Havertys Furniture Adds Demountable Body System In Northern Florida Operation - December 2001

Furniture retail giant, Havertys, has recently implemented a proven delivery system in its Northern Florida market. The system, being used by many of the nation's top furniture companies, will give Havertys' greater control over delivery commitments and lower the overall cost of distribution.

The Warehouse-on-Wheels system, by Demountable Concepts, allows a retailer to service remote markets seamlessly without regional warehousing or cross-dock operations. It allows the centralized distribution center to maintain control over the loading of product onto straight truck bodies. A specially designed trailer shuttles two loaded bodies at night to the remote markets. Those bodies are then demounted off the trailer. Non-CDL delivery drivers, domiciled locally, mount the loaded bodies and immediately begin their deliveries. The trailer mounts the previous days empties and returns to the distribution center. 

Havertys' is currently servicing the Fort Walton Beach market out of their Pensacola distribution center. The elimination of long drive times by delivery drivers is the most obvious benefit. By taking this drive time away from local drivers, they can deliver more furniture in fewer hours. Productivity and profitability are both greatly enhanced. Havertys' long-term plan, with the help of Demountable Concepts, Inc., is to reduce the number of regional warehouses it operates and domicile more delivery drivers in their local markets. 

Demountable Concepts has helped other retailers expand their market coverage while reducing warehouse and labor costs. Among those are Levin Furniture located in Smithton, PA, Bob's Discount Furniture in Norwich, CT, Star Furniture in Houston, TX, Arhaus Furniture in Cleveland, OH, Good's Furniture in New Holland, PA, Sofa Express in Columbus, OH, and Workbench Furniture in Bayonne, NJ.