Blog Posts Scalable Ecommerce Fulfillment Supports Apparel Brand Launch
Key Takeaways
- MUNICIPAL is the brainchild of actor and producer Mark Wahlberg and business partners Stephen Levinson and Harry Arnett.
- The men’s apparel brand needed a responsive logistics provider with ecommerce fulfillment expertise and the ability to scale.
- Saddle Creek’s scalable fulfillment solution positions MUNICIPAL to accommodate current and future growth.
Launching a men’s apparel brand during a pandemic may not have been ideal timing, but Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, and Harry Arnett found a way to make it work. MUNICIPAL has grown quickly over the past year – with help from Saddle Creek Logistics.
Inbound Logistics shares the story in its July 2021 issue. Following is an excerpt…
MUNICIPAL + Saddle Creek: Off to a Running Start
MUNICIPAL, whose mission is to “build a global community of inspired people who refuse to stop pursuing their full potential,” needed a logistics partner that would help it navigate the pandemic and could craft a solution to support the company’s rapid growth.
The partner also needed to manage the company’s product assortment, which ranges from hoodies to track pants to hats, all in multiple sizes and colors. Saddle Creek Logistics Services’ order fulfillment expertise, ability to scale, and responsiveness were all draws, says Tyson Alvarez, MUNICIPAL’s director of operations and planning.
To streamline e-commerce fulfillment operations, Saddle Creek implemented a SpeedCell storage solution rather than traditional racking. The rolling shelving can fit thousands of SKUs within a tight space and helps reduce picking times, says Christopher Svatek, regional senior director with Saddle Creek.
A pick-and-pass system further speeds the process. Every order picker is assigned a specific zone in the warehouse and only picks items from that zone for each order. Orders are transported via a powered conveyor from one zone to the next; additional items are inserted as needed until the orders are complete.
“Pick-and-pass streamlines the overall process by minimizing excess travel in the order flow,” Svatek says. “It has allowed us to increase efficiency by about 20%.”
Another benefit of pick-and-pass systems: They can scale as order volumes grow. That’s critical any time, but particularly when labor is tight and costs continue to increase.
ORDER VOLUMES TAKE OFF
That scalability is already proving its value. MUNICIPAL’s sales, all online, have zoomed, particularly after HBO aired a mini-series focusing on Wahlberg’s businesses. “Order volume has increased beyond our expectations,” says Rick Robertson, MUNICIPAL’s chief financial officer.
The Saddle Creek team was able to increase capacity quickly, addressing the immediate need and creating a good line of sight for future growth, he adds.
Read the full article from Inbound Logistics.
Related to: Managing Growth, Selling OnlineSaddle Creek Logistics Services’ order fulfillment expertise, ability to scale, and responsiveness were all draws.
– Tyson Alvarez, Director of Operations and Planning, MUNICIPAL