Globe Electric, the Canadian legacy “Creative Energy Company,” sees and does things differently. Since its founding in 1932, the company has sparked innovation and creativity within the lighting and electrical industry, constantly re-thinking how to elevate the ordinary through smarter and high-quality products.

Their entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond their service to customers and into their supply chain as a long-standing partner of Flexport’s. With Flexport as its primary logistics partner since 2015, Globe Electric has transformed its supply chain by embracing technology and data to optimize its processes and operations. They’ve since said goodbye to lengthy email chains, out-of-date spreadsheets, and a lack of real-time information, which previously prevented them from communicating proper timelines to customers.

Globe was first introduced to Flexport in 2015, when they decided to entrust Flexport, the new tech-forward logistics company on the block, with a single container. This quickly became half of Globe’s business. As Jason Starr, now Globe’s Vice President of Operations, recounted, at one point during the trial period, the key operations coordinator for Globe went on leave for a few weeks, prompting Jason to figure out just where everything was, and fast. That was the lightbulb moment for him. While half of their shipments were a mystery to be uncovered, the other half— the ones shipped with Flexport—were clearly organized and accounted for. From there, Globe moved all their shipments to Flexport and haven’t looked back.

Streamlining Processes and Communications

The visibility and information provided by Flexport’s platform enables more effective planning across the company. Globe’s forecasting team can now see when goods are arriving, allowing the team to minimize “out of stocks.” From there, they can relay this information to the warehouse team, which is responsible for planning labor and knowing what’s coming to the port, and when. When managing a supply chain resembles a relay race, communication at every level and team is mission-critical. At Globe, everyone has access to the information on Flexport’s platform. As Jason explains, “Flexport has provided open communication throughout the company, enabling us to answer day-to-day questions like ‘where are my goods? When are they arriving? – common questions for an industry that lacked visibility. All of these questions were solved from Flexport’s platform.”

Beyond enabling open communication, Flexport’s platform has significantly streamlined the documentation process for Globe. What might have previously required 50 back and forth emails is now consolidated into a single place. As Jason explains, “I have all my documents in one place, including customs clearance, commercial invoices, my entire packing list. The platform is a huge bonus. If I want to look back six months ago, I only have to look in one place. It’s a one-stop shop for everything associated with our shipments.”

Globe further uses Flexport by tapping into the customs solution. Previously the process required a number of handoffs—factories would send the customs clearance documents to their broker or Globe, who would then send it off to the vendor. Flexport streamlines this otherwise tedious process so that the documentation moves seamlessly from vendor to customs, enabling Globe to focus on value-added conversations with Flexport.

Better Collaboration with 30+ Supply Chain Partners

Recently Globe integrated a PO management system within their Flexport platform, enabling access to their full set of PO’s. With over 30+ vendors throughout Southeast Asia and China, the PO integration has allowed Globe to more effectively collaborate with these suppliers for better results. The data that Globe has on hand opens up productive discussions with vendors. Jason says, “We’re open to having positive discussions for improvement with our vendors, and we know that the best way to have these discussions is to reference actual facts and numbers. This is what Flexport is helping us do right now.” In addition to the back-end API connection that ensure all purchase orders are integrated within Flexport’s system, Globe has also trained the vendors to use the platform for their bookings.

With Flexport’s team and technology, Globe was able to weather two major shifts—the pandemic-induced supply chain crunch and opening up new shipping lanes with production in Thailand. The creative thinking and responsiveness from the Flexport account team ensured that Globe’s priority containers continued to move with no break in service to customers.

Impact

For Globe, the efficiencies gained through Flexport’s platform have led to savings of both time and money. Most importantly, Globe has been able to grow their business without adding overhead to the department. Processes that might have previously taken four to five hours are now only 10-15 minutes with the power of Flexport, helping Globe pursue their primary goal of happy customers. As Jason shares, “Because the information is readily there, we’re able to action things quicker, and service our customers better.”