MARCH 31st, 2014 – Trinity Logistics has been selected by Pompeian, Inc. as the single source logistics provider for their main distribution center in Baltimore, MD.
Pompeian, founded in 1906 and headquartered in Baltimore, is America’s largest national brand of olive oil, best-selling wine vinegars and a variety of cooking wines. Well-known as the industry leader, Pompeian is the first brand to carry the USDA Quality Monitored seal on its extra virgin olive oil.
Trinity Logistics has been serving Pompeian’s truckload transportation needs for fifteen years. As is the case with many manufacturers in the beginning phase of logistics outsourcing, the partnership between Trinity and Pompeian began as a transactional, load-by-load relationship. Over the years, as Trinity arranged thousands of truckload shipments for Pompeian, including just-in-time expedited shipments, a 15-year track record of successful truckload shipping for Pompeian and its customers emerged. This long-standing relationship built on trust and continued success is what ultimately led to Trinity being selected as Pompeian’s single-source logistics provider.
As part of the agreement, Trinity Logistics has placed a member of their Design Solutions team on-site at Pompeian in Baltimore to assist in managing Pompeian’s logistics operations. Pompeian’s order management system has also been integrated seamlessly with Trinity’s transportation management software (TMS), allowing for more effective load planning and complete shipment visibility.
“Over the past five years, transforming into a single-source logistics solutions provider has been a huge focus for Trinity Logistics,” shared Jeff Banning, Trinity’s CEO and President. “We’ve been relentlessly dedicated to expanding our service offerings and truly becoming a one-stop shop for our customers. The opportunity to put these efforts to work on-site at Pompeian is an incredibly exciting opportunity for all involved.”
“Pompeian strives to provide the best service to our customers. Such service entails timeliness and accuracy in our deliveries,” explained Robin Harricharan, Controller at Pompeian. “Our relationship with Trinity provides us that comfort. It is that comfort that led us to welcome Trinity to show us their transportation management software, which we now rely on, and it has been a great success. We greatly look forward to our continued relationship with Trinity as they assist us in navigating best practices and cost effectiveness in our everyday logistics decisions.”
Want to see exactly how Trinity Logistics has been able to help Pompeian? Check out our case study here.
In 2009, Trinity Logistics began offering freight management with transportation management software (TMS) for our customers. The technology we offer isn’t new, but for many small- to medium-sized businesses, it can be a foreign concept. As freight consultants, we’ve always listened closely to what our day-to-day contacts are saying and taken steps to help overcome challenges on their behalf. Over time, we’ve seen some rather surprising patterns in our conversations. It’s good to be cautious, but commonly held myths seem to be holding many shippers back from incredible improvements to their supply chain! It’s myth-busting time, and we’re here to give you the real scoop on transportation management system facts.
Myth #1: Implementing transportation management software will cost too much
Fact: While there are several incredibly robust intense TMS programs out there that will indeed cost a small fortune to purchase licenses for, there are web-based SaaS products like ours that are designed to allow every business the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the system. You don’t have to be a Fortune 500 company to streamline freight spend, enhance reporting, and create efficiencies. We even offer a tiered pricing system with varying levels of features to make it easy for you to select a TMS option that fits your budget.
Myth #2: A TMS will replace my job
Fact: This one always makes us shake our heads in wonder. You’re going to look like a hero for taking the initiative to present an opportunity for your company to grow and improve! The savings you will be able to demonstrate from your newly-created efficiencies alone will be enough to “wow” your supervisors. Even better? You can be the one at the helm, managing implementation, training your teams, and monitoring and supervising the entire supply chain, making you a more valuable piece of the puzzle – not less.
Myth #3: A TMS is too difficult and time consuming to use
Fact: If the TMS you’re considering appears difficult to use, you’re looking at the wrong TMS. The system you select should be user-friendly and intuitive, easy to navigate, and simple to explain. When we demonstrate our software, we can create a sandbox in which your team can “play” in with real data in order to show you how a customized portal can not only link your entire team together, but put to rest concerns about the system being too difficult – for even the least technologically-savvy users. If you really want to talk about things that are time-consuming, how much fun is it to juggle a bunch of different spreadsheets and keep track of carrier rates “the old-fashioned way”?
Myth #4: I won’t be able to get all our locations in sync
Fact: Trinity can work with your team every step of the way to help implement the transportation management software across all locations, training every team member and explaining your business operating procedures. Not only will you have support in getting everyone into the system, we can also provide accountability measures to show you when a location isn’t playing by your established rules. This will help provide you with hard facts about sunk costs due to improper carrier selection and rogue routing.
Myth #5: We will lose control/ownership of our pricing
Fact: If you aren’t using our blanket pricing, and come into the freight management relationship with your own carriers and your own pricing, those stay in your name. Trinity works under your authorization to keep those carrier networks and to demonstrate the volume you provide each carrier. Our TMS easily creates reports to show the freight breakdown per provider, and you can leverage that with our logistics consulting services, in which we’re able to help you with a managed RFP process each year. You will always own your pricing.
Hopefully, with those five myths busted, the idea of transportation management software sounds a lot more appealing! We offer free consultations if you’re still on the fence. Get in touch with us today, and we’ll answer any lingering questions you may have about the implementation of a TMS.
Have you heard the saying “there’s always room for improvement?” Well, that’s exactly right when you’re looking for a solution to better your supply chain processes. Implementing transportation management software (TMS) could be the missing piece to your puzzle when trying to control costs, catch and resolve transportation discrepancies, and create in-depth reports. This software can help you analyze valuable transportation metrics while keeping supply chain communication as transparent as possible.
Are you missing out on customizable reports that can show you fluctuation in lane rates, carrier performance levels, and freight spend? A TMS allows you to easily view all of this information and analyze it from all levels of your supply chain. You can determine where your freight spend is really going, discrepancies with freight audits and payment, what you need to cut, what you need to do more of — information that’s vital for current and future business decisions.
Is your current ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system lacking transparency? Our transportation management system is unique to each user, whether it’s management, dock personnel, vendors inputting shipments, warehouse staff, or other service staff in your supply chain. Each user has their own portal login, allowing them to view supply chain processes in real time via your choice of EDI or a carriers’ access portal. Alerts are available when the shipment is created, loaded, tracked, and delivered. Sounds slightly less stressful, right? Every user will have customized access to what is going on, down to the very last detail, all according to your specifications.
Are you starting to wonder how this is even affordable? It’s true that many transportation management systems can cost up to $10,000 monthly, with additional exorbitant implementation fees. When you work with Trinity, that’s not the case. We offer a best-in-class, customizable TMS that is easily integrated with your current system, at reasonable price points, with the small-to-medium sized shipper in mind. You don’t have to be a multi-million dollar company to enjoy the benefits of a system like ours.
Worried you might lose information from your old system? Your TMS can easily be integrated with your WMS (Warehouse Management System) and finance system so that all of your information is in one place and you’re not losing any ground. Trinity’s freight consultants are here to make this transition as easy as possible, helping you every step of the way. In fact, we take service so seriously that one of our project managers, Adam Miller, is providing on-site freight management for one of our clients, assisting with their TMS and providing logistics consulting.
Hear it straight from a TMS customer:
“Trinity’s transportation management software has given us the ability to audit freight invoices by focusing on exceptions. This means that if the invoice amount matches the system rate, then it can be approved for payment without having to review it. We are able to run an exception report that shows us all of the invoices that do not match the system rate so that we only spend time reviewing the invoices that need to be reviewed.”- IAE
If you want to improve your supply chain, manage your precious cargo in real-time, and dig deeper to find possible hidden costs and lost efficiencies, it’s time to fill in that missing piece of the puzzle! Haven’t quite decided whether you want to make the switch? Talk to us – we offer no strings attached freight consultations that can answer any questions you may have. What suits your schedule best? Request a consultation today!