Projects
Training
In addition to the initial training during onboarding, we have qualified trainers to educate your team across all aspects of Pallet Control. Training content is tailored to suit your business including branding. We can supply training materials such as manuals or videos as a point of reference.
Customised Reports
Beyond our regular monthly reporting, we offer an array of additional reporting options that can be customised to your needs. If your business has specific tracking requirement, we are more than happy to investigate the best practise process for reporting.
Run Sheet Debrief
Our team can perform runsheet debrief to track pallet transfers from pickup to delivery. With our experience and expertise, we provide feedback to the operation to reduce driver errors, maximise compliance and recover lost pallets.
With your approval, we can communicate directly with drivers, create customised training material, or join toolbox meetings to fix problems at the source.
Policy Building
We can help develop and implement a pallet policy to outline protocol and procedures for a particular set of situations, such as preventing pallet loss, setting clear and easy processes, and avoiding any misunderstandings or disputes with trading partners.
Account Audit
At any time, we can conduct a pallet audit for your business. A pallet audit is crucial to understanding your current position and reveals where to best direct our pallet recovery efforts. Audits help to bring your pallet management back into control or see if further improvements to process can be made.
Invoice Approval
If required, we can implement an invoice approval process to ensure all charges are correct before they are paid by your accounts team. We receive copies of invoices directly from CHEP and Loscam to monitor a customer’s hire costs and look out for non-legitimate equipment types. Through invoice approval we can communicate any significant increases in the weekly/monthly hire cost.
Case Studies
Consolidation of Accounts for an Australian Retailer.
Challenges
A national Australian retailer was in the midst of a growth phase, rapidly opening new stores. Hire pallets were integral to moving freight, but the management of equipment was overlooked. There were more than 100 pallet accounts to reconcile and no national process in place.
Objectives
The goal was to reduce costs and prevent losses by implementing a clear national process for stores and distribution centers (DCs).
Solutions
We closed over 100 accounts by consolidating them by state, rather than account per store. It established a flexible and scalable pallet management process. This is important given they have more than doubled to 230 retail locations. In addition, there was a substantial reduction in invoice administration costs.
To further reduce costs and prevent lost equipment, we designed a DC to Store process that was put forward and approved by the client and their carrier.
We collaborated with the client’s team and conducted online training for the use of pallet reconciliation software. This platform allowed DCs and stores to record pallets in and out and receive supplier invoices for us to reconcile.
Results
The implementation of a National Process ensured we were able to obtain counts to report an accurate national position. The process also allowed us to identify non-compliant stores and states and provide feedback to the client.
The implementation of pallet reconciliation software meant transactions could be accurately reconciled, and any missing transactions were investigated.
Revision of Policy for a Major Third-Party Provider
Challenges
Prior to engaging our services in 2016, our client had an established pallet policy across the marketplace. They came to realize there were losses still occurring despite having internal pallet controllers. The pallet policy was dated, and standards within the marketplace were changing.
Objectives
The objective was to improve pallet processes by reviewing and redistributing a new pallet policy. The policy needed to consider industry standards where stricter rules were becoming more common.
Solutions
Our client engaged us to review and make recommendations to their policy. The result was a policy that was more favorable to the client, strengthening minimum requirements at receiving, and tightening rules for claims. When helping clients develop a pallet policy, we ensure:
- The policy looks after our clients’ interests.
- It is fair and equitable to the marketplace.
- Is clear and simple. One page is enough.
- Tailored specifically to the client.
- Considers commercial relationships.
Aligning Process Nationally for a National Third-party Provider
Challenges
After onboarding a national third-party logistics (3PL) and providing them with online training, we identified gaps within the dataset causing a loss of pallets. The issue was consistent across most sites, and site managers did not have time to retrain their teams.
Objectives
The objective was to retrain the team across all sites to stop the loss of equipment.
Solutions
The client engaged in a training project where we traveled interstate to provide one-on-one training to multiple sites. By being directly on-site, we were able to:
- Ensure the team was engaged and answer any questions.
- Provide feedback to the main site contacts.
- Our presence strengthened who we are and what we do for the Client. This helped to create a better relationship and understanding of our partnership.