A Partnership Built for Success

How a Collaborative Partnership Helped NXTPoint Logistics Deliver End-to-End Supply Chain Solutions for a National Homebuilder

As a premier nationwide residential construction company sought to build dozens of communities throughout the country, they found the process of managing multiple vendors and partners across warehousing, middle mile and final mile transportation to be extremely complex. In addition to keeping up with countless moving parts, they also had limited visibility into the progress of orders, shipments and deliveries, which were overseen by general contractors across the country — making it difficult to gain control and visibility over their supply chain operations.

With multiple vendors, manufacturers and retailers previously in the mix when it came to sourcing items like vanities, mirrors, bathtubs and various fixtures, the company decided to streamline the process by sourcing items themselves while achieving discounts for bulk purchases. To further simplify the warehousing, middle-mile transportation and final-mile delivery for these items, the company turned to NXTPoint Logistics as a single-source, end-to-end supply chain solutions provider.

Laying the Foundation

NXTPoint worked with the customer to establish clear communication from the start of the partnership. Because this was the company’s first effort to scale and streamline its operations to this degree, NXTPoint’s experience in handling warehousing, middle mile transportation and final mile deliveries led the company to establish a consultative relationship rooted in learning and understanding, which laid the groundwork for a truly collaborative partnership while helping them understand all of the variables involved. This allowed them to plan more effectively for financial and operational considerations that may have otherwise fallen through the cracks.

Another key component of the partnership involved deciding on the best plan for distribution. Given the markets that the customer wanted to serve and NXTPoint’s nationwide warehousing and distribution footprint, the team worked closely with the customer to model a number of scenarios before selecting the strategy that balanced their cost to serve while establishing locations that were in close proximity to where final deliveries would be made.

Delivering Efficiency and Visibility at Scale

Currently managing more than 400 SKUs and 1,000 orders per month for the customer, NXTPoint delivers to dozens of communities spanning from Cleveland to Charleston, Savannah, Orlando and Southeast Florida. Deliveries are made directly to residential construction sites, with teams arriving on time and in professional, branded attire. The transition to NXTPoint has been seamless, as site construction managers that receive the deliveries have expressed appreciation that delivery crews arrive as scheduled without disrupting their normal operations.

In addition, the customer has real-time access and visibility into all orders and deliveries through NXTPoint’s NXTView client portal, which allows them to see the status of all orders, when deliveries will be arriving and when installations are scheduled. This is made possible due to integrations with NXTPoint’s WMS, TMS and final mile delivery technologies, all of which feed directly into NXTView for a real-time view of all warehousing, transportation and delivery data. This level of visibility has given the client a new level of confidence in their ability to execute their projects at scale.

The Results

Through thoughtful planning, network design, collaboration and a like-minded focus on best practices and thought leadership, the partnership was built with intention from the very beginning. The initial results of the project signal a resounding success for the partnership to date, with upcoming expansions planned for additional markets across the country.

From NXTPoint’s perspective, it has been a privilege to have all three primary service teams work together to build trust through flawless execution and open communication with the customer, resulting in a seamless transition despite significant operational adjustments behind the scenes. Customer feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive, with an emphasis on their appreciation of the open collaboration and ability to gain greater visibility than they have ever been able to achieve in the past, even during the early weeks of the project. Overall, this collaboration has been a true testament to the power of people, processes and technology in achieving unparalleled supply chain execution and visibility.

Fast Facts

• 1,000 monthly orders and deliveries
• 400+ active SKUs managed
• 22 developments in Cleveland, Ohio
• 13 developments in Greater Orlando
• 10 developments in Southeast Florida
• 8 communities in Charleston and Savannah

Key Services

• Warehousing
• Consolidation
• Middle-mile transportation
• Final-mile delivery