Facts about our education client
- Developer of specialized curriculum and educational intervention resources
- Focused on helping struggling students reach grade-level proficiency in reading and math
- Provides critical learning materials to schools across the United States
- Operates in an industry experiencing declining demand for printed materials
Background with our education client
Over the past 12 years, GEODIS has collaborated closely with this educational materials provider. What began as a traditional warehousing relationship evolved into a strategic collaboration as we identified ways to enhance their distribution operations and overcome industry-specific challenges. The critical nature of their products—intervention curriculum for struggling students—made timely and reliable delivery essential to their mission.
Challenges for our education client
Our client faced several significant logistics challenges that directly impacted their ability to support student success:
- Logistical disadvantages: Their previous warehouse location complicated shipping processes and increased costs
- Industry pressures: Declining demand for printed curriculum materials created significant pressure to maintain cost-effective distribution while adapting to market changes
- Time-sensitive delivery: Students requiring intervention resources couldn't afford delays—materials needed to arrive precisely when educators needed them
Our client noted: "The success of the distribution operation has allowed us to react quickly to the needs for curriculum in schools. The speed at which the orders can be processed, shipped, and delivered means that children in the classrooms have the materials when they are needed."
Education logistics solutions
We developed a comprehensive approach focused on optimizing distribution efficiency while maintaining the flexibility needed in the educational materials market:
- Strategic warehouse placement: We used our St. Louis warehouse campus to optimize the client's shipping network, reducing transit times and improving delivery reliability
- Value-added services: We introduced tailored logistics services to build and ship curriculum kits directly from our warehouse, eliminating additional shipping steps and associated costs
- Customized documentation: We designed user-friendly pack slips that met both the client's requirements and the needs of the end-users (schools)
- Expedited processing: Through close collaboration with the client's transportation management team, we enabled same-day processing and shipping of both small package and less-than-truckload (LTL) orders
- Flexible resource allocation: We adjusted labor resources based on demand fluctuations, helping the client optimize costs while maintaining service levels
Education client results
Our logistics solutions delivered meaningful results that directly supported both the client's business goals and their educational mission:
- Reduced costs and improved efficiency: By integrating kit-building into our warehouse operations, we eliminated additional freight costs and reduced transit times
- Enhanced flexibility: Our ability to quickly adjust labor resources based on demand allowed the client to better control costs, particularly important in an industry with changing market dynamics
- Increased student success: Most importantly, the timely delivery of intervention curriculum kits played a crucial role in helping students improve their academic performance
