KIK International
When growth left them struggling to meet customer needs, KIK found the answer in a third party.

KIK International, based in Ontario, Canada, ships tons of bottles of bleach each quarter.  However, keeping its customers continually stocked with bleach was a problem.

KIK used co-packers in various locations to repackage bleach according to KIK's individual customer specifications.  Each co-packer would send product to KIK's customers using its own unique method for controlling the process.   This uniqueness resulted in an unreliable delivery chain.

Since 1995, KIK has used a freight management company, Land-Link Traffic Systems, to function as its traffic department.  Land-Link handles warehousing, distribution and freight management for KIK.  That includes scheduling all of KIK's customer appointments and controlling shipping and receiving.  The control program provides shipment visibility and information for customer service and corporate managers.

Land-Link continues to evaluate KIK's transportation and distribution activity to determine where KIK can improve operations.  To further increase productivity, KIK is implementing Land-Link's Carrier Arrival Module (CAM), a customized computer system installed in KIK's warehouses.

As the drivers arrive with inbound shipments, the dock manager keys the purchase order number into the system.  The CAM generates a receiving tally sheet to be filled out by forklift drivers and returned to the dock manager after products are unloaded.   The manger enters the purchase order number into the CAM and answers a series of questions such as:

• number of pallets received
• shipment weight
• total pieces received

Once the information has been entered, the system automatically date and time stamps the record and downloads the information to Land-Link.  The data tell purchasing agents and production managers exactly when inbound materials arrived and if orders were complete.

On outbound shipments, as drivers arrive, the dock manager enters the Bill of Lading (BOL) numbers into the system.  CAM generates a shipping tally sheet that is, again, filled out by the fork lift driver and returned to the dock manager.  The manager enters the BOL number and responds to a series of questions.  As with the inbound process, the information is downloaded to Land-Link's system for processing.

The detailed information, which is used for reporting and analysis, helps KIK identify trends and spot problems early.  For instance, the pallet information recorded by CAM allows Land-Link to manage a pallet exchange program and reduce the number of pallets purchased by KIK.  Other information, such as arrival and departure time, help measure dock productivity and carrier performance in meeting on-time delivery standards.

"We're looking forward to using this new system to continue streamlining our operation," says Howard Brodie, COO at KIK.  "Land-Link has been an excellent business partner.  They provide us with all the technology and expertise we need to deliver as promised to our customers."