For over 15 years, the relationship between Averitt and Virco, an American manufacturer and supplier of school furniture and equipment, has continued to thrive and grow. From standard LTL services to dedicated fleet operations, and international forwarding, Averitt helps Virco deliver first-class delivery experience to schools and offices—even through the most challenging of times.
Watch the video below to learn about the relationship and how Virco's supply chain remains resilient with the help of Averitt.
Transcription of the Video:
Paul Gall (Virco, Vice President of Logistics): Virco's been in business since 1950, producing school furniture—primarily K-12, but also college and university.
Here at our manufacturing facility in Conway (Arkansas), about 97% of what we sell to our customers is produced in-house. We take things—from coils of steel—and make make them into frames. We powder coat our own materials here. We also do chroming in-house. We take raw materials and form them into tops for desks...buckets (made by) injection molding. We're pretty organic in our manufacturing.
Mike Monin (Averitt, Regional Vice President): Virco is a true example of The Power of One. (They) started out as an LTL customer with us, grew into Dedicated. We do truckload with them. We do expedited with them. We're doing international for them. So, all the services that Averitt offers, Virco has participated and continues to participate.
Scott Presley (Virco, Director of Warehousing): We have a wonderful relationship with Averitt. They're not just a name. They are very responsive to any issues that we have, any questions we have, anything that they can do for us...(they) get any problems and issues taken care of that we need.
Gall: When you're faced with a problem, you reach out to one of your most trusted allies, and carriers. And that's what we did. We reached out to Averitt.
We started talking ahead about our sales ticking up... we're going to have this capacity... we started talking about the additional trailers that we may need from a ship and hold standpoint. The things we can do to get product out closer to our customers, making it easier to make that delivery. Summer capacity...flex up help that we use. (There were) lots of different tools that Averitt was able to use to help step up and be able to get product out to our customers.
We're a little bit unique in that we're more of a business-to-consumer model. The touchpoints that we have are with the consumer and not necessarily with a professional warehouse operation. Averitt's taken the time to understand that, (and) to communicate that with their drivers. And that interaction they have with our customers, often times, is the only interaction that a customer may have from Virco.
Maggie McClellan (Virco, Logistics Analyst): Another important aspect (of the relationship) is the appearance of the (Averitt) drivers...they all have uniforms, and they're clean, and neat. And that goes a long way, especially in delivering to schools where there are children involved. And we want the best appearance we can get.
Gall: Averitt's understood that taking the time to train their people to understand that part of it (the delivery to schools), and they deliver on that better than anyone else we have.
Monin: In business, like in life, people do business with people they like and trust. Trust is vital to not only growing your business, but retaining your business, and it also helps you get through some of the tougher times.
Gall: The openness we have with Averitt and the trust we've built over the last 15 years or so that we've been in business together has allowed us that freedom—(that) if we have a problem on our side, we are very open to be able to go to Averitt.
They're very open to hearing the problems we have, and taking it to the right team. That open collaboration allows us both to understand the growth opportunities, the pain points we face, and finding solutions for those as we go forward. And that's going to serve...both companies well, but certainly our company very well in the next couple of years.
