Blog/News

We are all asking ourselves these questions... "How will we survive? How will our lives change? How long will this last? The real question is...What is the “New Normal, how will it affect our day to day lives and how will we adjust our business processes in the future to accommodate and thrive in this new world order."

During an engaging discussion with a client, a question emerged that prompted thought on the “New Normal”. She was interested in how the “New Normal” has affected the “Day in the Life of Supply Chain at Complemar." A pragmatic question that deserved my attention, mostly an outline of the actions we are taking to protect the health and well-being of Complemar associates while ensuring continued great service.

The “New Normal” has meant streamlining processes that have been successful in the past. I explained that the safety, health, and welfare of our associates are of paramount importance. COVID-19 has presented very different challenges. How does a national network of logistics and supply chain facilities with associates who work in fairly close proximity continue to meet the demand of the client’s supply chain goals while ensuring full protection against the COVID-19 virus?

Here are some of the measures we took to provide maximum protection and enhance productivity at Complemar.

Customer Care: We made it very clear from the minute this pandemic was exposed that our associates and our client partners would be well taken care of. Our teams mobilized to be sure that all client partner businesses would continue on task and goal; maintaining attention to process, procedure, and accuracy. We asked all our office employees to work from home. We divided into small teams with separate break areas to minimize any unnecessary exposure. We carefully monitor the health of our associates, taking temperatures daily, regular wipe downs and cleaning, plexiglass shields wherever possible, face shields, masks, and gloves.

Operations Fortitude: The pandemic disrupted many links in the supply chain including a variety of business closings throughout the United States. Complemar devised solutions that assisted clients in optimizing inventory locations, set up “emergency” processes where needed, created sustainability plans to ensure that orders are always processed and shipped and customers are satisfied and happy.

Net, net – client partners negatively affected by this pandemic are experiencing positive results.

A better “techno-mousetrap” is how one client partner described her experience with our systems integration during this very trying time. “How Complemar devised a plan that not only helped our end goal but provided a far better economic solution than I ever imagined, was a sheer genius, especially while the teams were working in remote locations...brilliant!” – This example of ingenuity and resourcefulness combined with patience and understanding defines the culture of Complemar in so many ways.

A Day in the Life of Supply Chain Logistics has been altered by COVID-19. What remains intact is the humanity, passion, and emotional energy exhibited every day within Complemar. Our associates are driven; attention to the “little” things is contagious; and the trend to go “above and beyond” is stronger than ever – no pun intended – feverish effect on the environment, the tenacity of the Complemar associate, and has compelled client partners to engage, work with, listen, and mutually respect the tireless effort by all.

COVID-19 is horrible. However, A Day in the Life of Supply Chain @ Complemar is consistent excellent performance today, tomorrow, next week, and next year – The insight that we have gained as a result of this epidemic event has been strengthening.

Every step of a clinical trial is well-planned, researched, and detailed, and the packaging should be no exception. Secondary packaging that protects the products during the shipping process is critical to the success of a clinical trial. An increasing number of clinical trials are conducted in the U.S. every year, prompting regulators to suggest the need for larger patient samples. This, in turn, creates a greater need for clinical trial packaging.

Reverse logistics presents an opportunity to improve your relationship with your customer base and build brand loyalty. Although the customer has little to do with warehouse procedures like refurbishing and restocking, how you handle the process with the customer will impact them. A customer service department that is well-versed in your returns policy can impact your customers’ satisfaction, and thus your bottom line.

It seems as though there is a subscription box for everything you can think of these days - pet-lovers, socks, underwear, art projects – not to mention how many beauty-related boxes there are.

Companies who manufacturer or supply products for sale to the retail industry take note. Those that don’t actively manage specific aspects of the delivery process are probably incurring a lot of unnecessary shipping expenses.

Think of packaging that is synonymous with its brand. Perhaps Nike’s Swoosh or Tiffany & Co.’s little blue box and white ribbon come to mind. In the cosmetics and beauty industry, where competition is cutthroat, great packaging is critical. Packaging in the beauty industry must be eye-catching and attractive, as well as able to tempt the consumer over the hundreds of other available options.

UPS will be increasing its rates for a large portion of its shipping services, with some of them taking effect on December 24, 2017. The company said the rate increases are necessary to meet the demand of their customer base and the growth of ecommerce shipping. By raising their rates right around the holidays, they will be able to take advantage of the holiday returns rush.

All growing businesses - like online retailers, manufacturers, and CPG companies – will reach a point they can no longer handle product fulfillment on their own. This realization can come a few different ways. It’s usually first an awareness that warehouse space is getting too tight or finding labor to keep up with demand is a constant struggle.