The Pilot Milwaukee team is enjoying its 49,000-square-foot facility and the significant process improvements the new building brings. The warehouse includes nine dock-high doors—one for drive-in—and parking for 25 trailers. A digital security system provides coverage inside and outside, and the building infrastructure employs state-of-the-art, energy-efficient technology. “The growth of several Fortune 500 accounts, as well as imports and exports, dictated the need to expand,” says Jim Best, franchise owner. “Our home delivery business also continues to grow, which requires additional warehouse space.” In the near future, the facility will be bonded so that the station can hold imports on its docks, a value-added service for Pilot customers. “Our expansion came at the right time, as the Wisconsin economy continues to grow and demand is increasing for expedited domestic and international services,” says Jim.
Pilot GDL Marks Two Years of Growth in Mexico
Pilot Guadalajara is celebrating two years of operating in Mexico by unveiling its new, full-service warehouse. Part of the facility is used by GDL’s first success story: a leading international automotive supplier that uses Pilot as a national spare parts hub. For this client, GDL provides a complete supply chain solution that includes both accurate inventory and visibility to it. “Since our station began handling this business, we have been able to reduce our client’s inventory for low and non-rotation product by about 30 percent,” says Humberto Bastida, district manager. GDL can also handle inbound container business into Western Mexico, support intra-Mexico deliveries and provide factory support for U.S. companies operating in Mexico. Contact Humberto via humbertobastida@pilotdelivers.com to find out how you can benefit from Pilot’s expertise and services in, out and around Mexico.
Making over Warehousing to Handle E-commerce Deliveries
Steve Bullard, vice president, logistics services, lends his voice to this Air Cargo World article that looks at the e-commerce impact on logistics providers and the necessity to rethink warehouse operations. Steve shares insights on how Pilot has employed technology advancements in systems, equipment and design in order to remain adept to the demands of this vertical.
https://aircargoworld.com/allposts/clicks-bricks-orders-warehousing-gets-an-e-commerce-makeover/2/
Fresh Flowers for Your Valentine
The weekend before Valentine’s Day is a busy one for retailers and Pilot, too. One of the world’s largest online floral and gift merchants is turning to Pilot again this year for two nationwide Valentine’s Day distributions.
The first undertaking involves coordinating and delivering 444 shipments totaling more than 11,000 roses to major department stores as part of a fragrance promotion. Six Pilot locations—Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark—will receive the roses just a couple days before delivery to ensure they are as fresh as possible. From there, the flowers will be distributed regionally to reach destinations within one or two days. In order to minimize splashing, the roses are packed in a bucket with one inch of water and then a plastic-lined box. “Most Valentine’s Day purchases occur either on the holiday or the day prior,” says Shannon Donahue, account executive, who is based in Chicago and is managing the project for Pilot. “In this case, timing and handling are critical considering the delicate nature of the product. This fits our business model and we do it well.”
Pilot will also send more than 2,000 cases (with 10 dozen flowers each) of mixed flowers and roses to 105 Midwest-based home improvement stores. Pilot Chicago will sort, tag and move the flowers—which are shipped in the same manner as described above—just one day before they are transported to chain stores in Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi , Missouri and Ohio. “It’s especially crucial on delivery day to be able to provide status updates and reports, and is one factor that has helped keep this relationship growing,” says Shannon.
Pilot to Connect Fans with Big Game Gear
Pilot understands the immediate need for fan gear, especially when your favorite team is crowned the winner. This Monday, we are doing our part to expedite delivery of the big game championship merchandise to select sporting goods retail stores across New England or Pennsylvania and New Jersey. So whether you root for the Eagles or Patriots, you’ll be the first to score because Pilot is part of the game plan.
Satisfying Customer Demand in a 365 E-Commerce Market
John Hill, president and chief commercial officer, observes how omnichannel retailing has forced a supply chain evolution. He examines the year-round needs of handling shipments for the e-commerce segment and how customer service has to keep pace with technology-savvy customers in order to be successful.
https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/satisfying-customer-demand-in-a-365-e-commerce-market/
Bracing for Impact of the Electronic Logging Device Mandate
The transportation industry is approaching a big milestone as the electronic logging device (ELD) takes effect on December 18, 2017. That’s when more than 3 million truckers will need to be using some form of ELD to record a driver’s on- and off-duty hours. Improved highway safety is the main goal of the mandate and will come via reduced driver fatigue by limiting truckers to 11 hours of driving time and 14 overall on-duty hours per day. Stricter rule enforcement throughout the industry is anticipated.
Shippers everywhere are concerned that the ELD mandate will lead to reduced truck capacity in 2018. Most industry sources are predicting a 2 to 5 percent decrease in availability, while others believe the impact will be larger and vary from lane to lane. Rate increases for interstate transfers—not local pickups and deliveries—will be common.
Since Pilot is a non-asset based company, we rely on many partners to make our ground transportation services successful. “All of Pilot’s major line-haul providers are in compliance with the ELD mandate,” says Tom Drake, executive vice president, domestic & Canadian operations. For those smaller companies that put off implementation in the hopes it would be postponed by the federal government, Tom says the good news is they can get compliant relatively quickly.
Ho, Ho, Home Delivery by Pilot
We’re in the thick of it now: the holiday shopping season! Consumers everywhere are click, click, clicking on computers, tablets and phones to secure their treasures. Adobe Digital Insights, which measures 80 percent of the online transactions at the 100 largest Web retailers in the U.S., says that Cyber Monday 2017 is now the largest online shopping day in U.S. history at $6.59 billion in sales, which is more than a $1 billion increase over last year!
But ordering may just be the easy part. As a logistics expert in the home delivery arena, we know the behind-the-scenes dance that is choreographed to deliver a smooth performance is nothing to be taken lightly. Oversized freight and large consumer products need to be handled with care and so do our customers. Since the early 2000’s, we’ve been working hard to ensure that our delivery options meet a variety of needs and requests, including weekend delivery and by appointment. For your convenience and our efficiency, we’ve developed COMPASS, an easy-to-use interface used to schedule the date and time you want that new elliptical, 4K TV or coveted massage chair to arrive.
Flexibility, dependability and superior service. When Pilot is driving, nobody makes it easier, at any time of the year!
Priority Customer Service
Nearly all of us have been there, especially during the holidays. It’s that breaking point where all you want is someone who will listen patiently as you explain your dilemma, hear the urgency in your voice, feel your frustration through the phone and solve your problem in a way that makes the call worthwhile in the first place. You want swift service from a confident, knowledgeable representative.
That’s exactly what you’ll get when you call Pilot.Year round—not just during the holiday season—you’ll reach a customer service agent, every time. At night, on weekends and during holidays, a friendly voice every time. In fact, 99% of the time, your call will be answered within 25 seconds of contacting Pilot. Our team is prepared to answer the phone within the first three rings. No matter if we’re handling our daily average of 2,000 calls or 3,500 calls at peak times, you’ll be a priority. And you don’t have to worry about being bounced from person to person in order to get a resolution. Our agents are cross-trained in a way that empowers them to handle any customer need from start to finish.
Reaching the right person at 1-800-HI-PILOT is how we prioritize customer service every day.
Pilot Phoenix Hits the Fairway with SALEO
Pilot Phoenix recently participated in and sponsored a golf tournament hosted by SALEO, the Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization. This group’s mission is to educate, promote and grow the transportation and logistics industry by networking the logistics service providers and users in the Arizona-Mexico region. In the past four years, PHX has benefited greatly from its membership in SALEO. “Through this affiliation, we’ve been able to grow our local customer base, so we were more than happy to give back via this event,” says Mauro Rodriguez, sales manager, Pilot Phoenix. Pictured at left is Mauro and Jose Rebeil, account executive, Pilot Phoenix.