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Retail

Kuehne + Nagel supplies strategic logistics solutions to the retail sector with logistics experts who understand the unique requirements and standards of the industry. The company leverages this knowledge to serve some of the world's largest, most respected retailers, helping them to drive logistics efficiency and competitive advantage.

Visibility & Monitoring

Global sourcing means longer lead times, exposing retailers to longer cash-to-cash cycle times. Late, incomplete or unavailable shipment information can lead to lost sales, production delays and high administrative costs.

Moving goods globally, from factory to store, Kuehne + Nagel is able to match the physical flows with near-real-time information on the status of inventory, shipments, orders and order lines down to the product ID / SKU level. KN Login, the company’s Web-based visibility and monitoring solution, enables proactive management of retail customers’ supply chains through improved end-to-end visibility and dynamic, intelligent exception alerting. The result is a single inventory flow information source allowing companies to:

• Instantly know where shipments are in the transport cycle,
• Reduce safety stock and improve planning thanks to product flow visibility,
• Reduce administrative cost, and
• Identify supply chain failures early, triggering contingency plans.

Using EDI technology, Kuehne + Nagel can manage retail customers’ entire Purchase Order (PO) process – from PO release to receipt at the end user – including tracking of PO items sourced from multiple countries. This allows a high degree of proactive origin management via the Kuehne + Nagel global network.

Origin Port

Importers have moved to take control of their product earlier in the supply chain in an attempt to drive down inventory and logistics costs. The result has been a move away from the traditional Carriage Insurance Freight (CIF) or delivered duty unpaid (DDU) incoterms, where the importer had no control over the events covering his orders, to placing orders “ex works” or “factory gate pricing.” Kuehne + Nagel provides on-the-ground support at origin to handle the movement of goods direct from the factory. Services include:

• Container loading by SKU, color or size – depending on how the consignee wants to receive the goods. Kuehne + Nagel understands the importance of proper container loading and has on-the-ground staff in China and all other key origin points to plan and implement these requirements.
• Consolidations: With an extensive network of dedicated container freight stations, the company is able to offer a wide range of cost-efficient consolidation services globally.
• Vendor management: Kuehne + Nagel works closely with retail vendors to ensure they clearly understand retailer business requirements, including administrative processes, communication standards and physical goods flow.

International Transportation

Worldwide, Kuehne + Nagel provides multi-modal and time-definite transportation services complete with customs brokerage, insurance, and internet-based tracking and tracing capabilities that can be customized to meet the retail industry’s unique global transportation needs.

During peak seasons, for example, importers can have difficulty securing carrier capacity. Thanks to its shipment volumes and together with strong partnerships with carriers, Kuehne + Nagel is able to provide access to multiple sailings and flights per week.

Kuehne + Nagel has a single, web-enabled operating system for freight forwarding, worldwide. Retail companies can use the Internet to monitor shipment status and adapt near-real-time processes to capitalize on sourcing flexibility and proactive response to demand changes.

Kuehne + Nagel’s network monitoring capability continuously compares expectation and execution. Supply chain failures are identified early triggering contingency plans that can prevent unwanted effects.

Destination Port

Kuehne + Nagel has all the necessary services in place to move goods efficiently through the port and to the customer. Well in advance of shipment arrival, Kuehne + Nagel has received the documents that will allow either customs pre-clearance or completion of customs documentation prior to arrival. The company’s document imaging process also enables the importer to review packing lists, invoices, GSP certificates at any time.

Before the shipment has cleared customs Kuehne + Nagel already is working on the delivery requirements. Customers can identify which product is most in demand, thus allowing the correct container to be delivered fastest. And working closely with customers’ own inventory management systems, Kuehne + Nagel is able to efficiently plan deliveries of product currently out of stock or at lower-than-acceptable-minimum inventory levels. Destination port services include:

• Customs brokerage: Kuehne + Nagel fully understands today's legal and regulatory import/export complexities and offers a range of basic and value-added services to move retail customers’ shipments through customs quickly and efficiently.
• Deconsolidation / Direct-to-store delivery: We provide import deconsolidation services, cross-docking products and shipping them to regional distribution centers or direct to the store. This reduces transit times and potentially eliminates touch points.

Warehousing

Kuehne + Nagel provides an in-place global network of distribution centers for companies with a need for a high-performance, yet flexible distribution infrastructure. Many of the company’s distribution centers house goods for multiple clients, who share overhead costs and pay only for the space and services used. In addition to variable cost pricing, Kuehne + Nagel’s warehousing services for the retail industry include:

• Pre-retailing, value-added services such as ticketing, labeling, kitting, returns, POP display building, enabling movement of store-ready goods to the retail floor.
• Storage and efficient, coordinated distribution to stores of fixtures, signs, cleaning supplies and other non-retail goods.
• Seasonal storage solutions to optimally manage seasonal overflow and other unusual demand peaks while allowing retailers to meet customer service requirements.
• Forward buys: Retailers can leverage Kuehne + Nagel’s distribution infrastructure to balance the competitive advantages of opportunistic buys or volume discounts against constraints of their distribution network.
• Ability to manage ad or blitz merchandise and in-store sales dates.

Distribution

Kuehne + Nagel is able to manage all outbound transportation – from the initial trucking of a container to a manufacturer’s premises or container freight stations (CFS) to delivery at final destination. Services include:

• Transportation network optimization by applying tools to design and validate an optimal retail warehouse and transportation network.
• Multi-modal analysis and carrier selection. Kuehne + Nagel utilizes a non-asset based approach to carrier selection, leveraging relationships and volumes with reliable carriers of all modes to create the best match for retail customers’ cost and service requirements.
• Efficient management of store shipments in a high-volume, high-speed environment. Kuehne + Nagel is experienced in the special requirements of retail distribution, including sequential loading of trucks for milk runs, coordination to meet tight shipment windows and creation and transmittal of advance shipping notices.

Kuehne + Nagel has extensive experience meeting the unique requirements of major retailers. Our demonstrated ability to provide a wide range of retail solutions provides industry leaders with critical flexibility to meet their specific needs. Kuehne + Nagel's unique retail industry capabilities include:

• UCC 128 bar code labeling and advance shipping notices meet unique receiving specifications
• Cross docking for consolidated shipments
• Direct-to-store distribution for reduced handling time and straight-to-store shelf speed
• Largest network of public warehouses in the U.S. helps retailers manage seasonal peaks & valleys in demand

Retail is one of Kuehne + Nagel’s core competencies, constituting 33% of our business.