VersaCold provides more than services; we offer completely integrated and customized solutions. This week we are taking a look at our successful partnership with Schooten & Sons Custom Feedyard Ltd., a family owned operation that has been in the cattle feeding and farming business for 40 years. The company operates a 45,000 head custom feed yard that specializes in finishing calves utilizing the latest technology and industry innovations as part of its custom feedyard operations.
Why did Schooten & Sons Custom Feedyard Ltd. turn to VersaCold to provide fourth party logistics (4PL) to manage its supply chain? Read more to find out.
The Opportunity:
VersaCold’s relationship with Schooten & Sons grew out of business development work with a leading Canadian processing provider that was exploring a new business model that would offer services to feedlots as an outsourced service. Historically, the provider would own the cattle and manage the full supply chain, including the slaughter, cut, packaging, transportation and final sale to its customers. However, the new model they introduced changed all that by providing a comprehensive value added service to feed yards without incurring the capital outlay typically associated with capital processing. This enabled Schooten to produce a high-grade product that was sought after worldwide, but left them without the necessary supply chain expertise to enter new markets. Partnering with VersaCold’s 4PL division allowed them to bridge that gap and leave the management of its supply chain to the experts so they could focus on what matters – its business.
With VersaCold as a partner, Schooten & Sons was able to obtain market access in China – a country that was looking to import Canadian beef that had met the stringent requirements set out by the Chinese government. Schooten was able to meet the requirements with its grain-fed, high-quality AAA Angus beef and a logistics partner that enabled its product to be exported in a safe, cost-effective and regulatory-compliant way.
VersaCold Solution:
VersaCold’s 4PL division, Foothills warehouse operation, and Calgary customer service team collaborated to lead the management of Schooten & Sons’ unique requirements to offer the following solution:
- Guided the entire paperwork process, which included: Reviewing the Incoterms of sale/transport, letter of credit requirements, all regulatory documentation, CFIA adherence, declaration of verified gross mass certificate, wood declaration, export declarations, master and house ocean bills of lading, detailed outbound tally sheets. These all had to be compiled for the complete package to be provided to Schooten for presentation to the bank.
- Failure to accurately provide these documents would result in non-payment, penalties and fines, rejection at destination or cancellation of the contract
- Provided access to the VersaCold Foothills facility, which is one of the limited number of Canadian warehouses certified to export to China and has valuable “blast freezing” capabilities required for shipping
- Coordinated the drayage of empty containers with the warehouse to fit loading schedules
- Handbalmed and scanned each individual box of product to capture into the containers at the Foothills facility box-by-box, since it could not be placed on pallets due to the import prevention of wood pallets regulations in China
- Temptales were added to the container to monitor and record temperature while in transit
- Designed an optimized load program using the receipt data for shipping to China that fit precise maximum weight and cube requirements
- Drayed the loaded containers to the CP or CN rail yard for rail transport direct to the port of Vancouver for shipment to China
- Once the containers were loaded on board and the vessel sails, the final master bills of lading were prepared and provided to Schooten with all supporting documents to fulfill the letter of credit obligations
Customer Benefits:
VersaCold’s customized solution provides Schooten & Sons with the following benefits:
- Addition of immediate export expertise to corporate capabilities
- Mitigation of risk to cross-border shipments being stopped due to process verification
- Expediting of cash to cash cycle
- Streamlined supply chain process
- Heightened product integrity through temperature secured network
We are proud to be a trusted partner of Schooten & Sons and look forward to continuing to provide them with access to new markets and helping them build profitable revenue streams in complex regulatory environments.
Interested in what VersaCold can do for your company? Contact one of our Sales Specialists today and let us show you why we are the right choice for your business. sales@versacold.com or 1-800-563-COLD
