Author: Ian Palmer

BACKGROUND

In May of 2018, AGS began providing 3PL short-term service, along with warehousing and local delivery service, to a retailer of high-end lighting products for both residential and commercial customers. Headquartered in Georgia, this company has retail stores and showrooms in Washington D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Austin, Charleston, Houston, Denver and Scottsdale. AGS began with the Washington D.C. location in May, of 2018, and later that year added Atlanta, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles showrooms. In 2019, they added Scottsdale, Denver and Austin. In 2018, AGS handled 189 shipments from May to December.  Another 156 shipments, with an additional 51 in a staged or appointed status at one of their locations, have been handled between January and May 2019.

HOW IT WORKS

The AGS customer consigns prepaid drop shipments to AGS locations from their vendors, using LTL and parcel companies. The AGS station then stages the orders until final delivery is requested, which is usually within 4-6 weeks. The final delivery to the end user is always time-specific, with inside lift-gate service provided for one to three pallets of lighting fixtures. The AGS delivery driver is responsible for a customer delivery ticket, which details the items being delivered and are checked and signed off at the time of delivery, along with the AGS delivery receipt.

AGS’ state-of-the-art tracking system, myAGS.com, plays a significant role in the entire process and showcases the 3PL capabilities of AGS. When an AGS HAWB (house airway bill) is created for the drop shipment from a vendor to AGS, information is entered into myAGS.com by the customer as to the purchase order number, commodity code and description of items listed on the customer’s delivery ticket. This can be anywhere between one to thirty items in any one shipment. All of this information can be pulled up and viewed on the myAGS.com website.

When the AGS station receives the shipment, they update the receipt information on the “parts detail” screen of the designated HAWB. This information is also viewable on myAGS.com so that the AGS customer can view the inventory of their products at the various AGS locations, thus having “real-time” visibility of their products that are waiting for delivery to end users.

Most deliveries from the AGS 3PL location are local, within the boundaries of the city in which they are located.  However, occasionally the end user will be outside of the local delivery area, so the delivering AGS station is assigned the responsibility of sourcing reliable carriers for the “beyond” transportation.

With so many AGS 3PL stations involved with this customer, it is truly a “nationwide” service, with drop shipments arriving from many different points in the U.S. The services used for this customer, as outlined above, are receiving, warehousing, recording inventory on myAGS.com, for customer visibility, and final delivery to the end user. AGS has used this proven method of “total” service with many customers, and this one happens to “light up the world.”

With our nationwide coverage for storage and logistics sites in the U.S., AGS can provide temporary storage of shipments, whether over-sized data center equipment or high-end lighting fixtures. They offer complete customer-centric supply chain solutions, including state-of-the-art communication and tracking through myAGS.com.

 

EXPEDITED GROUND AND AIR

AGS provides expedited ground and air transportation from the customer’s DC’s in Memphis, TN to their retail store customers nationally.

• Shipments are on pallets requiring day-specific delivery to retail stores, fitness centers and pro shops throughout the US. AGS often takes individual cartons off the pallet and delivers inside the retail store when a loading dock in not available.

NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

AGS provides national distribution and delivery of oversize displays from their vendors in dozens of cities and from their corporate campus in Beaverton, OR to retail stores nationally.

The customer is the largest manufacturer of mail and shipping equipment and mail solutions in the U.S. and with annual sales exceeding $6 billion, they have over 50% market share

HOW AGS STEPPED IN

AGS provides asset recovery service for customer in 25 states – equipment includes postage meters, scales, printers and related mailing devices.

AGS provides both scheduled and sweep pickups and Same Day on request pickup of equipment from customer offices, customer sites and storage facilities. Their installers have the option of dropping off equipment at AGS facilities.

AGS performs pickups from a dedicated fleet of drivers, owner/operators and contracted agents.

From designated pickup locations, equipment is sent to regional consolidation points for inventory, data capture and packing for transportation back to their recycle and redeployment center in Whitestown, IN.

AGS enters each product model and serial number which downloads into a database that can be accessed by the customer. This database serves as a tool to show where the equipment is located from start to finish.

AGS has positioned itself to almost act as an extension of their asset management and transportation department.

TRANSPORTATION AND WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY

AGS provides transportation and white glove delivery of computer towers (7 feet high) to customers nationally. In 2009, AGS delivered over 7,000 towers with 99% on-time delivery.

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Each shipment (valued over $ 250,000) required special handling, double strapping for transport, 2-man inside delivery and a pre-call delivery appointment from the AGS National Call Center to meet on site technicians.

NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION

From their Distribution Center, AGS handles the national distribution of PC’s on pallets to Social Security offices nationally.

• The AGS National Call Center receives daily spreadsheet emails from their Enterprise Bus Ops with delivery time requirements and contact names; AGS performs a pre-call to the customer verifying delivery requests.
• AGS updates the email with appointment confirmation and again with POD.
• Shipments require multiple man delivery to perform inside delivery.
• AGS provides, on request, a trash removal service of empty boxes and packing material, appointments are made to pick-up several days after delivery of the new product.

MIDWEST DISTRIBUTION

From their Distribution Center in the Midwest:

• AGS performs the nationwide distribution of palletized PC’s, notebooks, monitors and various printers and cartridges that deliver to every United States Post Offices in the U.S. Deliveries are time-specific and coordinated to meet the customer’s field installers on site.
• The larger Prime printers require 2-man delivery, room of choice, removing trash and assisting the installer as needed. Many of these deliveries have a one-hour delivery window between 8:30 am and 9:30 am.
• Daily conference calls and spreadsheet communication plus hands-on supply chain management are all included in the services provided for this program.

COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY DELIVERY AND REPLACEMENT

AGS recently completed a 2-year refresh program delivering new computer equipment on a pallet to every 7-11 convenience store in the U.S.

• Deliveries were made on the day and time specified by the customer from the Master Schedule provided to AGS when the program began and updated daily by email and confirmed by phone call to the store. Deliveries were made through the back door; if the skid could not fit through the door, the cartons were taken off the skid, taken inside and then re-palletized. The program also included pickup of the old computer equipment after it was de-installed; packing if necessary and return transportation to recycled providers in Tennessee and California.

AGS handles the retrieval and replacement of their laptops to Starbucks stores nationally.

• When a laptop is determined to be defective, AGS is notified to coordinate a pickup with the store manager either same day or next day. AGS is required to confirm serial numbers and asset tags as provided by the customer and pack each laptop for return to their Repair and Redeployment facility in Carrollton, TX. All information is then transmitted by email to them daily before 3:00 pm allowing them to process a replacement that is delivered the next day.

AGS handles deployment of new computer equipment from their configuration center in Dallas, TX to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney offices across the country.

• Deliveries are day and time-specific and require inside delivery to a specific room of choice. The program also includes the returns of old equipment. AGS contacts MSSB sites and set convenient day and times to recover, pack and serial number capture of each device. AGS handles coordination of all requirements between MSSB offices, building management and leasing offices. Serial numbers and equipment lists that are recovered are provided to customers via our website within 48 hours.

PARTS LOGISTICS

AGS provides its Parts Logistics service to support customer’s technicians installing new upgraded computer systems in the pharmacy department.

• AGS stores spare parts and devices at the local AGS facility and agent locations nationally and performs rapid delivery within 2 hours of a technician’s phone call received at the AGS National Call Center. Since all upgrades are performed after store hours and AGS often receives requests for delivery between midnight and 5:00 am. AGS shifts inventories and schedules part deliveries in conjunction with customer’s upgrade schedules.

WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY

During the first six months of 2012, AGS handled the transportation and white glove delivery of 700 computer towers to the Facebook technology center in Ashburn, VA.

• This was a high visibility program with the customer’s senior management requiring nothing less than flawless execution, exceptional communication and extreme care. AGS prepared a twelve page Standard Operating Procedure with specific instructions on how to handle this 96 inch high, 1,700 pound tower, including procedures for origin pickup at their campus in Houston, use of tip-n-tell indicators, in-transit strapping in trailers, final mile delivery by an AGS handling team and communications back to the their ESS group in Houston with 4-hour updates and play-by-play progress reports.
• During the summer of 2011 AGS performed a national distribution and White Glove delivery of a photo kiosk to a national Drug and Film processing retail center.

BACKGROUND

The company operates as an online retailer of aftermarket auto parts to the consumer performance and replacement market. Products are sold from its web sites. It also sells through its 800 number and sales channels of wholesale distributors. The company operates distribution centers from their warehouses in Carson, CA and Norfolk, VA.

WHY AGS?

AGS was selected to replace several regional motor carriers that were handling their home delivery products that exceed the FedEx and UPS Ground size (165 inches in length + girth) and weight (150 pounds) limits.

A key factor that led to the AGS selection was the web tracking visibility on shipment progress and scheduled delivery times that were available to customers.

HOW AGS HELPED

The customer would send an email with the AGS bill number and web address to their customers with delivery information. This innovation eliminated over 100 daily tracking phone calls into their customer service department dramatically improving customer satisfaction.

Their customers could also call the AGS National Call Center 24 hours a day to reschedule a delivery and obtain additional information on the shipment.

The auto replacement and performance parts market is highly service and price competitive with the customer often competing with local retailers. AGS has consistently maintained on time arrival times and price stability through ongoing improvements in processes and cost control.

TRANSPORTATION AND HOME DELIVERY

In 2009, they opened an east coast DC in Norfolk, VA and selected AGS for transportation and home delivery. The scope of work was an extension of the proven service AGS provides from their Carson, CA DC.

AGS also provides offshore home delivery to their customers in Hawaii and Puerto Rico along with Alaska and Canada.

CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR RETURNS

AGS provides them with an easy to use solution for returns that is controlled through the AGS National Call Center and 800 number 24 hour access.

 

BACKGROUND

The customer is recognized nationwide as a pre-eminent provider of distinctive modern design furnishings and accessories. The Company markets and sells products in numerous categories to both residential and commercial customers through its over 60 studios (as their stores are known), 3 sales annexes (as their liquidation centers are known), a phone center and website. This multi-channel, integrated sales strategy enables the customer to maintain a high proportion of products in stock at all times, reinforces brand awareness, enhances customer knowledge of the products, and produces operational benefits that drive market penetration.

When the customer first contacted AGS, they were using an unmanageably large number of LTL (less than truckload) carriers from their DC (Distribution Center) located in central Kentucky. Their transportation manager was challenged to provide residential and commercial delivery to a demanding group of customers who expected their delivery experience to match the high quality of the product and stores they were purchasing from. The problem was, LTL carriers couldn’t deliver, but AGS could…

WHY AGS?

AGS was selected to replace several regional motor carriers that were handling their home delivery products that exceed the FedEx and UPS Ground size (165 inches in length + girth) and weight (150 pounds) limits.

A key factor that led to the AGS selection was the web tracking visibility on shipment progress and scheduled delivery times that were available to customers.

HOW AGS HELPED

AGS proposed, and the customer accepted, that rather than accepting the LTL delivery standard of curbside delivery, that in order to enhance their customer’s delivery experiences, that all residential deliveries be provided with an enhanced service upgrade from what they had experienced in the past – AGS Threshold Delivery.

Our Home Delivery Solution offered:

• Telephone contact of every customer prior to delivery being made.
• Confirmed Weekday and four hour delivery window
• Upgraded final mile delivery no longer made to the curbside, but a threshold delivery in which merchandise was brought across the sweep of the doorway
• Automatic provisioning of lift gate and two man service where required based on individual piece weight or dimensions

As the AGS Threshold service had such an overwhelmingly positive response from their internal customers; the studio sales staff and the repeat customers, that a new service enhancement was requested of AGS, their single source Threshold Delivery Service provider – Room Of Choice. Our ROC solution provided them with a service enhancement on larger and heavier items that their clients were requesting be carried up or down stairs and placed precisely in the room where the furniture would be used. Our ROC service features an automatic two man team delivery made during a pre-scheduled appointment day and four hour window.

RECOVERY AND RETURN

AGS supports the high service expectations of the customer’s purchasers by performing merchandise Recovery and Return in those instances where an order is refused due to customer remorse, or a piece of furniture wasn’t a good fit. AGS Customer Service makes direct contact with each customer once on RMA (Return Material Authorization) is issued. The pre-pickup call confirms whether merchandise is in sealed original packing, repacked or requires AGS to remove unpacked merchandise and package at the local AGS Station to ensure safe return back to the closest DC or annex location.

DISTRIBUTION BY-PASS

The most recent enhancement made to the program was the implementation of a Distribution By-pass model in which AGS eliminates multiple legs of transportation by shipping products directly from more than three dozen of their suppliers, reducing both time in transit and cost previously incurred by double handling through a distribution center.

WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY

During peak months, they have shipped in excess of 2,500 orders per month, and continues to count on AGS to further enhance their program with special projects including dedicated fleet performing White Glove Delivery and offering international transportation solutions to Canada, Mexico and Asia.

 

BACKGROUND

Since 1996, AGS has supported the parts distribution to U.S. dealers throughout the country for a major global auto manufacturer. AGS has developed a fail-safe program that ensures emergency parts are delivered to these dealers, who have 100% confidence that AGS will be on-time, every time. With customers waiting to get their automobile from the “shop”, this service is vital to the success of the auto manufacturer, a major reason that they have been using AGS for over two decades for this critical piece of their business.

IMPORT AND DISTRIBUTION

With over sixteen hundred (1,600) shipments per year from overseas, AGS is involved with the import and distribution process and has become an industry expert in this critically important part of the auto manufacturing process. Once a shipment lands at an international airport, such as Los Angeles, New York or Atlanta, and once it is cleared through U.S. customs, AGS picks up the shipment at the airline cargo facility and ships it to their designated parts distribution centers (PDC’s). The PDC receives next day or same day delivery service from the airport of origin. The parts are often oversized, which means they will not fit into the integrated networks of the integrated carriers. The parts usually consist of bumpers, hoods, fenders, windshields, doors and exhaust systems. By handling this critical business for over two decades, AGS proves day after day that they are the most reliable partner to the auto manufacturer.

HEAVY FREIGHT SHIPPING

Another critical piece of the business that AGS handles for the auto manufacturer is with replacements of electric batteries. These batteries can weigh up to two thousand (2,000) pounds each and require a special hoist lift, which is shipped to the dealer in order to lift the old battery out of the vehicle and replace it with the new battery. AGS ships the hoist along with the new battery to the dealer, carefully packs the old battery and the hoist for safe, regulated delivery and delivers them directly to their dealers throughout the U.S. These deliveries require expedited AM service, along with inside delivery, with two men and a lift-gate.

ORDER TRACKING

The customer and its dealers use myAGS.com to track their orders and send shipment details to the local dealers for updates on the arrival of the parts. This uniquely reliable tracking service makes the process easy for the recipient, requiring no phone calls, just a few minutes online, a major benefit compared to days past. 

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

With our nationwide coverage for storage and logistics sites in the U.S., AGS can provide temporary storage of shipments, whether over-sized auto parts or computer equipment. They pride themselves in their communications on every shipment, whether large or small and take extra pride in providing the most reliable final-mile delivery in the industry. Founded in 1958, and just celebrating their 60th year, AGS provides complete supply chain solutions specializing in forwarding, transportation, logistics, and warehousing, with white-glove final-mile delivery a specialty. Keys to AGS’ customer-centric solutions are innovative and customizable technology tools that provide a seamless flow of information that gives customers global supply chain visibility.

RECOVERY AND RETURN

AGS provides on demand, time sensitive, recovery and return services of desktop systems and servers from 15,000 agency and corporate locations in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

ASSET RECOVERY

AGS coordinates pickup times with field technicians to recover pack and provide serial number capture of end of lease or end of life computer equipment. Shipments are returned to various reclamation and deployment centers across the U.S.

SAME DAY SERVICE

Same Day office relocations that include phone systems, computer equipment, furniture and customer files.

COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

AGS picks up new computer equipment directly from Allstate vendors and delivers to new offices and corporate locations.

AGS assists the company with setting up catastrophe centers by shipping laptop computers and other supplies Same Day or Overnight anywhere in the country. AGS helped with expedited shipments to Birmingham, Alabama for Hurricane Katrina victims.

24/7/365 CUSTOMER SERVICE

AGS National Call Center provides service 7 days a week completing and handling requests weekends and holidays.

BACKGROUND

AGS provides a full supply chain service package for a nationwide Telecom company that operates wireless broadband networks for high-speed residential customers, along with mobile internet access and voice services.  In the past three years AGS has handled 155,000 shipments for the customer, utilizing all levels of transportation, including Same Day, Overnight, and Second Day, Ground, and White Glove service on many of the shipments.

This supply chain solution was in support of the build-out of the customer’s nationwide 4G network and included establishing distribution centers in over 80 cities to support the build-out of over 20,000 cell towers.  Included was the use of AGS inventory control technology and myAGS.com to track vendor shipments around the country, giving the customer real-time visibility to every shipment moving in the AGS network.

OUR PLAN

During this critical 3-year period and continuing today, AGS appointed a Customer Account Team of fifteen (15) dedicated management and staff people, located in Seattle, WA, to monitor and centrally control all aspects of the AGS supply chain projects at every location.

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Time-specific Ground (most frequent) to meet crews at installation sites.

• Courier On-Demand (24 hours a day) to multiple cities to deploy critical spare parts.
• Full Truckload (FTL), thirty per day during peak times, to deliver product from suppliers.
• White Glove service with 4-8 man teams, including time-specific delivery, inside delivery, unpacking and debris removal, for over 200 customer site installations.
• The full menu of air products, including Same Day, Overnight, and Second Day.

WAREHOUSING SERVICES

One million square feet of warehousing space dedicated to the customer’s projects during build-out periods.

• Eighty (80) DCs, from 5000 to 50,000 square feet, in major cities in the U.S. with a total of 400 dedicated employees and 5 Regional Directors. Some of the DCs are in existing AGS facilities, some at 3PL contractors selected by AGS, and some are dedicated leased facility under a 12-month term, with month-to-month extension, when necessary.
• A 400,000 square foot Las Vegas Distribution Center
• An 85,000 square foot RMA (return merchandise) Center completely staffed and managed by AGS personnel.
• A 30,000 square foot Kitting Center at the AGS Indianapolis DC.
• After the initial launch of the 4G build-outs, the customer has a continuing need for AGS transportation services for equipment upgrades and new cell site expansion.  Installation contractors have the option of a time-specific delivery from the closest DC to the install site or a contractor-managed pick-up at the DC.
• AGS also provides a reverse logistics service to the customer for returns of old and defective equipment back to the original vendor, resellers, and recycling providers.
• An absolute key factor in the customer’s decision to select AGS for these massive projects is AGS’ ability to control every aspect of the supply chain, from initial request for pick-up at vendor sites, transportation and delivery to the AGS DCs, warehousing and inventory of product and parts, pickup and return or redistribution of old or defective equipment, and state-of-the-art communication of all shipments and inventory via MyAGS.com. Another key is the dedicated management and staffing to the customer account that manages the overall services centrally.