Blog Posts Saddle Creek Start-Up Earns SDCE100 Award
Winners of the 2020 SDCE100 were announced in the June issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive. Once again, Saddle Creek has been recognized for a successful, transformational supply chain project – this time for our scalable fulfillment solution for Happy Family Organics®.
Fulfillment Solution Helps Happy Family Organics Accommodate Growth
Exponential growth led to logistics challenges for Happy Family Organics®, the largest and fastest-growing organic baby food brand in the country. Saddle Creek developed a scalable fulfillment solution to help the company accommodate its growing business.
In just eight days, the 3PL transferred 150,000 square feet of product to a new facility in Joliet, Ill. When actual inbound product exceeded projections, the team expanded warehouse space by approximately 25 percent to allow room for staging and devised a new solution for increased storage density and operational efficiency.
To help handle additional order volume, Saddle Creek added a third shift and enhanced systems to increase output and decrease overtime costs.
The need for value-added services (i.e., creating variety packs, building displays, labeling) contributed to the operational complexity. Approximately half of outbound shipments must be labeled with lot and date codes for retail compliance. Also, products are shipped based on retailer shelf-life requirements, so orders must be picked strategically to prevent product obsolescence.
Saddle Creek also handles both inbound and outbound transportation services.
The new facility was up and running within 30 days and went live ahead of schedule. Saddle Creek now handles 150 percent more volume than originally planned.
“Saddle Creek provided critical business intelligence, streamlined processes to improve throughput and took unexpected changes in stride,” says Stephanie Haynes, Vice President of Customer Solutions & Collaboration for Happy Family Brands. “They got us up and running in record time.”
To learn more, read the full case study.