It should come as no surprise that the folks at FSI are a bit competitive. We sneer at the notion that anyone could top our 99.9% pick/pack/ship accuracy rate, and point to our steadily growing collection of achievements ranging from the Inc. 5000 List to the Top 25 Businesses as proof of how hard we like to work. But with the cool weather sending us an official memo that summer is gone, it seemed like a great idea to share a terrific fall meal together. And what better way to start off a great meal than to announce the winners from the 2011 FSI Chili Cook-Off? So that’s exactly what we did today.
No beans about it, these guys can cook! We had 9 entries, and each one was really good. Ranging from a little on the sweet side to a bit on the fiery side, it was all good. Forrest Marbutt, Carleen Blakes, Charlie Hayes, and Daryl Gramling were selected to judge the event, and the hardest part was figuring out who should claim the first prize.
But someone had to win, and as it turns out, Karen Cross walked away with the blue ribbon. Not bad for someone who doesn’t even eat chili! Second prize went to Drew Yarborough, with Bobby Stephenson right on his heels in third place. There was tons of food, and the only thing missing was live music by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Sadly, they’re on tour in Ireland.)
We have always enjoyed our company gatherings. Thanks to everyone who participated and congrats to the winners!
Tags: FSI, Chili Cook-Off
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“Is there anything you guys just won’t do?”
I think we answered that question pretty well on May 15th when Forrest and I arrived in Mountain City, Georgia for the 2011 Warrior Dash. The Warrior Dash (www.warriordash.com) is a peaceful, relaxing event combining 3.2 miles of running in the mountains with 11 obstacle courses. The obstacles ranged from scaling a 20-foot high wall to crawling through massive mud pits to jumping through fire to get to the finish line. And if that weren’t enough, I had a chest-wracking respiratory infection that week and had been advised to take it easy. But I was afraid Forrest would give me a wedgie if I chickened out on him, so I stuck to the plan. We certainly had a blast though, and my doctor has assured me I will make a full recovery.
But when it comes to your packages, this is the kind of attitude you want your fulfillment partner to have. You want a partner with a vested interest in seeing every package shipped correctly, on time, and without hassle. Do we have to stay late? No problem. Do we have to re-pack the entire job to fix the mistakes the previous fulfillment company made? Been there, done that. Do we have to design a custom database around an insane set of business rules? As we speak, we’re in fact working on the second such project in a month.
Every department at FSI knows we have to jump through the fire from time to time; it’s just what we do. So how about you? What can FSI do for your next project?
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Ten provinces, three territories, and over 34 million inhabitants. It is the world’s second largest country by total area, and the shared border between our two nations is the longest in the world. It sure sounds like a great business opportunity to market to these guys. But professionals in the fulfillment industry could add a note of caution. The customers are there and their dollars can provide a much-needed boost in this economy. Problems can arise however when your product is ready for shipment, and since the root of the problem lies in a complex array of government regulations, asking if it’s worth it is good business sense.
Zappos, the shoe and accessory giant, should know. This month it will close its online doors to Canadian customers due in part to the logistical challenges of getting products into Canadian hands. (See http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/03/25/zappos-closes-its-canadian-storefront for the full article).
What makes it so hard? You pack a box, slap a shipping label on it, and everyone’s happy. Right? But first the package must make it through Canadian Customs, who can slap the same package with hefty duties and taxes. If that package is among the many that are opened for close inspection, your package can be seriously delayed and the result is an unsatisfied customer through no fault of your own. Customs also routinely disputes the reported value of the products, presumably to increase the amount of taxes that can be assessed. And if that isn’t enough, a mountain of complexity and cost can be incurred in the form of finding which of tens of thousands of harmonized trading codes (HTS) apply to your products. Telling Customs there’s a t-shirt in the box isn’t enough; they also want to know what it’s made out of, what kind of style it is, the country of manufacturer, the size, and more. Each of these pieces of data helps determine the amount of taxes that must be paid before the product can legally enter the country. Invest in discovering the right codes and your product may slip through Customs smoothly; but pick the wrong one and the package is stopped in its tracks. Don’t want the hassle of finding out the HTS code? Customs is usually happy with that too, they’ll be glad to assess the product at a higher tax rate.
Then there’s the question of who pays duties and taxes – is it you or your customer? Will they really pay $15 in duties and $20 on shipping for a $30 product? You could of course use a cheaper shipping option, but here at FSI we field constant complaints from customers whose USPS package was lost and there’s no tracking available. But the USPS provides guaranteed international tracking, right? Surprisingly the answer is no. A tracking number may be created, but once it leaves the United States, the visibility of that package often disappears. Using a major private carrier such as UPS all but eliminates that problem, but the full tracking capabilities can come at a steep shipping cost.
A great fulfillment provider is an essential component of your international sales strategies, and indeed FSI has invested in the systems to make international shipping (especially to Canada), as easy as possible. From supporting the HTS codes to using technologies that often reduce the amount of paperwork required for international shipments, we can be an even greater asset to your business. Even so, shipping-related labor costs to handle Customs requirements can have a detrimental impact on bottom lines.
Ultimately, each business must weigh the costs and benefits of offering products to our northerly neighbors. Just be sure to set realistic expectations when determining your strategy.
FSI is an Atlanta, Georgia based provider of quality fulfillment services. Founded in 1996, it has shipped millions of packages to nearly 160 countries worldwide.
Tags: FSI, Canadian Shipments
Move over, Superman. Pictured left to right: Daryl Gramling (Director of IT); Ken Marbutt (President); Forrest Marbutt (Vice President and General Manager); and Bobby Bounds (Director of Operations)
FSI has done some mighty crazy things since arriving on Atlanta’s fulfillment scene. Starting with just two employees, a temp, and some serious caffeine we knocked out our first job of 200,000 kits in about 6 days. We’ve run multiple shifts, worked into the ungodly hours of the morning; and packed just about every type of kit known to man. So on April 1, 2011, it seemed perfectly natural to don some wetsuits, adjust our capes, and fly gallantly into FSI’s main warehouse to celebrate our most recent milestone.
Okay we actually walked into the warehouse (mainly to avoid flying into power lines, which isn't covered by insurance), but celebrate we did. Today is the fifteenth anniversary of Fulfillment Strategies International, certainly a perfect excuse to pull out all the stops. Corporate Events catered the meal and provided outdoor games, including a dunking booth which would explain the wetsuits. Wetsuits or not, the water was icy cold but it gave our tremendous team of employees the chance to dunk the manager of their choice for all the times they’ve been called upon to pull off some truly heroic feats. (Attention employees: retribution will surely follow – you know who you are).
But as we dried off the water on this 51-degree April day, we warmed up to the incredible memories that are still being made. FSI serves an amazing variety of clients, from small startups to globally-recognized leaders, and just about everything in between. Some are getting started with just a few orders per day and others send us thousands of orders per day. But there is one thing our clients have in common: they know FSI will do everything humanly possible to complete every job with a level of excellence befitting our favorite superheroes. They tell us all the time, “we couldn’t have done it without you.”
So on our 15-year anniversary, we’d like to say, “right back at ya.” We couldn’t be here without a dedicated staff and the clients that make it all possible.
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