Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/357935
COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | AUGUST 2014 57 INNOVATORS MANKO DELIVERY SYSTEMS Tampa, Fla. services for domestic and international shipments. Bilchik describes Manko's mainstay home delivery service as a boutique "soup-to-nuts" offering. The company picks up freight from its customers' docks, schedules deliveries to the consignee at home and manages all returns and pickups. With headquarters in Tampa, Fla., Manko has opened facilities in nearby Orlando and Fort Myers for seam- less same-day and express coverage throughout central and southwest Florida. Shippers that use Manko for home deliveries include Home Depot and Wayfair, an online-only home fur- nishings retailer. Ikea, a major home furnishings retailer, also uses Manko for home deliveries and an offsite warehouse. Less-than-truckload carriers, includ- ing Estes and Forward Air, also use Manko's services. The company also delivers parcel freight for FedEx and UPS during peak seasonal volume. Most of Manko's customers give the company online access to the same software that they use internally to manage ship- ments from origin to destination. When Manko employees log into cus- tomer portals, they see where freight will originate and when it will arrive at E -commerce has revolutionized the delivery model for retail goods. In- stead of waiting on stores to stock items, consumers have fl ocked online for lower prices, more selection and the convenience of home delivery – even for large items such as home appliances and furniture. Online retailers have developed their supply chains to be lean and fl exible to get consumers what they need, when they need it, in a profi table manner. Lo- cal warehousing, cross-docking, short-haul trucking and home delivery services have been critical to make e-com- merce's promises a reality. In 1999, when e-commerce was in its infancy and facing an uncertain future, John Benko started Manko Delivery Systems, a courier for what appeared to be a more stable business: delivering mishandled luggage for airlines. The business came to a standstill in 2008 when the airlines started charging baggage fees. Benko then turned to a friend, Bryan Bilchik, to help restructure the company. Bilchik was new to transportation but was a problem-solver with a degree in electrical engineering and Six Sigma certifi cation. "I tried to get us diversifi ed," he says. Going the final mile After a few months of consulting work, Benko offered Bilchik the job of general manager. By then, Bilchik had taken the company down the path of becom- ing a one-stop shop for shippers and carriers seeking fi nal-mile home delivery services. Manko also expanded into warehousing, scheduled cartage and air cargo The company grows as an e-commerce delivery provider while reducing waste. Man ko shifts business gears while going green BY AARON HUFF