Success Stories
FedEx offers fast, reliable and top-of-the-line services for your unique small and medium business needs. Browse through a sampling of our recent success stories and read about how we have teamed up with and help grow our customers’ businesses through individual business analyses, tailored products and services, and overall solid and supportive customer relations.
Success Story - Industria de Corte, S.A. de C.V.Do you have a success story you would like to share?
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FedEx PyMEx Program
"The FedEx PyMEx Program provides businesses like ours tangible benefits we can take advantage of such as fast and on time deliveries. The program helps us lower shipping costs while providing counseling and educational resources for our personnel which is of great benefit and support of our staff”, said Jaime Guillermo Falcon Franco, CEO of INCOR.
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Success Story - Tobago Wild
FedEx PyMEx Program
“FedEx really has allowed me to grow my export business from a one-town operation to any-town operation,” Michael says. “It’s as if my fishermen are taking it right to the table.”
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Success Story - PoporoArts
FedEx PyMEx Program
“PoporoArts currently exports 80% of its production, thanks to the FedEx PyMEx Program, which enables us to fulfill our customers’ needs with the seriousness and quality that the international market demands and promotes” is how Luz Helena Gil and Norberto Cubillos, the partners/owners of the company, summarize their experience as members at of the FedEx PyMEx program.
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Complete Stories
Success Story - Industria de Corte, S.A. de C.V.FedEx PyMEx Program
Industria de Corte, S.A. de C.V. (INCOR) is a Mexican sector leader in the metallurgical industry, founded in 1979 as a business focused on cutting tools and machinery parts (parts involved in the processes such as turning, milling, polishing and welding). INCOR’s main clients are automotive industry companies, equipment and machinery manufacturing companies, reaching the highest levels of requirements not only in the Mexican market but also in the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Ecuador were INCOR products are recognized as products of the highest quality.
The challenge
INCOR needed to export high precision machinery parts mainly to the United States market. The success and operation of the business, as well as its growth in exports, largely depend on the efficiency of the logistic distribution process.
INCOR has been a client of FedEx since 2005 and became a member of the FedEx PyMEx Program a couple of years later, mainly using the “package consultancy” benefit since the parts they were exporting are very heavy and the packaging they used was complicating the export process. Through the use of one of the FedEx PyMEx Program benefits, FedEx was able to help INCOR improve their export process by reviewing their packaging at the FedEx Packaging Laboratory. This service is provided to FedEx customers free of charge.
In this lab, companies simply have to provide FedEx with a sample of the product inside the packaging they currently use to perform the necessary trials, certify the packaging, and obtain recommendations regarding changes these may require to ensure proper delivery of their shipments. They will even be provided with design plans in order to create the correct packaging to export their product.
The solution
INCOR received excellent ideas that helped design and certify its exports with improved packing and packaging. The tangible advantage has been seen in the reduction of losses in the transportation of their products. These benefits have allowed INCOR to trust FedEx with 70% of their exports.
INCOR also benefited from the FedEx Ship and Save Program; which allows members to receive attractive discounts for their exports which has helped INCOR reduce shipping costs by 5%.
INCOR needed a transportation service that would provide fast deliveries, since they required their shipments to be delivered to their clients between 48 to 72 hours, and guarantee the safety of their products. They looked for a special service that would manage fragile products since the finishing and tolerances of these high precision machinery parts are very strict. FedEx provided them with the level of service and guarantee they were looking for as well as the support and assistance of their executives in any situation.
"The FedEx PyMEx Program provides businesses like ours tangible benefits we can take advantage of such as fast and on time deliveries. The program helps us lower shipping costs while providing counseling and educational resources for our personnel which is of great benefit and support of our staff”, said Jaime Guillermo Falcon Franco, CEO of INCOR.
Since becoming a FedEx PyMEx Program member, INCOR has increased its exports from 8-10% to 22-28% of their total annual sales. The growth has been the result of high quality production combined with an improved export logistics method. This has helped them adequately manage the requirements of their clientele who have very high standards while obtaining high quality and homogeneity in the finished product and the delivery.
The exports of this company have been increasingly successful, mainly based on the experience of the FedEx PyMEx Program, which facilitates part of the process. As a result, INCOR showed important growth in the export market which won the company the National Award for Exports in November 2007.
“The main savings are in time and, of course, in cost. Through the FedEx PyMEx Program it is not necessary to have a department with logistic experts as we already have the direct and unconditional support and experience of FedEx employees backing us up,” added the executive.
With FedEx, INCOR has no risks; as they are confident because they have the peace of mind that their products are delivered on time. Thus, INCOR has won the trust of their clients. Now there are 38 people working for the company, it has an environmental management system and FedEx Express is also focused with the integral development of its staff and suppliers in order to improve the quality and services for its clients.
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Success Story - Tobago Wild
FedEx PyMEx Program
Tobago Wild is a Tobago-based hand-lined fresh fish exporter to the finest restaurants in the United States. This three-year-old, family-owned business started by Michael Dimin has flourished for him and the more than 100 local fishermen working the traditional pirogue boats in the pristine Caribbean waters of the West Indian Archipelago.
Tobago Wild promises customers its product will move “from hook to kitchen in less than 36 hours.” From New York City to Los Angeles, Tobago Wild’s never-frozen Wahoo, grouper, black fin tuna, mahi-mahi, amberjack and red snapper make daily appearances on the plates of discerning foodies.
Challenge and Opportunity
On a family vacation to the Tobagonian fishing village of Charlotteville, Michael discovered that by selling directly to the restaurants he could reduce his costs considerably and provide a fresher product.
Moving fresh food across borders requires a certain degree of coordination to maintain the products’ integrity and meet FDA requirements. However, moving sushi-grade fresh fish, which may never be frozen, calls for even greater attention to time in transit and delivery. Discerning chefs rely on daily shipments for their fresh fish supply and shouldn’t have to worry about customs clearance and brokerage.
Tobago Wild needed guaranteed air transportation capacity, customs brokerage, FDA clearance and timely delivery for the business to be successful. A first attempt with a basic commercial airliner in January 2005 limited shipments to New York City, and from there, only as far as its one delivery truck could travel in a day.
Eager to improve the situation for his business after one year, Michael approached FedEx for a solution to his shipping and brokerage constraints.
FedEx Express Solutions
“When Michael approached us, FedEx Express had been serving Trinidad and Tobago for 20 years, primarily providing document services,” said Gamal Hallim, Corporate Account Executive for FedEx Express, based in Trinidad. “This was the first time we had been approached to ship fresh fish out of Trinidad. The amazing thing is we didn’t do anything differently logistically,” Hallim notes. “What was different was the customer’s need to move perishables overnight.”
Beginning in January 2006, FedEx Express worked closely with Tobago Wild to understand its business and what it needed from a logistics provider in order to be successful. Daily flights would begin leaving Trinidad with 1,000 pounds of fish, packed in ice, pulled from the ocean just hours before.
The daily shipments with electronic manifests are pre-cleared by customs before the flight to Memphis even touches the ground, and within three hours the FDA and customs-cleared food is on its way to 20 waiting trucks in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington D.C. Housing its own FDA inspection and clearing offices at the Memphis Hub saves FedEx customers hours or even days of valuable time. And based on the customer’s needs FedEx added capacity to the market.
The Result
By leveraging the capabilities of the FedEx companies, FedEx was able to reduce Tobago Wild’s high daily customs brokerage fees, as well as lower its delivery costs by providing coordination and distribution services – all through a single point of contact. Thanks to the savings and improved logistics capabilities, this company has tripled its volume in its 16 months with FedEx Express.
Tobago Wild can now ship its fish throughout the United States to meet the strong demand being generated by word-of-mouth. And true to its promise, Tobago Wild’s goods reach their destination within 36 hours of being pulled out of the water.
A recent testimonial on Tobago Wild’s Web site from a New York restaurateur calls Michael’s business a “direct connection to the fishermen of Tobago.”
“FedEx really has allowed me to grow my export business from a one-town operation to any-town operation,” Michael says. “It’s as if my fishermen are taking it right to the table.”
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Success Story - PoporoArts
FedEx PyMEx Program
PoporoArts is a Colombian jewelry company that makes replicas of Pre-Colombian pieces from the Colombian Gold Museum as well as its own creations inspired by Latin American indigenous cultures. It began 16 years ago as a family initiative and is now run by the husband-and-wife team of Luz Helena Gil and Norberto Cubillos. They employ more than 30 women heads of household and have brought Indo-American jewelry to the most demanding international markets.
The excellent quality of its products brought it new customers who are increasingly rigorous about processes and require larger and larger orders. PoporoArts’ weak cash flow and limited production capacity became an obstacle to expansion, until they found that FedEx PyMEx Program is the perfect tool for its growth.
Challenge
In 1998 PoporoArts began to export. In Cartagena it discovered an international clientele that led it to look abroad. Brokering international deals was not the strong point of any member of the team, which was why from the very beginning they decided to form an alliance with a company with the prestige and experience they lacked. They found that FedEx Express was the perfect option.
PoporoArts has direct customers or international wholesalers through whom they market their products at important jewelry stores and museums in Europe. Through these direct customers and end customers, PoporoArts received inquiries from other places in the world where there was interest in their creations.
Going from their home market in Colombia to the European market was a great achievement that required a number of initiatives in terms of infrastructure and contracting, which weakened their cash flow and made it impossible for the company to finalize deals that were already in progress limiting the prospect of obtaining new customers. With this situation, PoporoArts had a strong need in obtaining strategic counseling in export processes that allowed them to better manage and optimize its economic resources.
Solution
Faced with this complex situation, PoporoArts accepted an invitation from FedEx Express to become part of their FedEx PyMEx Program, whose first benefit involved special rates for small and medium-sized export companies
This had a favorable outcome for PoporoArts and facilitated occasional deals with a number of South American countries (Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Panama and Venezuela) and with such far-off places as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
In addition to commercial benefits, FedEx PyMEx Program offered PoporoArts training on export documentation and methodology, technology for preservation and packaging, as well as FedEx support in customs and regulatory affairs.
PoporoArts’ entry into FedEx PyMEx Program brought them increasingly closer to their vision: conquering the American market. They currently have some presence through specialized jewelry stores and a company that sells accessories by catalog; these are the firm’s first steps in fulfilling its great objective goal.
Benefits
PoporoArts currently markets 5000 different models and 80% of its total production is exported.
The excellence of FedEx processes has guaranteed timely fulfillment of PoporoArts’ orders in accordance with the demands of international markets.
PoporoArts products arrive impeccably at their destinations. In 10 years of experience, they have never been received in less than perfect conditions, thanks to the firm’s optimum packaging with advice from FedEx Express and excellent FedEx’s packaging.
Customs support from FedEx’s has simplified complex processes for exporting.
At the same time, by being part of FedEx PyMEx Program, PoporoArts enjoys such benefits as preferential rates and advice on diverse topics that have confirmed the company as an SMB with growth prospects.
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