Fixed a broken supply chain for a Bristol drinks company
The client was losing 8% of stock to breakage and heat damage. We changed their shipping route and added temperature-controlled storage audits.
Harbour Side Sips imports speciality juices from Southeast Asia. They were seeing a spike in wasted stock and damaged packaging that hit their bottom line. We stepped in to find exactly where the 38-day journey was failing.
The challenge
The Bristol team noticed that 8.2% of their glass bottles arrived either smashed or with heat-damaged labels. On a typical monthly shipment, this meant losing about £4,150 in retail value.
Their previous agent used a cross-docking warehouse in a high-humidity zone. Cargo sat on the tarmac for up to 6 hours in 33-degree heat. By the time the pallets reached the UK, the glue on the labels had melted and the liquid inside had started to degrade.
Our approach
We didn't just look at spreadsheets. Two of our team spent 4 days at the port facility in Ho Chi Minh City. We tracked the loading process from 07:00 to 19:00 to see the reality of the handling.
We found that the local carriers were using non-vented trucks for the inland 42km leg of the trip. We spent the next 3 weeks vetting 4 new logistics partners who offered temperature-controlled storage and better shock-absorption packing.
The solution
We moved the client to a provider using 40ft reefer containers to keep the temperature at a steady 14 degrees. We also swapped their cardboard dividers for a more rigid double-walled corrugated system.
To keep things honest, we installed three small digital loggers in each shipment. These devices record humidity and movement every 22 minutes. Now, the Bristol office gets a data report the moment the container is opened at their warehouse.
Results
The waste levels dropped almost immediately. While the new shipping route costs about 5% more per pallet, the savings from reduced breakage and spoilage more than covered the extra expense.
Timeline
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October 2024On-site audit of the Ho Chi Minh City port facility
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November 2024Trial shipment using new refrigerated containers
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December 2024Rollout of digital temperature tracking system
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January 2025Final performance review and route handover
"We were losing nearly a tenth of our stock before Khiri Vietnam stepped in. They didn't just send a PDF; they actually went to the port. The heat damage issues stopped overnight."