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What Does Devanning Mean to You and Your Business?

Devanning

Running a global supply chain, that is raw materials to manufacturers, finished goods to retailers’ warehouses, and eventually to consumers is truly a logistics team’s nightmare. Too many issues can occur en route so when a trailer or container finally arrives at a warehouse unloading dock, a lot is riding on the condition of the contents when the seals are officially removed and the doors swing open. This is the moment of truth that can make or break the tight supply chain schedule and, worst case scenario, send operations costs sky-high. At this point, freight unloaders, generally third-party professionals, are tasked with the responsibility of examining the freight, ensuring that no cargo shifting has damaged or destroyed the goods. There are several solid reasons why devanning, that is the job of removing freight from a sealed container that has been conveyed to an unloading dock by truck or by rail, is best left to professionals. Express Freight Handlers, a leading freight unloading firm whose staff unloads over a million trailers and containers every year, shares the value of hiring devanning professionals to perform this important task.

By hiring professional freight unloaders to perform devanning tasks, depending on the size of the container, you can expect the job to take one to two hours per container or trailer. Compare that metric to the last time you “borrowed” your employees from other divisions of your company only to find them ill-prepared to remove the goods quickly and safely. Nor did they know the correct way to place ramps, lacked experience using a forklift, and did not stack boxes properly on the hand trucks. When faced with stacked goods that had toppled in transit, they did not document the damages, just hauled them to the dumpster. That’s just not a cost-efficient way to run any business.

Instead, consider the savings to your company by hiring skilled lumpers (who perform devanning) to strip, unstuff, or in more general terms, unload your trailers and containers. To begin, Express Freight’s teams are hired by the job for a flat rate. This translates into cost savings in several ways:

  • Professional lumpers perform freight unloading 3x faster than unskilled labor and/or employees who have been recruited for the day from their regular work.
  • No loss of productivity. Regular staffers remain at their jobs, performing their routine tasks.
  • Express Freight Handlers’ teams are seasoned professionals, who are OSHA-trained and certified. As we are a third-party vendor, this means we carry the liability for our teams, not you.
  • Not putting full-time employees at risk of possible injury to themselves and/or others reduces the possibility of a liability claim, thereby reining in potential overhead costs.
  • Time is money: in the event damaged cargo is discovered, our teams know exactly what to do to document damages for an insurance claim. We keep an eye on your schedule and another on your company’s bottom line.
  • Upon request, our team supervisor can prepare and deliver a real-time customized report to your operations management to save time/money.

Every business operation is different, so you likely have a few questions for our team. Schedule an appointment to discuss your individual devanning requirements. Contact Express Freight Handlers today!