Outsourced Logistics

SANTA FE SPRINGS, California –  Weber Distribution, a leading third party logistics and supply chain management provider for 85 years, announced today that it has started installing HardBody® plastic liners into California Innovations’ collapsible cooler bags to help turn their inventory quicker by assembling the products on-demand, improve their delivery times, and save money on their transportation and storage costs.  Weber has an existing contract with California Innovations, the world’s largest producer of soft-sided insulated products including coolers, lunch bags and diaper bags, to manage the majority of their U.S. import-related warehousing, transportation and distribution needs.   The terms of the agreement were expanded this month with Weber adding two assembly lines to its Southern California-based Fontana facility and a team of 20 workers to produce the finished product. The assembly consists of inserting the HardBody® liners into California Innovations’ thermal insulated cooler bags, meeting their shipment commitments, and packing and palletizing the orders. The soft-sided collapsible coolers take up one-third of the space without the HardBody® plastic liners, helping California Innovations save money on its storage costs. “By Weber assembling our coolers at their Fontana distribution center, we are able to turn our inventory quicker because the product is created as the market demands it,” said Carlos Garrido, California Innovations’ director of operations (logistics & distribution).  “We used to build large volumes of product at another facility in Los Angeles and then ship the finished goods to Weber where it would sit around before it was sold. Now we are producing our product locally at the distribution center and it’s assembled as required, which has significantly decreased our costs and improved our turnaround time.”  California Innovations’ HardBody® plastic liners are manufactured in Chino, California, just 20 miles from Weber, while the soft-sided coolers are shipped to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach from China. California Innovation provides Weber with a monthly forecast 15 days in advance to assemble the coolers for their customers, which includes approximately 241,000 units. Weber, in turn, distributes approximately 125,000-130,000 cases per month to a variety of California Innovations’ customers, including Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, Walgreens and Kohl’s.    To ensure items are available for its customers at anytime, California Innovations stores and distributes up to 1000 skus of product at Weber’s Fontana facility. The facility is California Innovations’ largest distribution location and Weber has dedicated nearly the entire 302,000 square foot facility to handling the soft-sided insulated products manufacturer’s storage, inventory management, order fulfillment, and outbound transportation needs.    The value-added services Weber performs for California Innovations includes meeting target schedules, on-time shipments, quality compliance, continuous improvement and efficiency initiatives measurement, process management, change management, lean manufacturing, and volume production. Weber also provides California Innovations with inventory control through regular cycle counts, order processing, label creation, and ensuring retail compliance associated with each order that is shipped. Weber’s comprehensive Retail Compliance program manages all of the major retailers’ specific routing, shipping and labeling requirements.  About California Innovations

Based in Toronto, Canada, California Innovations invented the collapsible cooler in 1990 and since that time, the category has continued to grow. Today California Innovations sells more soft-sided insulated products in more channels of distribution and in more countries than any other soft-sided insulated product company in the world. Some of the major retailers that sell California Innovations products in the United States include: Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Walgreens, and Kohl’s.  About Weber Distribution Based in Los Angeles, Weber Distribution has evolved into a nationwide provider of logistics solutions.  Weber’s expertise includes non-asset freight management, asset-based LTL and TL services, including temperature-controlled, dedicated and shared warehousing, distribution, cross-docking/pool distribution, transloading, network optimization modeling and analysis, retail compliance, order fulfillment, material handling, supply chain management, real estate development, and personnel staffing.  Weber specializes in providing its clients with unique logistics solutions primarily to three vertical markets:-Retail & Import -Food & Beverage/CPG-Chemical/Specialty Products  Weber serves many well-known and respected companies such as Wal-Mart, Safeway, PPG, Chevron, Proctor & Gamble, General Mills, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Scholastic Books, Hershey, Nestlé, Coors, Ocean Spray, and Welch’s. As a result of its on-going innovation, experience and dedication, Weber has been the recipient of numerous industry awards, including: -Inbound Logistics’ Top 100 3PLs

-Logistics Management’s Top 50 3PLs

-The Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top 100 Privately-Held Companies

-Food Logistics Magazine’s Top 50 3PLs

-Food Logistics Magazine’s FL100 listing of the top technology solution and service providers to the food industry. For more information about Weber Distribution and its services, please call 877-624-2700 or visit www.weberdistribution.com.