An international service delivery organization urgently needed to simplify its publications distribution, which had two distinct streams: learning materials for instructor-led training and standards content for individuals as well as colleges and trade schools. Numerous methods for order fulfilment as well as production through multiple third-party vendors added to the complexity. The results were high cost of goods, inaccurate shipping cost estimates, steep in-house expenses, and no adaptability to changing market conditions.

With knowledge of how the current SDO market was evolving, Gilmore Global consulted with the client and recommended a consolidated solution. First, we deployed a Gilmore Global-hosted e-commerce service that provides robust order management combined with a print-on-demand production. The second phase involved full outsourcing of the client’s fulfillment center, which includes ERP and e-commerce integration, offset printing for high-volume titles, as well as real-time shipping cost integration.

The Gilmore Global result

Our consolidated program enabled the client to maintain consistent costs of goods, drastically reduce order lead times, eliminate the fixed costs of an in-house operation, minimize order cancellations, and significantly reduce overall program costs.