works with mid-size to large companies across multiple verticals. Over the past few years, it has focused its solutions on providing end-to-end visibility and management of logistics, including inbound freight, ocean freight, last mile, and everything in between. A main reason OVOL chose ShippersEdge was the system’s user- friendliness. For instance, moving a shipment from one carrier to another

A TMS that is easy to use and meets the unique needs of all the company’s divisions helps OVOL USA, a large supplier of paper, pulp, and specialty substrates, deliver timely, cost- efficient supply chain solutions to customers worldwide.

C A S E B O O K S T U DY Good on Paper THE CHALLENGE:

To find a transportation management system (TMS) that would work for OVOL USA’s multiple divisions with varying needs, while providing visibility across the entire company. The installation and user interface also needed to be straightforward. THE SOLUTION: Partner with ShippersEdge, which provides a Tier 1 TMS, as well as quality customer service. THE RESULTS: Management now has visibility across the organization’s supply chain, while multiple processes have been automated and streamlined, saving time and money. This includes the payment of carrier bills and the routing of trucks and drivers, while following specific business rules. In addition, the solution was less expensive than what OVOL had used previously. NEXT STEPS: OVOL USA plans to implement ShippersEdge’s dock scheduler in several locations in Texas. With this and the addition of large screens within the warehouses, employees will see the timing of inbound and outbound deliveries and can have the right products and documents ready as they’re needed.

262 Inbound Logistics • January 2022