Date: 20 December 2012
S., has won two 2012 Alliance Awards, recognizing excellence in supply chain co-sponsored by World Trade 100 and SMC3. Safelite® Group won in the Warehousing and Sustainability categories.The Alliance Award was designed to recognize excellence in supply chain performance resulting from the close cooperation and collaboration of supply chain partners.Presented in five distinct categories, the award is judged for more than the outcome of the supply chain relationships, it also examines the dynamic partnerships that were formed to drive results. The panel of distinguished judges examined the role of each of the partners and the contributions their individual and collective efforts made to solving a supply chain problem or driving change and continuous improvement in a supply chain.
Under the Sustainability category, Safelite® Group was honored for its national windshield recycling program. More than 8 million windshields are replaced in the U.S market each year, or 287 million pounds of non-biodegradable waste. Previously, windshields have not been recycled widely because of the difficulty in separating the glass and inner polyvinyl butyral (PVB) plastic layers. Even now that technology makes it possible, the logistics of returning windshields to a recycling plant are challenging.
In 2012, Safelite® partnered with Shark Glass Recycling North America to not only recycle windshields on a national level, but to repurpose the material for a realistic use. Once Shark Glass recycles the glass and PVB that make up the windshields, the materials are provided to manufacturers, including Tandus Flooring and CertainTeed, who repurpose them for a variety of goods. Examples include carpeting, fiberglass, insulation, paint / primer, and plastic products. Once the program is rolled out to all Safelite® locations, the company expects to save roughly 15,000 to 20,000 tons of windshield material going to landfills every year.
Under the Warehousing category Safelite® was honored for overhauling its supply chain function to increase part availability, accuracy and quality, thereby lowering glass acquisition costs.
Safelite® purchases glass parts from all over the world. The company must deliver those parts to its 475 store locations and 170 mobile pros in all 50 states so that the right glass part can be at the right place at the right time – often within 24 hours of when the customer called to schedule a service appointment.
Using sophisticated planning tools from BarloWorld and Cirris Logistics, Safelite® mapped out a new hub and spoke warehouse system. Upon opening those new warehouses and distribution centers, Safelite incorporated innovative technology and tools from a variety of partners, including Robocom and William Frick & Company. As a result, the company has improved part availability by 70 percent and reduced costs by $9.2 million annually.
This in turn improves customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth as appointments are less likely to need rescheduled because of a bad part. In 2011, Safelite AutoGlass® received an all-time high Net Promoter Score (customer satisfaction rating method) of 85% and its highest annual sales of $1.1 billion.
“At Safelite, enhancing our supply chain is just another way we strive to create a superior customer experience,” said Dino Lanno, senior vice president of supply chain and manufacturing. “We thank our business partners who have worked with us to make it happen and we thank World Trade 100 and SMC3 for this recognition.”
The Award ceremony will take place at the Jump Start 2013 conference (January 21-23, 2013 in Atlanta, Ga.).
About Safelite® Group
Safelite® Group is a multi-faceted vehicle glass and claims management service organization based in Columbus, Ohio. The company, which has been in business since 1947, is comprised of four major business operations that include Safelite AutoGlass®, a vehicle glass repair and replacement services provider; Safelite® Solutions and Alliance Claims Solutions®, which offer fleet and insurance claims management services; Service AutoGlass®, a wholesale and distribution operation; and Safelite® Glass Corp., a manufacturing and distribution business unit. The company employs more than 10,000 people throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.Safelite.com.
About SMC³
SMC³'s innovative products and solutions put transportation pricing to work, supporting collaboration between 5,000+ North American carrier, shipper and logistics service provider organizations. Every day, SMC³ meets customers' needs for actionable pricing content and operational demands by providing flexible content delivery options and partnering with leading transportation software solution providers. SMC³'s extensive educational initiatives – from acclaimed bi-annual conferences to courses from The Academy – are designed to give audiences the knowledge they need to succeed in a competitive transportation environment. For more information, visit www.smc3.com.
About World Trade 100
World Trade 100 is the vital source of news and information for U.S. senior executive manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers active in domestic and international trade. With cutting-edge coverage of every aspect of logistics and the integrated supply chain, World Trade 100 reflects the priorities and diverse interests of its senior level and management subscribers to help them navigate today's rapidly changing and highly competitive global marketplace. Each month in print and online, World Trade 100 examines various sectors of global trade, including transportation, third party logistics, warehousing, trade finance, technology, sustainability, risk and compliance, and economic development, to assist our readers in making their businesses profitable. For more information, visit www.worldtradewt100.com.
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