Meridian IQ Leading the Way with Transportation Solutions

When Dollar Tree faced a tough supply-chain challenge, Meridian IQ came through with a transportation management solution that saved time—and dollars. As a Yellow Corporation subsidiary, Meridian IQ has the capabilities to offer a one-stop shop, and the flexibility to provide each client with an individualized solution.

With more than 2,000 discount variety stores in 41 states, Dollar Tree Stores Inc. needed to shave supply-chain costs. Communication among its suppliers, seven distribution centers, and transportation providers was overwhelming its system with so many faxes and e-mails to process that choosing the best carrier required cumbersome manual processes. Dollar Tree officials recognized that they needed a more efficient system for choosing the best carrier for a particular lane. And that meant selecting technology tools that would streamline internal processes, increase data visibility, and reduce operating costs. They turned to Meridian IQ, a fully owned subsidiary of Yellow Corporation based in Overland Park, Kan., to develop the front end of an inbound transportation-management system (TMS).

Meridian IQ recommended that Dollar Tree deploy PowerTMS™ to automate its front end. Meridian IQ staff worked with Dollar Tree employees to set up training for key suppliers, and also produced online guides and manuals for their remaining supplier base, among other things.

All of this activity took place in the space of three or four months, after which Dollar Tree officials reported they were able to choose the right carrier automatically based on performance and cost, resulting in shorter turnaround times, reduced transportation costs, and far less wasted communication time. Dollar Tree suppliers and carriers can now fulfill purchase orders online, which helps increase management efficiency.

The Dollar Tree success story is just one of many examples of how Meridian IQ-with its one-stop approach to transportation management-is helping Yellow Corporation customers trim costs throughout the supply chain. The solution Dollar Tree needed was specific to technology, but other companies find the need for much broader transportation solutions. And, “in times of financial stress and heightened security requirements, supply-chain cost containment is more important than ever to businesses,” says William Zollars, chairman, president, and CEO of Yellow Corporation.

Meridian IQ started in January 2002. A year and a half later, the division is generating about $100 million in revenues, is profitable, and is “well received by customers,” according to Zollars.

“The idea has always been to provide a broad enough set of capabilities so customers don’t have to go anywhere else for the assets [trucks] or technology to form a transportation solution, whether that’s air or international. This gives us the ability to provide a customer, like Dollar Tree, a set of solutions that fits their need,” he explains. Zollars says this sort of one-stop shopping approach for big shipments is unique to Yellow, and won’t be found among technology vendor and third-party logistics companies “who can’t move shipments.”

Meridian IQ offers flexible options to customers. Dollar Tree opted to use a technology solution from Meridian IQ to automate a portion of its business. Other customers turn to Meridian IQ to handle all transportation/logistics needs. And then there are those that mix and match services.

What’s key, Zollars says, is that Meridian IQ promotes “a fast ROI, a tremendous amount of flexibility in all solutions, and can be customized on a case-by-case basis.”

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