SINGLE-SOURCE UNLOADING & VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

Partner Profile

Our partner is the largest foodservice distributor in North America, with a network spanning broadline distribution centers, specialty and produce facilities, and a range of subsidiary operations — each with different parameters for reliable, high-volume inbound logistics support.

Capstone has supported this partner since 1996, beginning with unloading operations at two distribution centers. Over nearly three decades, performance drove consolidation: from 30+ providers across their network to 7, then 5, then 3, then 2 — and ultimately to one.

The Challenge

After nearly three decades of operating across a fragmented vendor landscape, the partner reached a strategic inflection point. Multiple unloading vendors across hundreds of distribution centers created inconsistencies in performance reporting, compliance standards, and operational data — making it difficult to drive network-wide efficiency. Three priorities drove the decision to consolidate under one provider: network consistency, cost efficiency worth several million dollars annually in volume-based savings, and expanding IQ — Capstone’s proprietary inbound quality program — to all broadline locations. The challenge wasn’t only vendor consolidation: it was finding a partner capable of absorbing a network of this scale without disruption. That meant standing up operations at 22 locations Capstone had never served — with a six-week lead time.

Our Partnership

Capstone had been building toward this moment for 29 years. When the partner chose single source in mid-2025, the challenge was extending a proven operational model to 22 new locations — simultaneously:

1. Leverage an Existing Foundation
The IQ rollout, underway since April 2024, had already placed Capstone managers and auditors in new buildings before the unloading transition began — building relationships with facility leadership and establishing operational cadences that made the transition significantly smoother.

2. Plan for Day One, Prepare for Every Day After
With six weeks of lead time, Capstone mobilized recruiting, onboarding, and training across 22 sites — launching all locations on the same day rather than a phased rollout, eliminating extended dual-vendor operation.

3. Dedicate Leadership, Not Just Labor
Above-site directors serve this account exclusively, creating partner-specific expertise at every level of oversight — so best practices identified at one location deploy across the full network quickly.

4. Commit to Ongoing Value on Top of Service Delivery
For over a decade, Capstone has brought a new initiative to every annual business review. The IQ program itself emerged from this model. The partner chose single source in part because Capstone is the only vendor that consistently arrives with something new.

Our Solution

On the day the single-source agreement went live, Capstone stood up 22 distribution centers simultaneously — deploying roughly 500 associates and management personnel with no impact on throughput and no disruption to service levels. The complete unloading service and value-added warehouse services program includes:

• Inbound Unloading – Managed unloading operations across all broadline, produce, meat, and select specialty facilities, with a pay-for-performance model driving consistent throughput at every site.
• Inbound Quality (IQ) Program – Active in 90+ locations, with a dedicated compliance supervisor and 2–5 trained auditors per site capturing pallet quality, code-date, and delivery condition violations — measurably improving vendor behavior and load quality.
• Value-Added Services – Will-call processing, pallet sorting and condition auditing, sanitation, freight running, and driver helper support — available to every site in the network.
• Dedicated Network Leadership – Above-site directors serving only this partnership, enabling faster problem-solving across 100+ locations.
• Proven Scalability – The recruiting infrastructure, training frameworks, and field leadership to stand up 22 sites in six weeks, from a standing start.