LTL Pool Distribution Case Study
Ghent Reduces Damage Claims by 74% with LTL Pool Distribution
When it comes to shipping challenging products via less-than-truckload (LTL), every touch point presents a risk. As the leader in creative logistics solutions, ITS ensures that specialized expertise and innovative strategies are at the forefront of transporting freight that’s delicate, atypical, oversized, or awkward. Ghent, a leading visual communication product and display furniture manufacturer, faced significant challenges in shipping items like whiteboards and glassboards.
Ghent sets a high standard for creating and delivering specialized, innovative products that inspire communication, collaboration, and learning. However, damage risks and other carriers’ hesitancy to handle Ghent’s freight threatened their commitment to providing phenomenal customer experiences and their ability to grow.
Through their partnership with ITS, Ghent substantially reduced damage to their products in transit while maintaining cost neutrality and streamlining their shipping and claims process. Now, they can continue focusing on facilitating engaging and meaningful experiences at work, school, and community spaces across the country.
Key Takeaways
- Ghent reduced their overall damage claims by 74%
- ITS decreased freight touchpoints by 86% to ensure Ghent’s freight would make it to its destination in one piece (literally)
- Ghent is now able to reach their destinations faster and more efficiently through ITS Logistics’ LTL pool distribution solution
Challenge
Ghent faced multiple challenges that hampered their growth and efficiency. At the heart of their difficulties were the complexities of shipping fragile and atypical-sized products like whiteboards and glassboards through traditional LTL carriers.
Our freight is ‘ugly’—it's long, awkward, and takes up too much space, making it costly to ship. Frankly, people aren't fond of handling it, and it often doesn't get treated well. Damage used to be our biggest challenge.
The combination of oversized products and delicate materials created a perfect storm for Ghent. Without the right logistics solutions, their existing processes were not only inefficient but were actively hurting their bottom line through frequent damage and administrative overhead.
Ghent needed a multifaceted solution to address their challenges:
- Oversized and fragile products require special handling to prevent damage
- Traditional forklifts frequently damage their palletized products
- Multiple but limited carriers created an administrative burden that hampered efficiency
- Processing up to 80 damage claims monthly drained resources
Their situation was particularly complicated because many carriers were selective about which Ghent products they would transport. “The types of products we ship created a very limited carrier network,” Cory said. “They wouldn’t handle our overlength items, glass products, or display cases. ITS, however, was able to take it all.”
Solution
Ghent’s number one concern was damage, but they also needed a carrier they could rely on to transport their wide product line. Plus, these challenges were burning up resources and employee time. Fortunately, ITS Logistics’ LTL pool distribution is designed for challenges like these.
Pool distribution regionally consolidates shipments for the longest part of the journey. This eliminates unnecessary stops, reduces handling, and speeds up delivery times. Reducing touchpoints was crucial to Ghent’s success because it would simultaneously reduce opportunities for damage and time spent on claims.
The pool distribution solution ITS engineered addresses multiple challenges at once:
- Minimize damage: Reducing touchpoints decreases the chances of theft, damage, and loss
- Save on cost: Pooling shipments can reduce costs by 15-30%
- Get there faster: Customers reduce transit time by an average of three days
- Reduce emissions: Customers have cut CO2 emissions by up to 89%
Jeremy Davidson, the LTL Manager at ITS who works with Ghent, has seen this solution work across industries, but it has been especially successful for companies with concerns about damage.
The only way to reduce claims, reduce damage, and improve service is to touch the freight less. And that’s exactly what we did.
Results
After partnering with ITS to implement LTL pool distribution, Ghent saw substantial improvements across their supply chain while streamlining their operations through a seamless transition process and dedicated support system.
Dramatic Damage Reduction
- Damage claims plummeted from 5% to 1.3% since partnering with ITS, significantly reducing the number of products that were damaged in transit
- Overall claims reduced by 74%, freeing up time and resources for Ghent staff
- Touchpoints decreased by 85%, leading to more damage-free miles and fewer costly incidents
Streamlined Operations & Improved Sustainability
- One carrier across product lines: ITS is able to take all of Ghent’s freight, eliminating the need for multiple carriers and ensuring consistent handling processes
- Single point of contact for all logistics needs: Streamlining communications and resolving issues faster with a dedicated manager
- Seamless transition to a new partner: Zero disruption to their daily operations and no impact on customer delivery schedules, except for delivering faster
- Reduced environmental impact: Optimized routes and fewer trucks, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions while improving delivery times
I felt like I just started routing their way, and we were able to get going. I don’t really remember transitioning, which is probably a good thing.
A dedicated point of contact has also dramatically improved their claims process. Rather than spending otherwise valuable time justifying each claim, Cory has a trusted (and real) person who takes immediate action when issues arise.
LTL pool distribution benefits a variety of industries, but Ghent’s story proves that this solution is especially advantageous for companies with “ugly” freight—and the benefits don’t end at damage reduction. This strategy not only solved their immediate challenges but also supported their business goals and commitment to quality and service.
Got Ugly Freight? Let ITS Engineer a Custom Solution for You.
ITS Logistics has decades of experience providing creative solutions that help customers maximize their supply chain and get the most out of their distribution strategy. We take the time to get to know your business and customize solutions to deliver a seamless customer experience over every sales channel.
Our approach to LTL helps you meet your cost and service goals by matching your shipping volume, destination zones, and budget with the optimal combination of national, regional, and niche carriers in our network. Our team manages every aspect of the process, so you don’t have to—providing you with a single, reliable touchpoint for your LTL shipments.
Reach out to learn more about ITS Logistics and find a creative logistics solution to save on your LTL shipments.
Meet Jeremy Davidson, LTL Manager
With over 20 years of LTL experience, Jeremy specializes in helping companies of every size maximize efficiency and value in their supply chain. Start a conversation and learn more about how our team can help improve your LTL by reaching out at jdavidson@its4logistics.com.
About Ghent
Established in 1976, Ghent has been crafting and serving our customers’ needs with innovative and customizable communication, collaboration, and learning solutions for over 40 years. Beginning as a premium supplier of visual communication tools, Ghent now offers display, space division, and healthcare solutions in addition to visual communication products like whiteboards, glassboards, bulletin boards, and enclosed message centers. Our products are specified through our dealer partner network and used to finish a space and make it functional. We manufacture products to help people work better together. Learn more at ghent.com