ORDER FULFILLMENT (PICK AND PACK)

ALI picks orders, and prepares them for shipment in accordance with guidelines established with the client. Orders are packed in packaging appropriate to the method of shipment, and shipment is made via the carrier agreed upon with the client. ALI ships via a number of common carriers, and a variety of small parcel carriers including UPS, FedEx Express, FedEx Ground (formerly RPS), DHL, and the Postal Service.

ALI also has the capability to prepare documentation for and make international shipments on behalf of its clients, including ocean and air shipments. Approximately 15% of the shipments ALI makes on behalf of clients are made to international destinations.

JUST IN TIME ("KANBAN") FULFILLMENT

Your supply chain extends from factories in low production cost countries to your customers in the northeastern U.S. Transportation economics dictate shipping via ocean container, but your customers can't or won't accept delivery of full container loads of product. Instead, your customers give preference to suppliers who can deliver smaller quantities of product precisely when needed to maintain their own production. Located 35 miles north of Boston, ALI offers the responsive order turn-around time that customers using Just in Time techniques demand. Orders can be accepted, processed, and fulfilled, often within just a few hours. Does your customer require lot number control on their orders? As part of our Kanban fulfillment process, ALI can match the product code as well as the lot number requested (FIFO or a specifically requested lot number), and fill the order.

LIGHT ASSEMBLY

For some clients, final assembly of the product does not occur until the product is being prepared to ship. ALI has the capability to sort, assemble, and package component materials into finished products in accordance with a Bill of Materials provided by the client. Examples of such products include computer software, and gift baskets or ensembles.

RETURNS

An integral part of a client's product warranty is typically a returns policy, which details the circumstances under which a customer may return a product with which they are not satisfied. ALI can administer a returns program for its clients in accordance with the policies established by the client.

For larger clients who have established internal facilities for handling order fulfillment operations, handling customer returns (Sometimes referred to as "Reverse Logistics") is often cumbersome and disruptive to the operation's efficiency. ALI can receive the returned product, physically inspect it for damage and integrity (completeness), sort and segregate the product by its physical characteristics (e.g., size, color, edition/version, condition, contents, etc.), and maintain inventory records for these products. If required, ALI can perform financial transactions for the returns (e.g., issue credit via credit card or credit memo), acknowledge receipt to the customer and/or client, etc.