CASE STUDY
Case Study: Cost-Effective Shipping and World Class Support for Holiday Food Shipping
Learn how Worldwide Express helped specialty food gift supplier Bay Island save money and improve shipping processes.
Summary
When Bay Island needed to upgrade their logistics support and lower costs, they chose Worldwide Express for its great rates and broad portfolio of high-quality freight carrier partners. Worldwide Express put proactive processes in place with personalized services that greatly enhanced shipping efficiency and effectiveness.
Minnesota-based Bay Island is a leading supplier of specialty food. As one of the nation's leading suppliers of unique holiday gift baskets, Bay Island serves several of the largest retailers in the country. When added up, millions of end customers enjoy their tasty treats each year.
In 2018, Bay Island realized they were not receiving the pricing, attention and service from their current shipping provider that was necessary to meet their standards of quality. In particular, they felt they were paying a premium for sub-standard service for food shipping of their temperature-sensitive products, which could easily spoil without extra care. They also needed assistance in streamlining their food shipping processes to increase efficiency and cut down on chaos.
After shipping with the same carrier for years, Bay Island felt they were not getting competitive pricing and the best possible bang for their shipping buck. Their shipping provider was disorganized and not efficient. Processes weren't set up to verify deliveries and quickly identify issues as they arose.
The company's perishable products and frenzied peak business season demanded hands-on care that they were not receiving from their previous carrier partner. They needed an experienced partner invested in their success, so they turned to Worldwide Express for less-than-truckload (LTL) and truckload (TL) shipping.
Challenge 1: Non-Competitive Rates
Shipper Challenge
Bay Island had spent many years shipping with the same freight carrier and felt like their business wasn't appreciated enough to receive competitive pricing.
Worldwide Express Solution
Bay Island bid their freight services out, and Worldwide Express came in at a very competitive rate. Coupled with its carefully vetted carrier portfolio, sophisticated transportation management software (TMS) and attentive service, Worldwide Express offered a much better value proposition for Bay Island and its food shipping needs.
"We felt strongly that we were paying a premium and not getting the service that we needed until we found Worldwide Express. We still rebid our shipping every year, and Worldwide Express has been very consistently competitive. Add in their service and technical capabilities, and Worldwide Express is the whole package."
— Rich Greig, VP of Operations at Bay Island
Challenge 2: Poor Processes
Shipper Challenge
Bay Island was having issues tracking shipments and verifying successful delivery of their temperature-sensitive products. They were also dealing with late and absent communication when issues arose and shipments were damaged or delayed.
Worldwide Express Solution
Worldwide Express assessed Bay Island's shipping operations from top to bottom and put new processes in place and created a shipping strategy to improve tracking, delivery verification and notification of exceptions in transit.
"After switching to Worldwide Express, the great majority of our shipments are now delivered on time. We have a lot more confidence in our shipping now. We'll occasionally have a delay in production, and Worldwide Express will find a way to help us still meet our deadlines and deliver quality requirements. Our new processes are very helpful."
—Rich Greig, VP of Operations at Bay Island
Challenge 3: Inattentive Service
Shipper Challenge
With the bulk of its freight shipping concentrated in the months leading up to the holidays, Bay Island was concerned about the hands-off tendencies of their existing carrier relationship during the crucial busy season. They were experiencing slow responses, mishandled deliveries and inattention from the carrier's sales team.
Worldwide Express Solution
Worldwide Express ensures that Bay Island has the specialized trucks, sufficient trailer space and rapid response times it requires for its annual shipping surge.
"The thing we've been most impressed with about Worldwide Express is the relationship. Everyone on our team has confidence that they'll take care of us. They're reliable, responsive and show that they care."
— Rich Greig, VP of Operations at Bay Island
Key Results
- Lowered food shipping costs with competitive rates
- Streamlined temperature-controlled shipping processes
- Improved on-time deliveries and shipment visibility
- Ensured ample LTL and truckload freight capacity for peak season shipping
Moving Ahead as Food Shipping Partners
After four years of shipping success, the partnership between Bay Island and Worldwide Express is still picking up speed. Together, they ship as many as 50 FTL and LTL freight shipments each week during Bay Island's busy season. In Worldwide Express, Bay Island has finally found a trusted shipping adviser who works hard every day to re-earn their business.
Food Shipping FAQs
Is it time to level up your temperature-controlled shipping?
Worldwide Express has built a reputation for helping SMBs across the nation find shipping success, securing top rates and services for our customers. With a carefully vetted network of 45,000+ FTL and 75+ LTL freight carrier partners, our decades of expertise combined with deep carrier relationships and personalized service make us the perfect partner for your business.
Learn how Worldwide Express is one of the nation's leading providers of customized logistics solutions and the answer to all your food shipping needs. Reach out for a free consultation today.