Case Study: IMC Toys
IMC Toys Ltd, is the York based UK arm of the successful Spanish Toy Manufacturer of the same name. As a newly formed division, the management of IMC Toys UK needed a logistics partner that could do more than just securely store their high profile licensed product range, and ship it when and where instructed.
In the initial phase of their entry into servicing this market locally, the UK team needed a level of back office support that would supplement their own internal systems as they grew to full operational strength. With this requirement being integral to the decision to contract with Trilogy, our IT department undertook a full assessment of the companies' current IT infrastructure both here in the UK and with the parent company in Spain.
As well as the ability to mirror IMC's product files between the two systems, the requirement was for Trilogy to import orders from Microsoft Dynamics NAV, to provide real-time sales and inventory reports via a secure on-line web-portal, to send automated email confirmations of orders dispatched and goods received, along with a full package of support and training to IMC's UK team.
Our operational brief was to accept goods-in through regular shipments from the far-east, palletise the inventory and stow in our secure facility in Hertfordshire. Shipments are pre-advised onto our ERP system via orders exported to an FTP site set up by Trilogy on IMC's behalf where they are downloaded automatically every 10 minutes.
Any pre-retailing requirements are undertaken by our in-house production department, where the goods are made ready for dispatch. Dispatched goods are tracked from time of departure to receipt of POD, with none of our hauliers being paid for a shipment before we receive the correctly signed paperwork confirming delivery.
Working with IMC on a system of Open Book Accounting for transport means that our traffic department is judged on their ability to control, and where possible, reduce transport costs. Quarterly review meetings and regular KPI reports give Trilogy and IMC the ability to monitor these costs and between us agree the optimum profile for their individual transport needs.
