ITS Logistics, a leading third-party logistics provider, announced that their partnership with natural cheesemaker Pacific Cheese has resulted in a 13% reduction in transportation spend, which is inclusive of 20% cost savings for their less-than-truckload transportation needs. 

The results are a testament to the efficacy of managed services for mid-market companies, which notoriously struggle to find innovative supply chain solutions as they scale.

“When you’re small, you can build it yourself. When you’re really large, you can buy a TMS, hire analysts, and pay for market intelligence,” said Brandon Smith, vice president of operations at Pacific Cheese. “Pacific Cheese was caught in the middle of these two extremes. We’d grown too large and complex to self-manage in a cost-efficient way, but not large enough to justify the cost of all the people and tech to keep doing it in-house. With ITS, we get all the benefits but only pay for what we use in technology, management and thought leadership.”

Family-owned Pacific Cheese is a revered industry pioneer that supplies dairy products for leading retail brands and multiple of the top five fast food chains in the country. Over the past 20 years, its footprint has expanded from California to an international network of suppliers and customers, including three domestic production facilities.

To support its current operations and ensure the company is prepared for ongoing growth, ITS implemented a fully-managed logistics solution that provides Pacific Cheese with enterprise-level sophistication at scale. The program includes a dedicated managed transportation team, implementation of a customized transportation management system (TMS), and a fully managed RFP process that expanded Pacific Cheese’s carrier network while optimizing network utilization and enhancing fraud prevention strategies.

“Mid-market shippers have to work much harder to be cost-efficient than enterprises, especially when it comes to logistics,” said Jameson Goforth, vice president of final mile and managed solutions at ITS Logistics.  

Since partnering with ITS, Pacific Cheese has achieved measurable improvements across its supply chain operations, including:

• 13% overall transportation cost reduction with month-over-month savings growth.
• 19% lane-specific savings achieved by redesigning routes for optimal utilization.
• 20% reduction in LTL spend through improved network efficiency and consolidation.
• The ability to pass costs savings directly along to customers, either directly or by way of finished goods pricing.
• Increased visibility and communication via integrated TMS and real-time shipment tracking.
• Enhanced carrier procurement process and access to industry-leading carrier vetting technology including GenLogs, DAT and Highway.

About ITS Logistics
ITS Logistics is one of North America's fastest-growing, asset-based modern 3PLs, providing solutions for the industry’s most complicated supply chain challenges. With a people-first culture committed to excellence, the company relentlessly strives to deliver unmatched value through best-in-class service, expertise, and innovation. The ITS Logistics portfolio features North America's #18 asset-lite freight brokerage, a top drayage and intermodal solution, an asset-based dedicated fleet, an innovative cloud-based technology ecosystem, and a nationwide distribution and fulfillment network.

About Pacific Cheese
Pacific Cheese supplies the highest quality service and cheese products to retail and foodservice industries around the world. As a family-owned business with more than 50 years in the industry, Pacific Cheese is known for its commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and innovative solutions for their customers.