Ashley Furniture wins 2024 Trimble Ovation Award for best collaboration
Ashley Distribution Services, the transportation division for Ashley Furniture, one of the world’s largest furniture manufacturers and retailers, has been honored with the 2024 Trimble Ovation Award in the category of “Better Together: Best Collaboration.” This award recognizes customers for their outstanding partnership with Trimble to improve transportation technology.
Ashley Furniture’s logistics organization is also one of the world’s most intricate and complex, with an extensive supply chain and distribution network. They operate a large fleet of 1,500+ tractors and 5,000+ trailers, working out of numerous distribution facilities to ensure efficient delivery of its products across North America.
With their long history and depth of experience, Ashley Furniture was determined to transform the digital infrastructure underpinning their logistics operations. They wanted to unify the Trimble solutions integrated into their operations—including Trimble TMW.Suite TMS, TMT Fleet Maintenance, CoPilot and PC*Miler—to streamline their workflows and gain greater efficiencies.
The Challenge
From the beginning, Ashley Furniture Distribution had a clear vision for a smooth and efficient renewal of its solutions to unify its fleets under one streamlined platform. However, since they had long been a Trimble customer, different systems had been integrated at different points over time and were not always aligned in workflows or data. Numerous solutions would need to be better integrated, and the structure of Ashley Furniture and Trimble’s relationship needed to be renewed.
“We were determined to achieve a smooth, efficient implementation that would unify our fleets into one streamlined application,” said Helen Crotty, Vice President of IT for Ashley Furniture.
To tackle these challenges, Trimble brought together a team of legal, professional services, product management and executive leaders to take a fresh look at Ashley Furniture’s operations and how Trimble solutions support them, with the goal of improving process and experience wherever possible.
Ashley Furniture and Trimble worked together to simplify contracts, clarify project deliverables, enhance documentation and execute revamped integrations. This process included a one-week, continuous working session with Trimble representatives, and resulted in a top-to-bottom update to Ashley’s platform and user experience.
The Results
“The collaboration between our teams has not only clarified our path forward but has also significantly enhanced the way we work together on complex integrations,” said Crotty.
The results of this collaboration were significant. The complexity of Ashley Furniture’s digital infrastructure was greatly reduced, as well as the number of contracts they needed to manage. Improved process documentation eliminated confusion about project milestones and deliverables, helping both teams stay aligned and employees better informed. Ashley Furniture now operates with a single master terms and conditions for all products, an achievement that will have a positive impact on all Trimble customers going forward.
“This partnership has been a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration. By working together, we’ve streamlined our implementation process and helped create a stronger foundation for future success," Crotty said. Ashley Furniture Distribution’s dedication to teamwork and innovation has led to a more streamlined approach, benefiting both their fleet and Trimble’s processes. Their success demonstrates the power and potential of Trimble solutions in achieving lasting improvements.
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