Freight Company Helps Collapse Apparel Industry Inventory Space

Compiled ByDeborah Austin Lazer Transportation Services has delivered a new shipping tool to meet fashion manufacturers' peak-season logistics challenges. The solution: collapsible containers for garments shipped on hangers. Shipped collapsed to garment factories, they use 12% of the space of older methods, then are quickly assembled as needed on the factory floor. This expedites Lazer's air-delivery arrangements of display-ready garments to buyers/retailers. The collapsible container program first was proposed six months ago in response to apparel-industry need. Lazer worked closely on development with alliance partners Distance Packaging Solutions and Guatemala-based Caniz International Corp. The first shipments were in late August, from Guatemalan factories to North American retailers. Detroit-based Lazer -- a freight forwarding and customs-house brokerage service -- and Distance Packaging are businesses of F.X. Coughlin Co.