Case Studies > How a global sporting goods company manages complex logistics operations from a single interface

How a global sporting goods company manages complex logistics operations from a single interface

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Country

United States

Product

Shippabo Platform

Tech Stack

Real-Time Data Integration
Automated Workflows
SKU-Level Inventory Management

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements
Customer Satisfaction

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems
Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods
Retail

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Supply Chain Visibility
Fleet Management

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

JR286 is a premier global sports equipment and accessories company. Specializing in the sporting goods industry since 1989, JR286 is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, and distribution of branded and licensed sports equipment and accessories. With global sales of over $1 billion to over 2,500 clients, JR286 operates 65 sales offices, servicing 150 countries around the world. The company is also the proud accessories licensee of brands including Nike, Air Jordan, and others.

The Challenge

JR286's supply chain spans the globe and often their manufacturing partners directly ship to wholesale clients, brand headquarters, and independent distributors. Managing such a complex web of interlocking partners and shipments became overwhelmingly difficult. In addition, this problem prevented the JR286 sales team from proactively selling before inventory could be logged into a local warehouse. With more than 800 twenty-foot equivalent units expected to ship in 2019, JR286’s top priority was to create greater cross-functional and cross-division visibility into their supply. All these operational challenges were compounded by a reliance on conventional freight forwarders who could not guarantee critical shipping times and the required space. To gain control of its supply chain, JR286 needed a stable shipping contract that ensured guaranteed capacity, accurate visibility into SKU-level data inventory flows, a single platform that unified their global shipping activity, and a global source of real-time data to enable cross-functional collaboration.

The Solution

Shippabo provided JR286 with a robust platform that integrates with their current logistics processes to give them better control over how, when, and where they ship. Centralizing their inventory moves on a SKU-level was game-changing. When JR286 purchased the Dakine brand, they had access to centralized supply information and SKU visibility on the licensed products plus the subsidiary. This allowed their sales team to start selling earlier, reduce their inventory holding by two to four weeks, and gain production completion information from the factory much faster. The fixed-rate contract had two clear benefits for the company right away: it allowed them to better budget the cost of sales and the contract provided rates their subsidiary was not able to access as a standalone organization. Now, JR286 is taking full advantage of Shippabo’s platform with their sales, operations, and logistics teams all accessing the system. Before Shippabo, JR286 had to individually reach out to carriers, sift through key information, and spend excessive time trying to bring their information together. With Shippabo’s solution, JR286 can gain visibility into which shippers are moving inventory SKUs and see data broken down by origin port, delivery port, mode of transportation, cargo ready date, and more. They can instantly access shipment, container, and related information, including carrier, contract type, transit time, and loading port. They can also automate their shipments lifecycle so their factories could book in minutes directly from Shippabo’s platform—thanks to pre-populated contract information and an easy-to-follow action item list.

Operational Impact

Shippabo’s all-in-one platform provides JR286 with accurate understanding of what inventory is available to be sold, accelerating their order-to-cash cycle.
Shippabo’s automated workflows allowed JR286 to expand their productions to multiple countries without additional FTE to manage.
Working with Shippabo’s platform meant not having to deploy an army of business analysts, invest in expensive systems, or build costly data integrations.
The platform allows JR286 to centralize their purchasing and logistics conversations, making information easily accessible.
Shippabo’s solution facilitates better collaboration between everyone in the supply chain and provides actionable data and insights to preplan.

Quantitative Benefit