Bon-Ton’s Newest High-End Furniture Gallery Uses Cory Home Delivery and Warehouse On Wheels System

Furniture World Magazine

Bon-Ton’s newest high-end furniture gallery, Younkers Furniture Gallery in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which opened in July announced that they've begun using the Warehouse on Wheels System by Demountable Concepts with the help of Cory Home Delivery. Cheryl Segreti, Vice President of Furniture Operations for Bon-Ton, explains the logistics challenge they faced in opening the location in Green Bay. “We needed to service the new Green Bay furniture gallery which is 225 miles away from our Naperville, IL furniture distribution center. It was important to leverage our Illinois warehouse and inventory to service this outlying store. Since we supply high-end furniture, everything must be opened, inspected and “deluxed” prior to shipment which means a cross dock operation was not an option for us, due to the high potential for damage to our goods.” Here’s how the Warehouse on Wheels System fits Bon-Ton’s operation: • Two 26' Demountable bodies are loaded by skilled workers at the distribution center in Naperville, IL with furniture that has been “deluxed” and inspected. • The bodies are then transported overnight on a semi-trailer to Green Bay, WI where they are demounted and left free-standing in the local Penske Truck Leasing yard. The semi-trailer then returns to the Naperville warehouse with bodies from the previous day’s deliveries. • The following morning, locally domiciled driver teams take five minutes to mount the free-standing bodies with non-CDL straight trucks and are on the road early making deliveries. Bon-Ton enlisted a third-party partner for the delivery portion of the operation. Joseph Cory Jr., Vice President of Cory Home Delivery Service, Bon-Ton’s local delivery partner, describes how the Warehouse on Wheels is revolutionizing local furniture delivery and how it helps his company service retailers like Bon-Ton. “Furniture retailing is trending toward centralized warehousing. Retailers are consolidating warehouses, but still need to service outlying markets. We realize that a cross dock situation where furniture is loaded on a 53' trailer then moved to a local delivery truck can result in a high level of product damage due to multiple handling. In the past we’ve used tandem pup trailers to service outlying markets, but the shortage of Class-A delivery drivers makes that system difficult to staff. “The Demountable System is a solution that enables us to use Non-CDL delivery drivers and to service outlying markets up to 300 miles away from a distribution center.” Collaborative efforts between vendors often result in a superior level of service for retailers such as Bon-Ton. Cory Home Delivery Service leases the demountable equipment and vehicles to make Bon-Ton’s home deliveries from Penske Truck Leasing. The vehicle and the body transfer process take place at the Penske facility in DePere, WI. Stacy VanScoyk, District manager for Penske, says, “We feel like a real partner in this operation. Our team is excited about being part of Bon-Ton’s expansion and our service staff is trained and ready to assist the Cory Home Delivery team in making this operation successful.” Here are some benefits of the Warehouse on Wheels System that enable retailers to work more efficiently for increased profitability: • Eliminates need to open regional warehouses to service remote markets • Can open regional stores quickly without additional warehouse and inventory • Loading two bodies at a time increases warehouse efficiency and dock door availability • Less product damage because double handling of freight can be eliminated • Earlier local deliveries because freight is hauled to regional markets overnight • Local drivers spend time delivering product instead of loading trucks • No longer necessary to utilize Class-A CDL drivers “Demountable body systems are gaining popularity among top 100 furniture retailers,” according to Rustin Cassway, President of Demountable Concepts, Inc. “The ability to deliver more furniture with fewer warehouses, fewer dock doors and non–CDL delivery drivers, plus the increasing cost of fuel, makes it easy to choose the return on investment gained by going with a demountable operation. “Our flexibility to work with retailers, leasing companies and third party delivery services enables us to dovetail our demountable system into any furniture retailer’s operation. We add to their success by becoming a partner and making them more profitable.” Find out how Demountable Concepts can add profitability to your company’s bottom line. Call Mark Ansberry at 1-800-254-3643 today or visit www.demount.com for more information.