Mazda Embraces Kewill Shipping Solutions

How do automotive manufacturers get their parts into dealerships' hands? At Irvine, Calif.-based Mazda North American Operations, Kewill Solutions North America is lending a hand. Mazda has gone live with Kewill's enterprise shipping solution to manage the fulfillment of auto parts from Mazda's five U.S. distribution centers to its 700 U.S. dealerships and 200 Canadian dealerships. That amounts to 724,000 parcels and 35,000 less-than-load shipments, according to Kewill. Kewill's shipping service includes a time-in-transit optimization feature, which chooses the best carrier based on costs and delivery commitment. Using the solution, Mazda can upload all freight charges to its third-party auditor to validate carrier shipment detail. "Prior to Kewill, there was no ability to enforce our carrier and shipping strategy," explains Bobbie Rooney, manager, national logistics and transportation for Mazda North American Operations. "We would sometimes ship an engine 10 miles from the warehouse via a parcel carrier because our terms and conditions with our customers dictated it, when using an LTL carrier was half the cost. Kewill allows us to drive best practices throughout our supply chain." Kewill Solutions North America, Marlborough, Mass., is a division of Kewill Systems plc.