October 1st, 2019 – Distinguished public warehousing provider Tyler Distribution turns 35. Founded in 1984 as an expansion into the growing Central New Jersey warehousing market, today Tyler Distribution operates close to 1,000,000 square feet of public warehousing space. Originally focused on storing specialty food products for importers and domestic manufacturers, Tyler Distribution has since branched out into warehousing and distributing food ingredients, organic and natural products, beverages, alcoholic beverages, health and beauty aids, personal care products and other consumer packaged goods.
“Throughout Tyler’s history, one thing that remains consistent is that our continued evolution and innovation comes largely through our customers, the industries they serve, and our industry. Staying close to these is and will always be important to us. They don’t remain stagnant, and neither do we. The team at Tyler Distribution is second to none, and they are laser focused on our customers’ needs and on-going solutions development. I’m thrilled to be celebrating 35 years, and look forward to where we are going next.” — Rob Russo, President & CEO of Tyler Distribution
“Tyler Distribution has developed a reputation in the grocery industry for providing exceptional customized solutions for customers of all sizes. The retailers and distributors that our customers ship to will tell you about our knowledge of their requirements, the high levels of inventory accuracy, our success with handling case picking and less than full pallet orders accurately and the fact that we’re easy to do business with. So much of what we do and how we do it has resulted from challenges that customers faced where they came to us for a solution. We’ve learned a lot over these 35 years and could not have done it without our customers.” — Erik Holck, Director of Business Development
In 35 years we’ve picked (and transported) more than a few cases and pallets. Here’s what we’ve learned about successful warehousing and distribution:
Expect the unexpected – When a product requires multiple touch points throughout its journey to the consumer, there are many opportunities for issues to arise. You should always have a backup plan for packaging problems, damages during ocean shipping, item discrepancies, recalls and any other situations that may come up. An issue without a backup plan can create an inventory shortage, potentially leading to your customers to move on to competitors’ products. With how quickly everything moves in warehousing and distribution, it’s not always easy to change your plans on a dime when something goes wrong. Forecasting, demand planning and inventory management are the bloodline to a successful warehousing and distribution operation and will help you circumvent unexpected issues. Detailed communication between partners is what makes it all happen!
Play by the rules – Know the requirements of the customers you’re shipping to. Every retailer and distributor has unique shipping requirements and if they aren’t followed you’ll be hit with costly chargebacks. Make sure that you stay aware of any industry changes that might affect your products or the warehousing and distribution of your products. Your warehousing provider should also be keeping you in the loop of any industry changes, as you may need to adapt to meet new requirements. You could potentially face roadblocks if you aren’t aware of changes such as import tariff increases and food safety regulations.
Embrace technology and data – A good distribution network utilizes technology to its advantage. With you, your customers, your transportation provider and your warehousing provider all transmitting information, it’s crucial that the information is transmitted accurate. Protocols and systems such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) allow you and your business partners to stay on top of fast moving transactions. Your warehousing provider should have a web portal which will allow you to access their WMS and monitor inventory levels, expiration dates, scheduled shipments and more. Using technology to your advantage will allow you to get a leg up on your competitors and their distribution network, making you better able to service your customers and in turn, more appealing to retailers and distributors.
With 35 years of public warehousing experience, Tyler Distribution knows what it takes to warehouse and distribute successfully. Whether you’re storing food products, specialty foods, food ingredients, organic and natural products, beverages, alcoholic beverages, health and beauty aids, personal care products, consumer packaged goods or any other products, we’ve got a warehousing solution for you. Contact Tyler Distribution today to see how we can help with your warehousing needs.