Case Study:
WEISSER DISTRIBUTING
Overview
Founded in 1978, Weisser Distributing provides eCommerce fulfillment services
for dozens of marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Shopify. It has
become one of the fastest growing employers in the Midwest, with headquarters
in Sioux Falls, SD.
Benefits and Key Outcomes
Reduced average order processing time
Reduced training time for new warehouse workers
Ability to easily create customized shipping rules
Seamless NetSuite integration
Challenge
Weisser Distributing was looking for ways to speed up its fulfillment process, automate various manual processes and gain
operational efficiencies. The company’s previous shipping software did not provide automated rate shopping and instead,
warehouse employees were selecting shipping rates – resulting in unnecessarily high shipping costs. With a product mix of
11,000 SKUs, the company wanted an automated tool to relieve warehouse workers of “shipping fatigue” from having to decide
the best shipping option per product/SKU and streamline the entire process.
Moreover, the company had specific needs for shipping policies and rules to identify the best carrier to fit specific requirements,
such as hazardous material and large, heavy products. Most importantly, Weisser Distributing needed a system that would
integrate easily with NetSuite, its ERP solution. As the company operates out of two locations in South Dakota and Nevada, it
needed consistent processes and communication channels to conduct fulfillment from multiple warehouses. With such a large
product mix it was essential that product details and dimensions were automatically syncing to and from NetSuite.
Solution
ShipHawk’s Smart Packing™ and automated rate shopping delivered what Weisser Distributing needed most: every order is now
shipped in the most efficient packaging, with the right carrier and correct service level, reducing “shipper fatigue” and saving
time. “ShipHawk’s shipping rules ensure you’re searching for the best carrier and service level – so instead of relying on a worker
to choose from up to 50 different carrier and shipping options, ShipHawk automatically filters based on customized shipping
rules and tells the employee which carrier fits best,” said Warehouse Project Manager, Ann Traphagen.
By reducing the average order processing time, ShipHawk delivers a faster, more efficient process. Once an item is fulfilled,
ShipHawk creates the shipment fulfillment to be completed, with seamless communication with the warehouse picking
technology. Additionally, ShipHawk identifies the recommended packing material, which reduces shippers’ time spent deciding
how to deal with a new or unique product that needs to be packed.
Not only does ShipHawk reduce decision fatigue put on our shippers, but the automatic communication between NetSuite and ShipHawk is seamless.
With the labor shortages plaguing companies across all sectors, Weisser Distributing has benefitted from how efficient and easy
it is to train new employees on how to use ShipHawk. “Anytime we can reduce the labor impact, it’s really critical, especially right
now with staffing shortages,” said Traphagen. “With ShipHawk, we can quickly train team members and get them working as
efficiently as possible – our goal is to get a new hire working on the shipping table after just 30 minutes of training. Having an
easy-to-train shipping solution is key for us.”
Finally, the ShipHawk user interface offers a seamless and consistent transition for all employees. It meets the requirements
Weisser Distributing needs to improve operations, institute better communication and add efficiencies to the entire fulfillment
operation.