As a global medical device manufacturer expanded across North America, its transportation network grew increasingly complex, spanning the United States, Canada, and Mexico and connecting manufacturing and sterilization sites, warehouses, distribution centers, and healthcare facilities.
The team needed to control costs while maintaining high service levels for critical healthcare shipments. But without centralized transportation visibility, opportunities to improve trailer utilization, consolidate freight, and optimize modes were difficult to identify at scale.
The manufacturer sought a strategic partner to combine transportation expertise, technology, and data-driven insights to improve visibility and control.
Identifying opportunities hidden in the data
C.H. Robinson worked with the manufacturer to analyze freight patterns, shipment timing, trailer utilization, carrier performance, and transportation modes across major lanes and facilities.
The team developed a trailer utilization chart by lane and facility, giving planners a clearer view of where capacity was being used efficiently and where improvements were possible.
What started as a reporting tool became a regular planning resource, helping teams identify underutilized shipments, evaluate consolidation opportunities, and make more informed decisions about shipment timing, routing, and mode.
Reducing spend through freight consolidation
With greater visibility into shipping patterns, the team identified opportunities to consolidate freight across the network. More than 10 lanes were moved into the C.H. Robinson consolidation network, creating a middle ground between less than truckload (LTL) and full truckload.
The strategy increased shipment density and trailer utilization while reducing handling in transit, an important consideration for sensitive healthcare freight.
The teams also identified opportunities to convert expedited freight into optimized LTL solutions where service requirements allowed. Together, these strategies helped balance speed, service, and spend while giving facilities with limited warehouse space greater flexibility.
Optimizing transportation modes
As the analysis matured, the teams identified select truckload lanes that could shift to intermodal. Two major lanes were evaluated and transitioned. Because inventory timing and service reliability remained critical, each move required careful coordination. One lane delivered immediate value, while another showed longer-term potential as inventory planning evolved.
Rather than make broad modal changes, the teams focused on lanes where service requirements and operating realities aligned with intermodal.
Connecting transportation through technology
As optimization efforts expanded, the manufacturer looked for better visibility across its transportation processes. Using RMS 4PL technology and the C.H. Robinson customer platform, teams could quote parcel and LTL shipments in one system, compare options faster, and access shipment data without manual or disconnected processes.
Ongoing reporting on lead times, shipment trends, exceptions, and mode optimization opportunities helped teams move from reactive transportation management to more proactive, data-driven decision-making.
Supporting reliable execution
Technology and analytics shaped the strategy, but consistent execution remained critical. With limited warehouse space, tight schedules, restricted receivers, and little margin for disruption, healthcare transportation required daily coordination across the network.
C.H. Robinson supported the manufacturer through dedicated carrier programs, its consolidation network, and day-to-day operational management. Support included:
- Daily pickups for space-constrained sites
- Drop trailers for greater flexibility
- Oversized shipment handling
- Expedited shipment coordination
- Appointment scheduling for restricted receivers
- Claims, accessorial, and exception management
Dedicated carrier relationships supported about 60% of truckload volume through long-standing capacity arrangements, helping the manufacturer maintain about 98% on-time performance across managed freight.
Creating a foundation for smarter network decisions
Since collaboration began in 2019, the relationship has grown beyond day-to-day freight execution.
What began as trailer utilization reporting became a widely used planning tool, helping teams evaluate consolidation and mode options and make more informed transportation decisions.
By combining data, technology, carrier relationships, and operational expertise, the partnership created a more connected and scalable transportation network, improving efficiency and visibility while helping critical healthcare shipments stay on track.
Over more than seven years of collaboration, the teams have continued to refine processes and uncover opportunities for network optimization, creating a stronger foundation for the manufacturer’s evolving logistics needs.