Dimensioners at the price of a coffee per day

Case Study

How an OEM wholesale distributor saved on shipping through vMeasure Automated Dimensioner?

Industry
OEM manufacturer
Wholesale distributor
Product
Static Dimensioning System

Process

Outbound Logistics
Use case
Shipping Cost Reduction
Integration
Multi carrier shipping software
Software Integrated
Shipstation

Case Study Summary

The client is a OEM manufacturer and wholesale distributor of electrical and electronics goods.
vMeasure dimensioner was deployed in the pack-station and integrated with ShipStation software to provide accurate DIMs for the right carrier rate identification.
vMeasure also lists the SKUs in each order (reverse API call from Shipstation) by custom modification of the vMeasure touch screen UX, so that the client can order verification in-situ on the dimensioner without moving to another application/screen.
The client can now see increased parcel throughput at their packing stations with lower and more predictable shipping costs and increased customer satisfaction as each order is verified at the packing site before shipping.

Problems faced by the Client

Optimize operational costs

As the only wholesale distributor of their own products, the client was under heavy pressure to optimize operational costs with shipping

Lack of new warehouse space
The fast business expansion seen during the pandemic and the lack of new warehouse space near the centralized manufacturing center meant that the client had to ship more orders using the same fulfillment centers
Reduced customer satisfaction

Due to the high volume of orders managed in a limited space, sometimes wrong SKUs are picked for each order and packed, leading to reduced customer satisfaction

Low parcel throughput

Low parcel throughput at the packing station due to manual dimensioning for data input into the system

Accuracy variance
The accuracy variance in the manual dimensioning data to actual dimensioning data led to high shipping surcharges and a lack of predictability in shipping charges
High Returns
High Returns leading to increased operational costs because wrong items were being packed and sent
No space for a desktop
There would be no space for a desktop if the dimensioner was placed in the packing station
Native integrations
Most dimension solutions in the market did not allow for native integrations. They only provided hotkey integrations
Complex integrations
The IT team could not make complex integrations due to lack of resources and was not able to keep up with the logistics team’s project timelines.
Business Problems
Optimize operational costs

As the only wholesale distributor of their own products, the client was under heavy pressure to optimize operational costs with shipping

Lack of new warehouse space
The fast business expansion seen during the pandemic and the lack of new warehouse space near the centralized manufacturing center meant that the client had to ship more orders using the same fulfillment centers
Reduced customer satisfaction

Due to the high volume of orders managed in a limited space, sometimes wrong SKUs are picked for each order and packed, leading to reduced customer satisfaction

Logistics Problems
Low parcel throughput

Low parcel throughput at the packing station due to manual dimensioning for data input into the system

Accuracy variance
The accuracy variance in the manual dimensioning data to actual dimensioning data led to high shipping surcharges and a lack of predictability in shipping charges
High Returns
High Returns leading to increased operational costs because wrong items were being packed and sent
IT Problems
No space for a desktop
There would be no space for a desktop if the dimensioner was placed in the packing station
Native integrations
Most dimension solutions in the market did not allow for native integrations. They only provided hotkey integrations
Complex integrations
The IT team could not make complex integrations due to lack of resources and was not able to keep up with the logistics team’s project timelines.

Why did the customer choose vMeasure dimensioning system to solve the above logistics problems?

can cover all the product/SKU sizes which need to be dimensioned

The accuracy and repeatability metrics were in-line with the Operations teams' expectation

vMeasure Dimensioner provided direct native integration to Shipstation through APIs

Easily call all order data from Shipstation and list the SKUs/products per order, enabling order verification in-site at packing stations

Customizable to display the complete list of orders to be packed for the shift along with SKUs orders

Ability to use the integrated barcode scanner along with the vMeasure's deep integration

The vMeasure system is small and compact and comes integrated with a weighing scale and a barcode scanner

The touch screen allows the system to work standalone without needing a separate computer/laptop, thereby saving packing station space

Dimensioning Capability

can cover all the product/SKU sizes which need to be dimensioned

The accuracy and repeatability metrics were in-line with the Operations teams' expectation

Integration

vMeasure Dimensioner provided direct native integration to Shipstation through APIs

Easily call all order data from Shipstation and list the SKUs/products per order, enabling order verification in-site at packing stations

On-Screen Customization

Customizable to display the complete list of orders to be packed for the shift along with SKUs orders

Ability to use the integrated barcode scanner along with the vMeasure's deep integration

Physical Characteristics

The vMeasure system is small and compact and comes integrated with a weighing scale and a barcode scanner

The touch screen allows the system to work standalone without needing a separate computer/laptop, thereby saving packing station space

Benefits accrued by the client by using vMeasure dimensioning system

Easy Compliance with Dim Pricing by providing accurate dimensions

Reduced carbon emission as the shipping volumes dropped

Increased Parcel throughput by shipping more orders per sq. ft of fulfillment center

Increased customer verification

Faster Packing process by saving up to 30% of their packing time

Reduced steps taken to dimension packages from 6 manual steps to 2

Improve order verification by making sure the right SKU is shipped by mapping dimensions & product to each order accurately

Reduced risk of using inaccurate data for shipping or data management entered manually

Eliminated the anxiety which arises from interacting with 3PLs due to inaccurate chargebacks

provided information clarity to their finance team by getting accurate shipping costs with accurate parcel dimensions