Dive Brief:
- Ryder opened its first fulfillment center for technology manufacturer Lexmark, streamlining two operations into one with the shipping and receiving of printers, toner cartridges and spare parts.
- The 1 million-square-foot facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana, will enable 99% same-day shipping and 99% midnight parcel pick-up with next-day air service, according to a press release last week.
- The facility will also facilitate the customization, configuration, return, refurbishment and recertification of equipment.
Dive Insight:
Ryder’s new Lexmark fulfillment center aims to cut costs and transit times.
"We conducted a network analysis considering markets served, shipping volumes and times, transport costs, nearby ports, real estate prices, and the labor market,” Norm Brouillette, Ryder’s SVP of supply chain, said in a press release. Brouillette said the review determined one ideal location coupled with two-day transit improvement and added delivery capabilities.
In addition to the fulfillment services, Ryder will be utilizing a digital platform called RyderShare. The platform allows shippers, receivers, carriers and service providers to have access across the supply chain in real time, according to the release. The platform uses data analysis and analytics to assist in decision making, help prepare supply chains for unexpected events and speed recovery from disruptions.
While Ryder and Lexmark have been working with each other since 2009, the two companies have never operated fulfillment services together.
According to Lexmark’s Senior VP and Chief Product Delivery Officer Billy Spears, Ryder’s supply chain solutions was a “natural evolution.”
“We have provided Lexmark with comprehensive transportation management solutions, including network design with built-in continuous improvement, carrier procurement and management, shipment planning and execution, and cross-border operations between the United States, Canada, and Mexico,” Brouillette told Supply Chain Dive in an email.
