American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) wants to shepherd retailers into the shared logistics era. The company’s logistics subsidiary Quiet Platforms on Wednesday announced the addition of an Atlanta fulfillment hub to its “plug-and-play” platform, which pools the delivery and fulfillment assets of retailers into one shared network.
For years, the conventional wisdom among retailers was to use as few delivery partners as possible. But as supply chains became more and more volatile, brands realized that relying on one or two partners would no longer cut it.
Now it’s all about options. Many retailers have shifted to a multi-carrier logistics strategy, enlisting a patchwork of local and regional carriers. That gives them the flexibility to adjust capacity even when there’s an unexpected swing in demand, like the one that recently left top retail brands like Target (NYSE: TGT) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) with bloated inventories.
Quiet, which American Eagle acquired for $360 million in December, took that idea and modified it. The platform doesn’t connect retailers with multiple dedicated carriers. Rather, the American Eagle subsidiary turns other retailers into carriers and 3PLs to be shared by the entire network.
Related:
Read: American Eagle Outfitters acquires Quiet Logistics for $360 million
Read: American Eagle’s Quiet Platforms partners with global shipper Pitney Bowes
For example, an order that comes through American Eagle’s website might be fulfilled by a warehouse that also fulfills orders for Mack Weldon, another Quiet client. And the order might then be delivered using vans that move products for yet another client like Outdoor Voices.
With the addition of an Atlanta hub, Quiet takes another step toward rolling out its open logistics network nationwide. The company also has facilities in cities like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and St. Louis, but Atlanta adds to its Southeastern footprint.
“The activation of the Atlanta facility represents a major step forward in our strategy of building a connected network and democratizing access to high-performing supply chain solutions,” said Bill Besselman, chief commercial officer of Quiet. “This launch further expands our national fulfillment network, which provides access to integrated inventory solutions, a multitiered carrier network that enables next-day delivery and real-time analytics.”
Quiet also touted the speed with which it was able to build its Atlanta center. The facility, which is equipped with state-of-the-art sortation and containerization tech, was completed in under 60 days, the company said.
Watch: How to expand your network
“Technology has the power to simplify. Ours reduces lead times, accelerating our customers’ ability to scale to efficient, distributed, multi-nodal networks,” added Charles Griffith, CTO of Quiet. “Quiet Platforms enables the rapid activation of new fulfillment facilities and offers brands immediate access to sophisticated supply chain solutions.”
In May, Quiet received a boost to its network when it partnered with national carrier Pitney Bowes. That brought even more shared capacity to its 60-plus retail clients, which include Steve Madden, Kohl’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Shekar Natarajan, American Eagle’s executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, in May touted his vision of an open sharing logistics network as the wave of the future.
“So many retailers have tried to build their own vertically integrated supply chains, but building more assets and buying more resources is not the answer to achieving hyper-scale efficiencies,” he said. “Sharing is.”
You may also like:
Who wants to own a trucking company? Retailers are starting to line up
American Eagle bolsters supply chain resiliency plan with Quiet acquisition
Brokerage Compliance Symposium
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
F3 Awards Dinner
The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
F3: Future of Freight Festival
Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowThe night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register NowIndustry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now