 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
| Trucking Firm Concentrates On Service Excellence | |||||||||||
(1994) - Central Penn Business Journal: In April l990 when David Metzler opened Carlisle Carrier Corp., he promised customers he would develop a staff of both young and seasoned professionals that would "make magic happen," and he'd create a corporate culture based on "mutual trust and respect." "Making magic happen" creates a service commitment where the impossible is possible, and the most difficult assignments are handled on a routine basis so that customers can rely on service excellence every time. Cultures based on "mutual trust and respect" create environments where everyone feels important and takes an ownership interest in the needs of the company, its customers and each other. In these situations, personal and professional growth flourishes, resulting in extraordinary service performance and highly effective processes benefiting customers and the company. Carlisle Carrier has achieved an outstanding record of service performance and corporate growth. In just three short years the company has expanded from five to 85 tractors, grown from five to 165 trailers, acquired a regional competitor, purchased a new facility in Mechanicsburg and started planning efforts for the development of a second operation to be located in the southeastern region of the country. Customer satisfaction with the Carlisle Carrier service performance is evidenced by the nearly 20,000 truckload shipments transported for more than 250 customers during 1993. Carlisle Carrier has operated with a two-part marketing strategy: commodities and geographic territory Foodstuffs have served as the focus of the company's customers and markets, because of the stability inherent in those types of products. Even if consumers aren't buying stoves or televisions, they are buying food. The firm's area of operations is bounded to the west by Columbus, Ohio, to the east by the Atlantic seaboard, to the north by the New York/Canadian border, and to the South by the Virginia/North Carolina line. This territory is critical because it contains more than 60 percent of the nation's population. "Our customers call us when minutes matter," says Metzler. "We're operating in a territory where we're dealing in deliveries made in hours, or days. Because of the short distances from shipment origin to shipment destination, we're often within six hours of our destination." Dealing with such little transit time leaves no margin for error. "We're either on time or we're not," Metzler says. 'We have no time to recover, so we have to be right on top of our business." The challenges created by this environment are exactly what the staff of this young company is eager for. The tougher the task, the greater the "magic." Carlisle Carrier is expected to generate operating revenues of $10 million in 1993. Part of the revenue will have come through the purchase of a small competitor, which increased the firm's service capacity. The company's director of sales has aggressively marketed the firm's superior services throughout the operating territory from an office in Springfield, Mass. With this growth came a need for larger, better-equipped working conditions. A 10-acre site in Mechanicsburg will soon serve as Carlisle Carrier's new headquarters. Plans are already in the works for a 5,000-square-foot loading dock to be attached to the existing four-bay maintenance facility. The offices in the new facility are undergoing extensive renovations to accommodate the staffs requirements, and the move is expected to be completed in February 1994. "Mechanicsburg is right in the heart of our customer base," explains Metzler. "This new location will give us the ability to further improve our services and meet the needs of our customers even better." While some may consider the trucking industry a non-technological business, Carlisle Carrier is bringing the latest in communication concepts to its fleet of drivers. "By the end of '94," says Metzler, ''all of our trucks will be equipped with onboard satellite communication systems. We will have instant access between our offices and our drivers, trucks can be tracked throughout their entire trip, changes can be communicated immediately, and our operations group will spend more of their time planning and proactively responding to last minute changes and problem solving. Our customers and our drivers will feel the positive effects of this technological advancement, and our operations staff will be using their many talents to improve services and operating efficiencies." Carlisle Carrier believes it is following a controlled and reasonable expansion strategy. "We are going to take the first six months of 1994 to upgrade our equipment, examine our internal processes and give our staff a chance to catch their breath," explains Metzler. "Starting mid-year we will start growing again, add some new equipment and move toward our target of operating 200 tractors in the Northeastern operation. When we reach 200 tractors, we will establish another operation in the Southeast, probably close to Atlanta, Ga. When that operation reaches 200 tractors, we will open our third operation in Greensboro, N.C." Metzler is intent on maintaining a company culture that creates commitment among employees and loyalty among customers. 'When a driver becomes a number and no longer a name, you're too big; when an employee is no longer appreciated, you're too big; and when a customer becomes an interruption, you're far too big. People do business with people. Do the job right and you will make friends who will trust you with their business." Metzler is Quick to add that he believes the people of Carlisle Carrier are the finest in the industry ."We've been blessed with a young staff dedicated to the company and our customers. They do whatever it takes to make sure the customers' and the companies' needs are fulfilled." Carlisle Carrier's 1994 revenues are expected to top $12 million. Twenty-five new trailers and ten new tractors will be acquired, plus 20 of the existing tractors are scheduled to be upgraded. "We've developed a very disciplined, focused strategy for Carlisle Carrier," says Metzler , "and staying focused on superior customer services and market disciplines, plus maintaining a culture that guides and drives everyone involved with the company, results in a successfully developed company that can grow and prosper in any economy ." Back to top © 2008 Carlisle Carrier Corporation. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement | Contact Us |