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MGA Entertainment is the largest privately held toy and entertainment company in the U.S., known for its commitment to creativity, quality, and innovation. Since its start in 1979, MGA has created more than 13 brands from scratch that have surpassed $100 million in sales around the world. Each brand has been conceived by in-house talent, which is why they call themselves “bold, outside the box, blue sky thinkers.” Such innovative thinking has helped them overcome many challenges, including logistical ones.
MGA’s success has led to a brisk pace of shipments, as many as 70 truckloads per day. Each truckload can contain multiple orders, each with its bill of lading, printed in triplicate to provide a copy to accounting, the warehouse, and the driver.
MGA had a system for digitally archiving its shipping documents, reflecting its forward-thinking culture. Yet, getting all of those signed papers scanned into the system and archived was a full-time job for multiple employees, and during peak periods the process could become backlogged. This could potentially affect their ability to report on that information, respond to lost shipment claims, and other important factors.
As a result, they began the search for a more powerful solution that could automate logistics processes, reduce the use of paper, and accelerate their reporting workflow and information retrieval.
MGA’s success has led to a brisk pace of shipments, as many as 70 truckloads per day. Each truckload can contain multiple orders, each with its bill of lading, printed in triplicate to provide a copy to accounting, the warehouse, and the driver.
MGA had a system for digitally archiving its shipping documents, reflecting its forward-thinking culture. Yet, getting all of those signed papers scanned into the system and archived was a full-time job for multiple employees, and during peak periods the process could become backlogged. This could potentially affect their ability to report on that information, respond to lost shipment claims, and other important factors.
As a result, they began the search for a more powerful solution that could automate logistics processes, reduce the use of paper, and accelerate their reporting workflow and information retrieval.
After reviewing two other options, MGA learned that SmartBOL has a decade of solution experience with shipping document workflows that addresses the fast-moving and flexible demands of their industry.
They found its cloud-based architecture and its ability to integrate with their critical systems to be a key implementation requirement. That architecture would also deliver future advantages for improving their logistics performance years after the initial deployment.
” We had two employees whose full- time job was to scan documents into our archival system. Since we migrated to SmartBOL, they’ve been made available to better serve the company in other departments “
Senior WMS Analyst,
MGA Entertainment
Two executives at MGA Entertainment that worked closely with SmartBOL, a Senior WMS Analyst and a Systems Analyst, explain the benefits they experienced after implementation
We’ve basically gotten away from paper. Now, the only thing we print is a bill of lading for the drivers.
With our previous system and nearly 50 employees accessing it, we saw delays as long as 5 to 10 minutes to print shipping documents in our warehouses. Adding them up, these delays were very frustrating for our team. With SmartBOL, the documents are printed instantly
Now, rather than having to scan and upload our shipping documentation, everything is instantly available electronically as soon as we release the load. Signatures are captured and stored with the documents. Even if we have to update a document and have it resigned, we can still access both copies—all uploaded and stored automatically
Communication between our accounts receivable team and the warehouse has greatly improved with SmartBOL. Having instant access to signed shipping documents has significantly improved our claims response time and helps us get paid faster.
We had two employees whose full-time job was to scan documents into our archival system. Since we migrated to SmartBOL, they’ve been made available to better serve the company in other departments.
Having the documentation instantly available helps us dispute driver detention fees from the logistics providers. We can show proof that the driver signed out within the allotted two hour window, saving us hundreds of dollars.
Because of the limitations of their previous system and the delay caused by scanning thousands of paper documents, operations visibility was impacted. Now, it’s a different story. “SmartBOL has provided visibility for everyone in the organization, from finance to the warehouse to IT. We can all see the same results.
We use a deduction and chargeback management platform to assist with shipping disputes. SmartBOL integrates with their API, allowing them to access our documents so they can provide proof of delivery in real time, instead of our employees sifting through paperwork.
With our legacy system, we had difficulty quantifying the documentation itself. We had duplicates and other data-related issues. With SmartBOL, we know our data is clean, so customers are receiving accurate documentation.
Even the best software solution would be of little benefit without support from its vendor. How did MGA’s team view the implementation assistance they received from SmartBOL?
The SmartBOL implementation went very smoothly. Everyone on their team was very helpful. Abhay helped us work with our data. He didn’t say ‘It’s your problem, you fix it,’ rather, he got his hands in the dirt and helped us with problems on our side as well. SmartBOL wasn’t rigid, adhering solely to standards; they tailored their product to our needs
SmartBOL has outstanding customer service. We’ve had a few times where an entire team of their people were working on an issue that arose in order to resolve it quickly.
With a reduced load on IT systems, a streamlined shipping process, and better customer service as a result of instant access to shipping information, MGA has already seen major benefits from implementing SmartBOL. And there’s more to come as they continue to leverage more of its features.
Without a doubt, choosing SmartBOL meets the demands of MGA’s commitment to further growth and innovation for years to come.
Now, rather than having to scan and upload our shipping documentation, everything is instantly available electronically as soon as we release he load. Signatures are captured and stored with the documents. Even if we have to update a document and have it resigned, we can still access both copies—all uploaded and stored automatically.
Senior WMS Analyst,
MGA Entertainment