FORTE Plays Cupid and Red Envelope Wins the Customer’s Affection

January 14, 2003 – FORTE, a leading national distribution consulting/engineering and systems implementation firm, today, announced the completion of a new picking and shipping system for 3PF, the third party logistics provider for Red Envelope. With the implementation of the new system designed by FORTE, Red Envelope will guarantee that gifts ordered by 11:00 p.m. February 13 are delivered on the 14th making Red Envelope the forgetful lover’s key to a happy Valentine’s Day.

With a new brand image built around the traditional red box and white satin bow, Red Envelope’s orders were soaring and the company was quickly outgrowing their existing pick and pack system and storage space in the Wilmington, Ohio distribution center. In addition, the current operational layout could not support the forecasted sales of 2003. The serialized processing of order groups through quality assurance, gift-wrap, over pack, and manifest created the major problem. An issue in quality assurance would delay shipment of the entire group of orders. Likewise, a slow worker in manifest or gift-wrap would slow down the entire operation.

FORTE took single-source responsibility for the relocation of the equipment to the new distribution center, the new facility design, the implementation, and the commissioning of the new system. FORTE’s new layout includes 260 ft of double-sided pick aisle, a new quality assurance and gift wrap system that provides the flexibility of free package flow to independent gift-wrapping stations.

With the new system in place, Red Envelope tripled capacity, increased efficiencies and streamlined operations allowing them to accurately meet order requirements and increasing customer satisfaction without the cost of doubling the work force. All of this was completed in only 9 months.

Built on a last-minute approach of gift-giving, Red Envelope offers an extensive collection of gifts through their web site and catalog. With the goal to make gift giving for all occasions and circumstances easy and fun, Red Envelope selected FORTE to provide the engineering, project management, mechanical equipment, electrical equipment, programming, controls and field services necessary to provide a picking and shipping system for Red Envelope operations in the 3PF.com facility located at Lockbourne, Ohio.

“It is extremely exciting to see the systems we implement impact our clients’ businesses so quickly and positively,” said Gene FORTE, President of FORTE,” We are honored to provide world class solutions to world class companies such as Red Envelope and 3PF.”

FORTE is a solutions-driven company with a proprietary approach to providing world class supply chain consulting engineering, design-build, and continuous process improvement services. The systems and services provided by FORTE help to increase accuracy, throughput and optimize space to lower overall costs.

Press Contact

William Taylor
FORTE
(513) 398-2800
wtaylor@forte-industries.com