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| Trucking Firm Grows With Technology And Commitment | |||||||||||
(1996) - Central Penn Business Journal: Combining leading-edge technology with a corporate culture that exemplifies such time-honored values as service excellence, mutual trust and integrity has enabled Carlisle Carrier Corp. to achieve outstanding growth in the competitive trucking industry. "If we make a promise, we're going to keep it," said David L. Metzler, president of Carlisle Carrier in Mechanicsburg. "In fact, we usually deliver more than we promise." Metzler's deeply held belief in treating his clients and employees with respect and appreciation has propelled the company from a five-tractor, five-trailer operation in April 1990 to a thriving business of 130 tractors, 275 trailers and 150 employees. Revenues for 1996 are projected to be $16.5 million, up from $13.8 million in 1995. And the company's growth continues to roll along. Carlisle Carrier recently awarded a contract to enlarge its current facility, acquired its first new trucks as part of an aggressive fleet upgrade, added a satel1ite-based communication system to all of its trucks and is in the process of developing a new logistics services division. Carlisle Carrier specializes in transporting grocery products and operates in a regional territory that extends west to Ohio, south to Richmond/Norfolk, Va., north to the New York/Canadian border and east to the Atlantic Ocean. The company has purposely limited its delivery range. "That's as far as we can go that makes sense for our business and enables our drivers to be home on the weekends," Metzler explained. Telling drivers they'll be able to spend weekends with their families is just one of the promises Carlisle Carrier keeps. "If it means bringing an empty truck home from Portland, Maine, on a Friday afternoon, it happens," he said. That caring attitude extends to customers who have learned that Carlisle Carrier can be depended on, no matter what. As the final, critical link in the supply chain, Metzler understands the important role his company plays in the process that begins with growing wheat in Iowa and ends with getting the final product to grocery stores. "If we fail, the process fails," Metzler said. Adopting sophisticated technology has furthered the company's commitment to providing extraordinary service and has made it a more valuable partner to its customers. The satellite-based mobile communication system installed in its trucks gives Carlisle Carrier the ability to locate every truck in its system and get messages to its drivers in seconds. The system also enables drivers to report problems, such as mechanical failures, so the company can respond immediately. "We deal in hours, not days," Metzler said. "If a truck breaks down, we have very little time to react to ensure that the delivery isn't late." The company also offers a full range of electronic-data interchange capabilities. Customers can send information to the company via computer, and Carlisle Carrier can electronically accept, acknowledge and respond to the transmission. The company can also electronically handle freight billing. a factor that has particular significance to larger clients who are searching for ways to do more with fewer employees. In addition, Carlisle Carrier is currently researching an imaging-technology system which will enable the company to respond within minutes to a customer's request for a proof of delivery. Not all services fall into the glamorous category of cutting-edge technology. Some of them fall under the basic heading of dependable transport. One of the company's greatest strengths is its ability to support efficient consumer response (ECR) initiations. One of the company-supported ECR initiatives is the continuous replenishment process (CRP). Through CRP, grocery store chains are guaranteed a continuous supply of inventory through regularly scheduled deliveries. Another is direct store delivery (DSD). Normally, Carlisle Carrier picks up products at a warehouse and delivers them to a grocery store chain's distribution center, which is then responsible for getting the products to the individual stores within its jurisdiction. With DSD, Carlisle Carrier eliminates the distribution center and delivers the products directly to the stores. Typically, DSD is done in conjunction with a sale, such as a special coupon offer. A food-product company will pre-pare specially designed, end-of -aisle racks that are used to display a promotional item, and Carlisle Carrier will deliver them to the grocery stores. Timing and dependability are critical in DSD because food product companies create a demand through advertising, and consumers expect the products to be available. “It's one of those jobs that can't fail,” Metzler said, “and Carlisle Carrier is becoming the carrier to call to handle them.” As a result of Carlisle Carrier's commitment to developing nurturing, interdependent relationships with its customers, the company is developing a third-party logistics services division, Carlisle Logistics Services (CLS). CLS will provide customers with information management, which involves analyzing the flow of shipments and the opportunities for optimizing consolidation, and traffic management, which helps customers make transportation decisions or makes them on behalf of the customers. CLS is an offshoot of services Carlisle Carrier already offers: sole sourcing, in which a customer designates Carlisle Carrier as its only carrier; dominant sourcing, in which Carlisle Carrier is the primary carrier or is the sole source option for a portion of the customer's distribution; and load consolidation services, which provide for optimizing co-loading opportunities with the goal of reducing transportation costs without compromising delivery service. The company's continuing growth is being manifested in two ways: through the enlargement of its facilities and the purchase of new equipment. Carlisle Carrier recently awarded a contract for the construction of new / offices and a new, 5,OOO-square-foot dock facility at its current location on Brackbill Boulevard in Mechanicsburg. The existing building will be renovated into a driver-training center. The company is planning to acquire land close by for future expansion. In June, the company acquired 25 International Harvester 9400 convention-al sleeper tractors, its first new trucks. Plans are to purchase 25 additional new tractors during each of the next three years to replace existing used trucks, with options for an additional l5 each year to accommodate growth needs. In July, the company purchased 50 53-foot, dry-van trailers equipped with air-ride suspension. which followed the purchase of 50 such trailers in June 1995. “As we grow, our technology, our equipment and our facilities will change,” Metzler said. “But the fundamental strengths of our company will remain the same. We will continue to get extraordinary results from our employees by believing in them, and we will continue to pursue proactive partnerships with our clients to strengthen their businesses and ours.” For more information on Carlisle Carrier; please call (717) 691-8600. Back to top © 2008 Carlisle Carrier Corporation. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement | Contact Us |