Revolutionizing Terminal Operations for a Global Fertilizer Company

A global fertilizer company sought to boost terminal throughput and revenue during seasonal peaks. Partnering with ChaiOne, they aimed to optimize processes across their complex value chain and national terminal fleet.

Challenges faced

Operating 30+ terminals independently posed challenges for scalable throughput improvements. Variability in processes, configurations, and customer behaviors needed addressing.

Approach

ChaiOne conducted a holistic value chain assessment, analyzing employee interactions, customer experiences, and bottlenecks. Fine-grained data from four locations informed bottlenecks and operational improvements, while data models using current operational data provided insights into clear and measurable outcomes. Technical landscape evaluations ensured that recommendations for operational improvements were feasible, scalable, and minimally disruptive.

Key findings

Identified 275 variables impacting terminal throughput, highlighting issues like non-standardized operations, operational inefficiencies, and communication silos. Customer behaviors also played a significant role in throughput times.

Recommendations

1. Define a standard for an optimally profitable terminal by identifying key parameters that each terminal across the fleet must achieve, track and report data
2. Use data insights to optimize operations, for example, forecasting demand, scheduling drivers, or shifting them to other terminals
3. Streamline communications and access to information by implementing centralized repositories, digitalizing real-time allocations, providing driver arrival and loading statuses
4. Enhance experiences at the terminal and partner with customers to improve their behaviors that impact terminal throughput efficiency

Conclusion

Implementing these and other recommendations could streamline operations, enhance efficiency and customer loyalty, and potentially deliver over $5 million in annual value. This transformation positions the client as a leader in the global fertilizer industry.

Services provided:
Behavioral Science Research, Technology Assessment, Data Science, Digital Transformation