INDUSTRY: Safety Apparel
ERP: NetSuite
CHALLENGE
As Slate Rock FR’s weekly shipments grew from $52K to $250K, their existing process couldn’t keep up, processing was slow, label costs were high, and rigid shipping software began to hurt customer service.
RESULTS
With RF-SMART, Slate Rock FR now saves $208,000 a year in label costs per shipment and can train staff to ship in under one minute.
RF-SMART PRODUCTS USED
Shipping – RF-SMART Shipping
$208,000
|
$4
|
<1 min
|
5x
|
The Challenge
Slate Rock FR's rapid growth exposed critical gaps in their shipping operation that increased costs and slowed customer orders.
Key issue included:
- Slow processing speed: Manual workflows couldn't handle the volume as weekly shipments increased fivefold, creating delays that backed up the entire warehouse.
- Expensive shipping labels: With labels costing $17 but only charging customers $10 per order, they were losing $7 on every single shipment.
- Inflexible software: The system treated all orders the same, even though closeout stock and outfitter program orders needed completely different shipping rules and verification steps.
- Decreased customer satisfaction: As shipping became the bottleneck, order delays started impacting their reputation and customer satisfaction scores.
The Solution
Slate Rock FR turned to RF-SMART Shipping for NetSuite, expanding a partnership that began in 2019 with their warehouse management system.
With RF-SMART Shipping, Slate Rock FR:
- Automated Rate Shopping: Rate Shopping automatically compares all three major carriers to find the lowest cost that still meets delivery deadlines.
- Customized Product Line Workflows: The Rules Engine handles closeout stock and outfitter program orders differently, applying the right verification and shipping rules automatically.
- Streamlined Carrier Selection: Pre-configured validation rules pick the optimal carrier and rate based on what's being shipped, so workers don't have to think about it.
- Simplified Shipping Process: The three-scan process is so straightforward that warehouse staff can learn to ship orders in under a minute.
We are saving around $4,000 a week just by rate shopping through RF-SMART. That does big things for my warehouse.” Listen to the Podcast |
The Results
Slate Rock FR transformed their shipping operation from a costly bottleneck into a streamlined process that saves money and time:
The savings went straight back into the business:
- Annual savings funded new hires and employee bonuses
- The team can now scale confidently without worrying about shipping capacity
Warehouse Manager Kayla Hill put it simply: shipping went from the most complicated process in the warehouse to the easiest. RF-SMART Shipping handles carrier selection and pricing automatically, so her team can focus on getting orders out the door and keeping customers happy.
