How TLI helped Tioga Pipe Improve Logistics Performance and Recover LTL Savings
Leading Materials Solutions Supplier Partners with Logistics Solutions Provider to Improve Freight Expenses, Exposure Management, and Enterprise-Wide Supply Chain Visibility.
Overview
Tioga Pipe (“Tioga”) is a leading material solutions supplier of pipe, tubing, flanges, fittings and related products serving the global and nuclear power generation, oil refining, gas and chemical processing and military shipbuilding industries. The Company ships metal finished products to customers for both international and domestic markets.
Since its founding in 1946, Tioga traditionally managed its logistics and freight expenses in-house, internally processing orders and all the requisite challenges with shipping including carrier selection, auditing actual freight costs and benchmarking data. In the spring of 2016, the Company engaged with logistics solutions provider Translogistics to bring to Tioga best business practices in freight logistics.
Challenge
Tioga was looking to improve its real-time, detailed enterprise wide visibility within its freight expenses and exposure.
With multiple facilities processing freight arrangements coupled with the challenge of its product line, the Company was seeking better ways to effectively improve customer service, monitor costs, identify and mitigate inefficiencies.
Below is listed a few of the most important considerations for change:
Explore Opportunities to Improve the Tioga Customer Experience
Create a Single Source Enterprise Wide LTL Shipping Solution
Arrange a new Freight Solution Across Multiple Locations
Build a More Predictive Planning Model for Future Shipping Programs
Solution
Upon their decision to investigate engaging with a third-party provider in the spring of 2016, Tioga considered many options including partnering with TLI. Impressed by their initial meeting which included a demonstration of “just what [Tioga] wanted to see” – ViewPoint TMS – and taken by TLI’s palpable industry knowledge that demonstrated how they “really know their business,” Tioga entered into a partnership with the logistics solutions provider.
Tioga immediately integrated ViewPoint software into the daily operations of its distribution centers with hands-on training facilitated by the Translogistics team. Utilized by its shippers, sales team and management personnel, Tioga leveraged the many modules of ViewPoint and the additional services offered by TLI, including:
List of Solutions
-
ACTIONABLE DATA FOR FREIGHT EXPENSESList Item 1
ViewPoint provided Tioga with options and actionable data for its freight expense management. For priority orders and critical
shipments, Tioga is now able to view carrier choices and their corresponding on-time percentages, allowing the Company to make more informed decisions. Tioga utilizes this module every day, confident that they are selecting the most reliable and
cost-efficient options available.
-
REGULAR KPI REPORTINGList Item 2
The weekly and monthly reports provided by ViewPoint and TLI prove extremely valuable to Tioga. The most important metrics for the Tioga team include spend per pound, on-time delivery and year-end expenses.
Additionally, the proprietary Exceptions Report reveals each time sales uses a carrier other than the least cost provider. This encourages helpful conversations and enables smarter, data-driven business decisions.
-
SUPPLY CHAIN VISIBILITYList Item 3
With Viewpoint, Tioga tracks orders, predicts and mitigate delays, and knows exactly when a shipment arrives. ViewPoint also helps the company deliver materials with the proper quality assurance paperwork attached and closely monitor shipments for damages.
-
AUDIT RECOVERY PROGRAM
Translogistics also introduced its Audit Recovery Program into regular company processes. Translogistics used this opportunity to dig deep into Tioga’s billing and thumb through every document. The audit recovery enables every carrier invoice to be audited against the carrier contract, and any discrepancies are mitigated on Tioga’s behalf by the TLI billing team. The collaborative process also ensured correct codes were used on all shipments and passed through on the invoice so the Tioga accounting team does not need to do any manual coding.
-
HELPFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE
Due to the nature of the industries and customers, Tioga frequently requires services for unique shipment requirements for which Translogistics is highly proficient. Because mistakes can happen, bulky and moved on and off trucks for less than truckload quantities, damages can and do occur. All LTL claims are now filtered through Translogistics, releasing the burdensome task of Tioga handling carrier issues.
RESULTS
Recouped 3.5% of total LTL spend through the Audit Recovery Program, which identifiedmis-categorized freight bills
Achieved significant improvement in carrier contracts by allowing TLI to leverage carrier relationships and negotiate rates
Eliminated the burden of internally handling claims
Instituted a real-time price quoting module
Streamlined carrier identification of qualified carriers who could handle Tioga’s unique freight requirements
Enabled smarter business decisions supported by data, reporting and measurable KPIs
Provided responsive customer service from greater insight into client shipments
Developed a consistent and strategic freight platform for multiple locations