Logistics Market Snapshot July 2011
View more documents from Integracore Atlanta.
Integracore visits Snap-On Tools Lean Tour 7
Integracore visits Snap-On Tools Lean Tour
Click to watch the video! Tell us what you think.
Integracore Atlanta went for a field trip to the Snap On Assembly Plant in Murphy NC. The plant was voted one of the 10 Best Plants by Industry Week Magazine for 2010. Thank you to Snap On for sharing this knowledge. Buy American! Buy Snap On!
Lesson #1 for Startups: Be Passionate 0
Lesson Number 1 on this list is also the most important aspect of starting a new venture: Passion. Personal passion should be a prerequisite for any successful venture. If you enter a business deal strictly looking to make money or achieve success and aren’t passionate about the business, the people, or the end result, you are severely limiting the potential outcome. Passion ignites enthusiasm in those that surround you; investors, team members, clients, and vendors. You can not fake passion, everyone can see straight through it. I truly believe that profits find passion in business regardless of the market segment. Passionate about trash recycling? As strange as it may seem other people are too. Look at companies like Teracycle and Zero Trash Laguna. Embrace your passion and look for ways to share your excitement and knowledge about a specific product or service with others who share a similar interest (Check out how Zero Trash Laguna did it). Embrace your love for the product or service you deliver and follow the path that ignites passion in your daily life. Passion provides the necessary motivation that ultimately leads business owners down a path towards fulfillment of goals and dreams. The amount of effort you will put into your new venture is impossible to fathom at the beginning, so make sure you love what you do.
8 Lessons for Start ups 1
One of the aspects I enjoy most about being the General Manager of Integracore Atlanta is getting to work with startup companies to help them grow their business. I have been working on a list of the lessons I have learned over the years of running a business and working with other business owners. Here is a list of my 8 items. Each week I am going to update the blog with a deeper dive into these eight items. I thought I would start off listing my eight. Feel free to post comments about the things you have learned in your business.
1. Be Passionate
2. Disrupt the market
3. Go big or go home
4. Network
5. Maintain flexible persistence.
6. Seek honest feedback for continuous improvement
7. Be everywhere.
8. Culture is key
I look forward to your comments!
Stewardship Of The Environment 1
Our Commitment to Conducting Earth Friendly Business
Today’s focus on the environment is the most significant, long lasting, and positive business development in memory. We are fully committed to conducting business in a way that conserves natural resources and promotes the use of sustainable packaging.
Integracore Atlanta approaches stewardship in two ways.
Internal Green Initiatives
- Recycling in the office
- Warehouse balers for collection and recycling of corrugated and paper scrap
- Strategic partnerships with manufacturers who produce environmentally friendly products in environmentally friendly facilities
Customer Green Initiatives
- Promotion of products and package designs that reduce packaging materials
- Promotion of products that are recycled, recyclable, and reusable
- Promotion of products and package designs that result in lighter weight shipping units
- Focus on energy efficient packaging line automation solutions
- E-commerce options to reduce or eliminate paper copies
Since 1996 Integracore Atlanta has promoted reduction of waste and the reduction of inefficiencies.
Our approach to sustainability and recyclability provides economic options for you and your customers.
How To Determine Your Sustainable Sensitivity 1
Here are 3 questions that you can ask about your company to help determine your sustainable sensitivity:
- Do your customers grade you?
- Do you currently have an internal sustainability program?
- Do you have influence on your customer’s need or desire for sustainable programs?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, Integracore Atlanta can help you!
But What Is Sustainability?
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition “envisions” a world where all packaging is…
- Sourced responsibly
- Designed to be effective and safe throughout its life cycle
- Meets market criteria for performance and cost
- Made entirely using renewable energy
- Once used, is recycled efficiently to provide a valuable resource for subsequent generations
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition Further Defines Sustainability as
- Beneficial, safe & healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle;
- Meets market criteria for performance and cost;
- Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy;
- Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
- Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
- Is made from materials healthy in all probable end of life scenarios;
- Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy;
- Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle to cradle cycles.
Furthermore, many manufacturers have already demonstrated, that sustainable packaging does not mean less material only, but innovative solutions. For example, Dell recently came up with an innovative bamboo packaging to ship its Dell Minis (see below). Bamboo is easily sustainable because of its incredible growth rate (up to 121cm in 24 hours). That’s an innovative “green” packaging!
The most important issue to your customer is to show awareness and demonstrate continual improvement. Integracore Atlanta partners with customers and vendors in creating sustainable packaging program improvements .
We can help you and your customers take steps toward continual improvement in sustainable packaging. Please contact us for more information or just give us a call at 678-904-4352 | 800-245-8142.
To learn more about the Sustainable Packaging Coalition go to The Sustainable Packaging Coalition website.
Shipping Tips Getting Your Packages There In One Piece 1
A recent article in Popular Mechanics followed several packages on an epic journey from the warehouse to their final destination. Through the use of sensors (and some that even took videos) attached to parcels and packages, Popular Mechanics was able to get some explanation for how the end product arrives in pieces or one piece. Based on the findings here are some tips and tricks for providing top packaging services to your customers.
- If possible, do not reuse the same box. This rule goes double for packages that are going overnight or need to be expedited. Another tip is to add one length length, depth and width to your needed box size.
- Pad and cushion each individual item with bubble wrap and fill any remaining space to the edge of the boxes with fillers such as Kraft paper. A good rule is be sure and leave 2 to 3 inches space from inside the packaging walls.
- Use the proper tape. UPS recommends using 60-pound grade tape and avoid the temptation to close packages with string, duct or cellophane tape.
- Avoid marking packages as “Fragile.” Labeling boxes and packages,” Fragile” was the equivalent of wearing a “kick me” sign.
- Place barcodes where they can easily scanned. For horizontal packages place labels on the ends.
- Place another business card or label with the shipper and recipients contact info before sealing the package.
Customized Fulfillment Service for Businesses in the Metro Atlanta Area and Beyond 0
If you’re looking for a company that can provide you with effective turnkey solutions and customized fulfillment service, then Integracore Atlanta is the ideal solution. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, we are capable of serving national and global businesses in a variety of industries, including renewable energy, education, food, technology, and much more. Furthermore, we offer our fulfillment service to companies ranging in all sizes and take pleasure in working with small businesses.
Our customized business fulfillment services include:
- Quality control / quality assurance – we monitor your business’s departments and look for areas to improve on
- Order management – we control your order process from start to finish
- Payment processing and invoicing – we accept all major credit cards, cash, checks, gift certificates, and more
- Merchandise receiving, preparation, and shipping – we pick, pack, and ship your products from our Atlanta or Salt Lake City locations
- Returns management – we handle all customer returns, as well as repackaging and return-to-vendor services
- Product refurbishment – we restore products to their initial quality condition
- Warehousing and distribution – we provide storage for unique industry needs
Integracore Atlanta’s fulfillment service can greatly reduce the overhead costs of business owners attempting to handle their operations in-house. By outsourcing certain aspects of your business, you can eliminate additional labor, equipment, and storage costs. In addition, our unique fulfillment service will help you save time and have the freedom to focus on improving other areas of your business like sales and marketing.
Call our Atlanta headquarters today at 678-904-4352 | 800-245-8142 for more information on how our fulfillment service can create complete customer solutions for you and your business. Or contact us here.
SBC connects with eCommerce clients 0
by Angela Cavallari Walker
Atlanta-based fulfillment company, Integracore Atlanta has made it even easier for AbleCommerce customers to save money and streamline their shipping process.
Integracore Atlanta built the AbleCommerce Connector as a bridge for existing clients of AbleCommerce to integrate into Integracore Atlanta fulfillment’s services with the click of a button. Before this connector, client information would have be entered up to three times before it could be sent to the end customer.
“We wanted an automated process that would allow companies using AbleCommerce to flow directly into our Warehouse Management System with zero hassle”, says Integracore Atlanta GM, Brian Schoenbaechler. This would also give current AbleCommerce clients the power to evaluate their current fulfillment needs and costs and weigh the option of switching to Integracore Atlanta. “Even with a significant savings, the downtime sometimes associated without having this connector can be tedious”, says Schoenbaechler.
For clients that have websites built on AbleCommerce software, the order is sent in real-time across an encrypted connection into Integracore Atlanta’s Warehouse Management System, SmartTurn. Once the order is received, Integracore Atlanta’s warehouse packages, ships and sends that tracking information to the AbleCommerce client and to their end customer as well.
The AbleCommerce Connector is the second connector released by Integracore Atlanta, the first one Magento Connect launched last summer. “We are always looking for ways to deliver faster and more accurate services to our clients and to their end customers through technology”, says Schoenbaechler.
To learn more visit Integracore Atlanta.com for more information.
