How Cross-Border Solutions Helped TTI Cut Shipping Times By 66%

For the first few years, TTI had a distribution centre in Scarborough, Ontario, to facilitate Canadian shipments. This distribution centre has since closed, and now all northbound shipments originate from Olive Branch, Mississippi, in the U.S. The challenge began when they recognized their U.S. delivery partners didn’t have the capabilities to deliver to Canadian customers through their own assets. This meant their cross-border shipping solutions were fragmented – third parties were being used to get their shipments into Canada, which created serious bottlenecks. Customers would be able to see the delivery up until it reached the border, but there was no shipment tracking available after it was handed to a third-party provider. In other words, customers (and TTI) wouldn’t have any insight as to when their shipment would be delivered.

Additionally, the third-party provider wouldn’t always be able to provide last-mile solutions. Products were sometimes delivered to a depot, not directly to the end-users. Or, they went to distributors who then had to pick up their products from the depot. The biggest challenge, though, was timing – Canadian customers could experience up to a three-week wait for their delivery, and this simply wasn’t good enough. Craig explained that when a contractor needs a tool, they need it right away. “The product that sells is the product that’s available,” he summarized.

TTI now works with Purolator for all Canadian deliveries, directly from their origin in Mississippi. They’ve significantly improved visibility and last-mile delivery solutions, and – perhaps most importantly – they’ve considerably cut turnaround times when shipping to Canada.

Janice explained that, in some cases, Canadian-bound shipments have gone from weeks to days. “Transit times have gone from around 14 days down to – in some areas – four or five business days.” Plus, TTI’s customers now have visibility into their shipments from start to finish. Customers can log in to “Milwaukee connect” and track shipments for themselves – data is uploaded in real time.

Purolator provides TTI with solutions beyond their northbound transportation. TTI also uses Purolator to return shipments from Canada, back to Mississippi. “We’re currently working on streamlining this process even further. Customers will soon be able to go to our website and request their tools be replaced or repaired – they can use the TTI website, print a Purolator waybill and Purolator will transport the broken tool to the nearest service centre,” explained Janice. Additionally, TTI uses Purolator to get trade show displays from one city to the next within Canada. Purolator will hold things in their warehouses until it’s time to set up the next convention or trade show.

Craig summarized that TTI’s partnership with Purolator truly helps them to achieve their objectives. “I feel Purolator is a true partner for TTI. A partnership is a term thrown around all the time, and oftentimes is meaningless. With Purolator, I’ve always felt as though they truly had our best interests in mind, and strive to provide a cost-effective solution that very much helps us achieve what we are trying to achieve.”

I’ve always felt as though they truly had our best interests in mind, and strive to provide a cost-effective solution that very much helps us achieve what we are trying to achieve.