How Having a Reliable Supply Chain Partner Supports Smart Karton’s Growth
As a business, it’s important to have reliable partners who can help you grow and succeed in your niche. For Smart Karton, that partner is the supply chain management company NOTS Logistics. With their help, Smart Karton has been able to expand its product offerings and reach new markets. Thanks to NOTS Logistics’ expertise and knowledge, Smart Karton can focus on what they do best – manufacturing high-quality cardboard boxes. This partnership has been a key factor in the company’s success so far and looks poised to continue well into the future.
Partnering With A Supply Chain Partner
With e-commerce booming, it has never been more important for packaged-goods companies to optimize packaging and shipping. With a growing number of environmentally conscious shoppers, many turn to packaging companies like Smart Karton to meet consumer demand while still consolidating and saving on shipping, eliminating costly void fill, and reducing damages.
Based in St. Charles, Missouri, Smart Karton holds patents on its environmentally friendly packaging, which eliminates the need for traditional packing materials including bubble wrap, peanuts, and air pillows. Its innovative design has been noticed by large retailers and other organizations, now supplying specialty packaging to UPS, as well as L’Oreal, Toyota, and the Veteran Affairs, among other clients.
When it came time for Smart Karton to take the next step in its growth, the specialty packaging company turned to its existing third-party logistics (3PL) partner to support it. Nashville, Illinois-based NOTS Logistics had been Smart Karton’s reliable and experienced 3PL for more than 15 years when, in December 2020, Smart Karton began searching for a new facility to support its custom packaging operations. The company had outgrown its manufacturing facility in St. Charles and needed space to set up and operate two packaging box machines, a stretch wrap machine, and an air compressor in order to run production.
Going above and beyond the typical site-selection process, NOTS located a 15,000-square-foot space and provided electrical improvements, high-speed internet service, and a forklift (and operator) to load and move product as needed.
Working collaboratively, the companies had production up and running within three months and NOTS set up a friendly leasing arrangement, rare in the industry, in which Smart Karton only pays for the space it needs.
“It’s given us a lot of flexibility there,” says Tom Seiffert, Operation Director of Smart Karton.
“NOTS gave us that flexibility of renting space as we needed it.”
-Tom Seiffert, Operation Director of Smart Karton
Setting up the facility in Nashville, Illinois, where NOTS is headquartered, has allowed Smart Karton to store finished goods after production.
The flexibility and responsiveness of NOTS has helped Smart Karton continue rapid growth, providing solutions for customers to save on shipping, reduce damages, and improve the overall shipping process.
Smart Karton fully expects to continue expanding. In NOTS, Smart Karton has found a trusted third-party logistics company that does more than move products from Point A to Point B. NOTS is there to support growth in whatever capacity is needed, from labor to machinery and everything in between. “It’s not a short-term relationship, that’s for sure,” Seiffert says.
Conclusion: Can A Supply Chain Partner Help You?
As e-commerce continues to grow, it’s important for packaged-goods companies to optimize their packaging and shipping. Smart Karton has found success by working with a 3PL partner that understands its needs and can support its growth. If you are looking for a reliable 3PL partner, contact NOTS Logistics today. We have the experience and expertise necessary to help your business succeed in the ever-changing world of e-commerce.
