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Launching a Transportation
Partner
Comments
Chief Financial Officer
| “We don’t like operating in a typical
client-consultant relationship. We appreciated the
fact that Endurant functioned almost as part of our
staff. There are a lot of consultants who couldn’t
work that way. . . . Endurant brought invaluable
trucking and technology expertise to the table. They
really listened and worked closely with us to develop
solid technology and business solutions. And they were
great at helping to keep us on track and letting us
know if changes along the way made sense from a
cost/value perspective. . . Endurant has been
enjoyable to work with. It’s been a very positive
business partnership. We feel we got our money’s
worth, and then some. Endurant really delivers!” |
The Goal
The company was founded in late 1999. With founders who have
more than 30 years of experience in the trucking industry,
the company sought to pioneer change. Rather
than simply be known as a truck body builder selling
directly from its factories, the company wanted to create a unique
business model designed to enhance its service and value
proposition to truck dealers, while facilitating improved
operating profit for truck buyers and users.
The Challenge
The company committed to strengthening Dealer Members (DMs) by
providing a competitively priced quality product available
only through DMs. Under this business model, the company's
product
would be built according to individual specifications and
delivered within acceptable timeframes. Additionally, the
company
wanted to use Internet technologies to make it easy and
desirable for DMs to work directly with them, while finding
ways to deliver greater value to the end-customer.
Endurant Solution
The company engaged Endurant to help develop and implement a
value-enhancing Dealer Member program within tight time-and
budget-constraints. Endurant, a Minnesota-based provider of
business and management consulting solutions with extensive
transportation experience, worked with the company to clarify the
company’s short- and long-term goals. This process led to
the development of a phased DM plan and creation of an
internal Information Technology (IT) department to help the
company achieve its mission. During the first phase of the
project, Endurant also worked closely with the company to develop
and implement a first-of-its-kind website
that facilitates vocational truck dealers nationwide in
their efforts to buy and sell used vocational trucks for use
in various industries.
Results:
- The launch of an industry leading program that utilizes the Internet and other related
technologies to provide seamless operations, sales and
service. The company information systems eventually will be
expanded to connect the company, its DM's, suppliers and
end-customers.
- A state-of-the-industry website exclusively for used
mixer trucks. This site provides an opportunity to promote
mixer trucks that the company and/or Dealer Members acquire
through trades on new equipment, thus strengthening the
company-DM relationship.
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