Abt Strikes a Balance with Material Handling

"Delivery was superb. Communication ahead was clear and helpful, the shipment was handled with care, and staff put on shoe covers before setting my speakers in the entry. Enjoying my fantastic new speakers. Thank you."

That review is from a customer in Colorado.?

It's true that we take extreme care with every product we ship across the nation. If you live far away and order something big and bulky from Abt, chances are it will arrive without a dent, scratch, or any damage at all. And we're proud of that: our material damages rate is lower than 1%. When you order a product from us, it will arrive swiftly and safely. But our Logistics team has worked hard to get us here, and Abt manages to tackle material handling in a completely sustainable way. We want others to share our values by matching great material handling with green initiatives.

What Is Material Handling?

Material handling at Abt is all about preventing damage before a product leaves our on-site warehouse. The idea is to ensure that customers who order an appliance anywhere in the country receive the same kind of quality service you'd find in Chicagoland. Just a few of the steps we take include adding corner posts to the package, as well as adding bubble wrap and air pillows to ensure that appliances and electronics are traveling safely. We pass none of that extra cost on to the customer.?

Thanks to our strategic packing and planning, products arrive safely at their new home. That wouldn't be possible without the help of the third-party carriers who share our values. When they see a package from Abt (we identify our products with a recognizable sticker), they stand at attention and know to take extra care with products for our customers.

These products aren't delivered on an Abt truck. Our Logistics team and third-party carriers make sure they arrive with the fewest touch-points necessary. How we pack things and how we deliver them feeds into just how sustainable our material handling practices are.

National Shipping, Delivered Sustainably

At Abt, sustainability is one of our core values. That's why our Logistics team takes green shipping seriously. In fact, we sometimes fly products on commercial carriers to their destinations for even quicker deliveries. They don't fly first class, though: instead, they travel in the belly of airplanes, in storage areas that would otherwise go unused.

More often, we send our products out on large trucks. While it's the classic way to ship things, we put an eco-friendly twist on it with expert handling skills. Our damage prevention team assesses the stowability of different products to get the most out of every truckload. The goal is to learn the best ways to efficiently pack multiple appliances on each truck to make safe, efficient trips. That reduces the amount of trailers we need to use, all for greener transport and reduced shipping costs that we can pass on to the customer.

Now It's Your Turn to Go Green

Finally, the package arrives at your door. You might think that all of that extra packaging (the corner posts, bubble wrap, shrink wrap and air pillows) seems wasteful. That's not the case, since nearly every bit of it is recyclable. Here at home, we're well-known for our Recycling Center, and we hope to send its spirit on with every shipment's recyclable packing materials.

We're constantly working toward a true balance of proper material handling, damage prevention and sustainability. And it's achievable for every business: national shipment doesn't need to come at the cost of proper product handling and environmental responsibility. We've struck that balance, and we can't wait to see where other retailers go in the future.