Imagine your warehouse bursting at the seams, inventory piling up, order fulfillment rates declining, and sales opportunities slipping through your fingers. This was the pressing challenge facing FORTPRO, a leading U.S. distributor of truck and trailer parts, before partnering with UPS Customer Solutions to transform its operations.
The Growth Challenge
FORTPRO USA/World Truck Parts LLC, headquartered in Miami, has grown rapidly since its 2006 founding to become a premier manufacturer and distributor of high-quality truck components. With distribution centers in Miami and Houston serving domestic and international markets, the company relies heavily on LTL freight forwarding.
E-commerce expansion brought explosive growth—and logistical headaches. "Our e-commerce business has grown year over year and we expect that trend to continue," explained Export Manager Marlon Romero. But this success strained their Miami warehouse capacity to its limits.
Warehouse Crisis Point
By 2021, FORTPRO's growth had created severe congestion. "We were in growth mode, and every aisle in the warehouse was blocked," Romero recalled. Facing the prospect of costly real estate expansion, the company turned to UPS Customer Solutions for third-party logistics expertise.
The UPS Solution
After thorough evaluation, UPS engineers proposed reorganizing the warehouse layout to separate pallet storage from picking areas—doubling inventory capacity without physical expansion. "By rearranging pallet positions, we doubled our inventory value," Romero noted. "This allowed us to keep increasing inventory and revenue without relocating."
The redesign improved throughput efficiency so dramatically that order fulfillment rates jumped from 75% to 90%. "We were missing sales opportunities due to space constraints," Romero said. "Now we can fulfill those orders."
Data-Driven Transformation
UPS conducted weeks of onsite analysis, creating velocity-based heat maps to optimize product placement. Fast-moving items were repositioned near packing stations, reducing retrieval time. The company implemented 90% of UPS's recommendations within six months, achieving:
- 25% revenue growth (2021-2022)
- 90% increase in net profit
- 10% more pallet positions within existing space
Operational Breakthroughs
New analytics dashboards gave managers real-time visibility into order processing, employee KPIs, and inventory accuracy. "Employees are more motivated seeing their performance metrics," Romero observed. "Our entire staff can access these connected dashboards."
Separating picking and packing operations introduced quality checks that reduced errors by 80%. "Without 'double control,' we made frequent mistakes," Romero explained. "Now packaging staff catch errors before shipment."
Sustainable Growth Strategy
The partnership's success has FORTPRO planning similar optimizations for its Houston facility. "Texas sales growth is significant," Romero said. "We'll work with UPS to design the new space proactively."
By maximizing existing infrastructure rather than expanding, FORTPRO achieved remarkable financial results. "Had we relocated, the 90% net profit increase wouldn't have happened due to higher operating costs," Romero concluded. "Staying put while growing sales 25% drove our profitability."