Relationship Focus: Dotcom Distribution
Dotcom Distribution is a strategic e-commerce logistics partner focused on serving B2B and B2C multi-channel operations through statement packaging, fast fulfillment, and freight management services. Located in Edison, NJ, their facility provides same-day shipping for most clients with an accuracy rate of 99.5%. With a versatile material handling system, their facility handles a wide range of products, from electronics to healthcare products to clothing and pet supplies. Dotcom Distribution is a company focused on building trust through flawless order fulfillment, transportation expertise, and long-lasting relationships.
Nicholas Pendrous, CIO of Dotcom Distribution, said, “Leading beauty brands like Carol’s Daughter and Bliss trust us to deliver products both to their consumers directly and their retail outlets. Dotcom has the systems to ship to all of the mass merchants and meet all of the routing guidelines, and yet still deliver that personal branded touch on the business to consumer side.”
Hytrol and the integration partner collaborated to produce an automated material handling system capable of meeting the customer’s current business needs, while also allowing for future growth. The new system accommodates increased capacity, accuracy, and speed while creating a significant reduction in labor.“We created a very good and trusting relationship with our integration partner,” said Pendrous. “They presented to us a proposal with Hytrol equipment and obviously, that’s a very well-known and recognized brand in the industry. Due to our relationship with our integration partner and based on their recommendation, that was the plan we ultimately chose.”
Pendrous said that the relationship with their integration partner was a large factor in the choice for a material handling provider.
“Similar to the way we do business, we look for a relationship that we can trust, and we found that during the bidding process,” he said. “We built an open dialogue and a trusting relationship with our integration partner. Their proximity helped during the planning and implementation stages of the project.”
Dotcom needed the solution to be both cost-effective and do everything that they take pride in as a business.
Dotcom sells customization. We sell ‘unique.’ We sell the ability for our clients to create exactly the presentation they want their end customers to receive. – Nicholas Pendrous, CIO of Dotcom Distribution
“Dotcom sells customization. We sell ‘unique.’ We sell the ability for our clients to create exactly the presentation they want their end customers to receive,” said Pendrous. “With the new system, for all boxes, we’re automatically capturing dimensions, weight, and applying those shipping labels, so we’ve eliminated a lot of human touch. We’ve also added the capability to capture and use that dimensional information, so decisions can be made in real-time to route that package the most cost-effective way. By working closely with our integration partner, we were able to put together a plan that minimally interrupted our business and allowed us to quickly and rapidly deploy the system.”
The system incorporates many unique applications of Hytrol equipment. A prime example is the use of E24™ and EZLogic® to pull a gap between products prior to entering the scanning station. This customized process allows the system an energy-efficient and simplified means for accumulation.
Hytrol’s material handling system integrates seamlessly with the customer’s warehouse management system, shipping sorter, and PLC-based control system. Prior to implementation, the customer was limited by proprietary software, which restricted throughput capacity and future system development. By working with their integration partner, the customer was able to install an open software solution, allowing for flexibility and expansion of the system.
Pendrous said, “The system helps move boxes quickly away from the pack area, freeing up workspace for the next employee to place the next outbound shipment.”
Now, orders are batch picked to a cart and brought to packing benches, where each product is placed into a designated shipping carton. From this point, the carton is placed on a takeaway conveyor and delivered to Hytrol’s Gapper-L where an overhead scanner reads the carton ID and an in-motion scale captures the weight and dimensions. This information is sent directly to the warehouse management system, and the cartons are then sorted, based on the destination. By fully understanding the customer’s business requirements, Hytrol and the integration partner were able to design the most efficient system for the customer’s boutique-style strategy.
The goal for Hytrol and the integration partner is to design, manufacture, and implement systems that produce optimal results for the customer. The new system brings Dotcom Distribution to the forefront of e-commerce and omni-channel technology and allows for optimal throughput and future growth.
“It’s very important that we listen, pay attention, and meet all of our customer’s complex packing requirements,” Pendrous said. “It’s that kind of relationship that we also seek with our vendors, and it’s that kind of relationship we found with our Hytrol solution provider.”