Cost-Saving Warehousing And Logistics Strategies

Customer experience 101 will tell you to always ensure your clients are both happy and satisfied with the services you offer and the care they receive. You can leave it there. Nothing wrong. Or you can take things to a whole other level by going out of your way to work with your clients to solve the real, life-sized problems they’re facing. When it comes to warehousing and logistics, there is no shortage of problems to choose from, but fortunately… Heneways is never short of solutions either.

Our South African team encountered an issue that one of our longest standing clients was experiencing. The thing is with Heneways, we take our client’s problems on the chin and get in the ring with them in order to find the most viable solution that we too would be happy with if we were in their corner. That’s how our team mates, Shaun Green and Bruce McClatchie, won AECI’s business back all over again.

AECI's Restructuring and Cost-Cutting Demands

AECI has trusted Heneways as their warehousing and logistics partner for almost two decades now. Their business has changed shape a number of times throughout our relationship with major restructuring and leadership changes taking place in the past year alone. Change always brings with it new challenges, and the new group CEO and COO didn’t mince words when they said they needed to drive impactful changes, including reducing suppliers and introducing cost-cutting initiatives at every turn.

As a warehousing and logistics supplier, you don’t really want to hear the words “cost-cutting” in a world where costs are rising everywhere you look. Thankfully, with problem-solving skills befitting ninjas, it became a personal challenge for Shaun and Bruce to not only meet and exceed AECI’s expectations, but to serve our own needs in a sustainable and profitable way too.

Cost-Saving Warehousing Strategy for AECI

Given AECI’s recent change in ownership and leadership, we knew it was coming. New leaders are under immense pressure to show measurable change, and while it was messy to start with, their method started to show itself and it was something we knew how to roll with.

In Shaun’s cool, nonchalant words, “This happens all the time.” Which truly makes you realise that nothing can flap these resilient service providers.

So, what did we do to meet these new demands?

Firstly, we made sure that AECI knew that we were there to support them during their transition. If you’re truly invested in a business partnership, you will do everything possible to nurture it, and we made sure they could see the value in that commitment.

Secondly, we put together a completely different methodology that could lead to continuity of services. We reconfigured their service delivery model to offer the required cost savings, and consolidated two chemical warehouses into one to optimize their operations and staffing. Finally, we aligned our processes with their new SAP system and restructured divisions, taking time to learn their new systems to the point of being able to offer complementary tech support too. No jokes.

As with every lasting relationship, it cannot survive without compromise, which both parties brought to the table. They put their trust in us to deliver, as we always have, and we proved to them that we are not a service provider that says we can’t fit in with their plans. We don’t bail at the first sign of trouble. We are there with them through thick and thin, and we know that by planting these seeds of change now, we will all reap the benefits of growth in the future. Together.

Change happens. Growth can flatline. But a great team will always find a creative way to make said change work for them. Not once did our team waver on what they needed from the partnership, but they made sure that our longstanding client got what they needed too.

Shaun summed it up pretty perfectly when he said: “We proved to them that even if they change, we change with them.” This is the essence of what we always strive for.

If this is what you’re looking for in a warehousing and logistics team, we’d love to have a conversation with you.