A Better Unboxing Experience for Our Place
Ali Shahid, the Chief Operating Officer at Our Place, a modern direct-to-consumer kitchenware company, shared insights into how the company improved its packaging and shipping processes using Paccurate. Founded in 2019, Our Place has experienced significant growth, now shipping over 1.2 million parcels annually from seven warehouses in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Before integrating Paccurate, Our Place was using incorrect box sizes for shipping items. This inefficiency led to financial and environmental sustainability issues. Our Place needed a solution to optimize the packing and packaging for each customer order.
The Need for a Solution
Our Place's product range includes cookware, dinnerware, and appliances, typically larger items weighing between five to twenty pounds. The cost of shipping these items was high, and the company needed to ensure optimal packaging to control expenses. “Using incorrect carton sizes at just one of our warehouses for one week could result in a $10,000 loss, and if this happened across all of our warehouses for a year, losses could exceed $2 million,” said Ali Shahid, COO, Our Place.
Implementation of Paccurate
To address these challenges, Our Place integrated their ERP system with Paccurate's cartonization engine. Paccurate’s API identifies exactly how to cost effectively pack orders in real time. With 3D packing instructions, warehouse packers are guided on how to pack each order correctly and in the appropriate box. Paccurate determines the appropriate box based on item dimensions and specific packing rules.
Watch Ali Shahid, COO at Our Place, share his experience.
PacSimulate: Enhancing Box Inventory
In addition to ensuring the correct box is selected, Paccurate’s PacSimulate tool helped Our Place determine the optimal carton sizes to keep on hand. By analyzing order history and purchasing patterns, PacSimulate recommended the most efficient carton sizes for their multi item orders. Regular reviews of order volumes ensured that Our Place used the most optimal cartons for their shipments. PacSimulate also calculated potential savings from adding new sizes to their carton suite.
Daily Operations and Continuous Improvement
Each morning, Our Place reviews shipments from the previous day, comparing the boxes used by the warehouse to those recommended by Paccurate. “If discrepancies are found, we ask our 3PL warehouse partners for credits,” said Shahid. This daily review process ensures continuous improvement and adherence to optimal packing practices.
“Paccurate offered flexibility in optimizing shipments for space and cost. While space optimization is typically aligned with cost reduction, there were scenarios where shipping items separately was more efficient. Paccurate’s precise calculations and rules helped us make these decisions effectively,” said Shahid.
Error Prevention and Seamless Integration
Relying solely on a 3PLs boxing algorithm could lead to errors, especially if item dimensions were set up incorrectly. Paccurate mitigates this risk by catching and correcting mistakes early, ensuring accurate box selection. “The integration process with Paccurate was smooth, with well-documented libraries that facilitated a seamless transition,” said Shahid.
Conclusion
Integrating Paccurate into Our Place’s shipping and packaging process provided significant benefits. It provided financial and environmental impact by optimizing box selection, reducing shipping costs, and minimizing errors.
“Paccurate gives us peace of mind. It allows us to be a company that strives to do the right thing in every area of the business. That is what we expect from ourselves and that is what our customers expect from us,” explained Shahid.
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