The Orthotic Group + Purolator
For over five years, Steve Magirias has worked at The Orthotic Group as the Vice President (VP) of Operations. At peak times, the company ships over 1,800 units per day, making it one of Purolator’s largest southbound and international shipping customers. We sat with Steve to chat about their partnership with Purolator that helped reduce shipping costs and improve on-time delivery for outbound shipments. Consolidation services also made the returns process more efficient and cut reverse logistics in half.
The story of The Orthotic Group
Recognized as a pioneer in the field of innovative B2B manufacturing, The Orthotic Group wears the badge of being Canada’s largest orthotics laboratory. They supply healthcare practitioners around the globe with custom orthotics and footwear products that alleviate foot ailments. Speaking about the growth of the company, Steve shared, “When we started in 1985, we were just in Canada, and now [The Orthotic Group has] turned into a global business servicing markets in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.” The company has goals to continue cross-border shipping and expanding through entering new markets around the globe and through acquisitions.
The Orthotic Group, a leading B2B manufacturer of custom orthotics and footwear products
Selling to B2B customers
Rethinking returns
Challenge
You can’t fix what you can’t see
Before switching to Purolator, The Orthotic Group relied on a competitor shipping partner to move high volumes of products for nearly 20 years. Over time, their partnership had become purely transactional with very little communication and support. Steve summarized the challenge his team was experiencing, “With our previous shipping partner, there was very little communication, to the point where we didn’t even know who our representative was.” After experiencing a continual deterioration of service and support from their previous shipping partner, The Orthotic Group team decided it was time to explore other options.
When Steve stopped receiving monthly shipping performance updates, he had little recourse for investigating the high shipping rates and brokerage fees he was incurring. This lack of visibility was one of the reasons The Orthotic Group was grossly overpaying on all outbound and return shipments.
Solution
A one-stop-shop for outbound and cross-border shipping
Partnering with Purolator gave The Orthotic Group the level of support they needed to streamline outbound, cross-border shipping and return shipping processes. Setting the business up for success meant establishing clear lines of communication.
A dedicated Purolator Account Executive was assigned to Steve and his team. They connected regularly to review reports and discuss evolving business needs. With these detailed activity reports and a partner that’s in touch with daily operations, Steve can more easily make informed service-level decisions.
Now with Purolator, we’re getting the information we need to improve our logistics process each month. – Steve Magirias, VP of Operations – The Orthotic Group
Getting products to customers as quickly as possible was one of The Orthotic Group’s primary objectives, and Purolator was able to deliver at a speed for both outbound and return shipments that no other carrier could match.
Working with Purolator on ground and air shipping both domestically and internationally allowed The Orthotic Group to:
- Simplify outbound operations
- Reduce processing and shipping times
- Improve tracking and visibility for customers
- Ensure all shipments are regulation compliant
- Provide faster shipping and processing times
Purolator and The Orthotic Group also worked closely to implement an online portal where customers can schedule pickups from the convenience of their phone and enjoy a seamless customer experience.
With clear transparency into monthly shipping performance, Steve can confidently and proactively make service-level decisions that save time and money.
Results
The Orthotic Group reduced operating costs by 41% with Purolator
By making the switch to Purolator, The Orthotic Group found a partner that they could rely on. Through relying on Purolator to fulfill all outbound shipments, they found operational day-to-day efficiencies and were able to cut costs at multiple touchpoints along their supply chain, resulting in overall savings of 41%. By consolidating return shipments at Purolator International’s facility, the company significantly improved reverse logistics processes, cutting shipping costs and time, lowering brokerage costs and boosting customer satisfaction.
We asked Steve what advice he’d give to businesses going through a similar challenge: “Take the time to explore the shipping options available to you. We should have switched to Purolator much earlier, but eventually we did and we’re reaping the rewards.”
How Purolator’s solution helped to create an efficient distribution process for The Orthotic Group
Improved shipping time
Streamlined reversed logistics
Optimized cross-border shipping
Improved customer service
Minimized carbon footprint
Reduced shipping costs
Efficient and sustainable distribution with Purolator’s eco-hybrid solution
“There’s mutual respect and appreciation that really makes this a successful partnership. Rather than waiting weeks on end to find the support they need, the team at The Orthotic Group knows we’re always here to brainstorm solutions. They came to us with a northbound shipping challenge, and we were able to propose a custom expedited LTL & consolidated shipping solution that saved them valuable shipping time and money.”
Account Executive, Purolator Inc.