Improving Furniture Logistics: Where to Start?

Scott Hothem • July 16, 2014

Congratulations! You have just been hired as the Senior Vice President of a major furniture manufacturer. The first task at hand is to tighten all logistics operations. A report on your desk lists the three initiatives as: reduce costs, decrease damaged products, and increase customer satisfaction. Essentially, you need to overhaul the entire logistics function of this furniture manufacturer. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½and transportation has never been your specialty, so where do you begin?


Managing the complexity of furniture distribution can be overwhelming. In an effort to keep your sanity, you take a step back and review the basics of furniture logistics:


  • Furniture should not be treated or packaged like other goods. Other products tend to damage it, so it should be shipped with other furniture
  • Furniture requires specialized, manual handling as mechanical equipment is more likely to damage it.
  • Container loading strategies create interlocking sections to enable stability and accommodate multiple stops. (In the logistics industry, this is called “filling the cube”.)
  • Furniture has inherent flaws. As the “touches” increase, so does the damage.


The basics of furniture logistics have not changed, but consumer demand and expectation has shifted over time. The days of investing in a piece of furniture that will be passed down for generations are vanishing. Most shoppers are buying only one piece at a time, as opposed to buying an entire room. As a result, online purchases have increased dramatically over the last several years.  According to reports, 2013 online furniture sales revenue reached $9.0 billion, a growth of 10.4% from the previous year. For the furniture industry, this is both a blessing and a curse, as e-commerce has trained consumers to expect fast delivery. 


In order to satisfy the challenges of your new job and meet consumer demand, you must focus on a few key sectors. 

  1. Collaborate With Partners – It’s critical that you take a look at the entire supply chain and evaluate everything. Identifying the collaborative partners who are interested in developing customized solutions for your company is a great start in helping you achieve your supply chain goals.
  2. Evaluate Sources of Damages – Damages are the number one headache in furniture distribution. One of the main causes of damaged furniture is poor packaging. Take a hard look at the current packaging system. One scratch on a delicate piece of furniture can create a negative ripple in both your supply chain and company image. Once furniture is damaged, it is costly to repair, and it cannot re-enter the new product stream. Furthermore, if not caught within the supply chain process, damaged products delivered to the customer will create adverse feelings towards your company. In an effort to minimize these situations, it is wise to invest more resources in a customized packaging solution. In the long run, you will save your company time and money.
  3. Current ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Strategy – The two main options for delivery are direct to store (Full Truck Load -TL) and consolidated delivery (Less Than Truck Load-LTL). The consolidated delivery option is a more expensive option, and it has a higher likelihood of delivering damaged furniture. However, in order to qualify for a direct to store option, you must have enough volume to merit the full shipment. Developing a strategy that balances cost, delivery time and minimizes damage can help increase efficiencies for your company.
  4. Visibility – This is a challenge for most furniture companies today. By investing in visibility technology, everyone involved in the supply chain, including the end-user, benefit greatly. For your company, information can be the difference between maintaining a relationship and losing the business. For the customer, these transparent tools provide real time information, so they are not left guessing about when their shipment will arrive. These same tools can also help furniture companies forecast and plan for future changes within the industry. By having the technology in place, you will provide your company with the flexibility needed to remain relevant in the industry.


Effectively managing the supply chain of a major furniture manufacturer is a challenge for even the most experienced executive. The key to initiating change is to have a basic understanding of the distinctive components of the furniture industry. By taking a closer look at the aforementioned four areas within your current supply chain, you will be one step closer to resolving the initiatives assigned to you. 

CONTACT US

Recent Blog Posts

By Faith Artieda June 4, 2026
Behind the Scenes of Ecommerce Fulfillment: From Warehouse Shelf to Doorstep When a customer clicks "Buy Now," they expect a simple outcome: the right product arrives on time and in perfect condition. What they don't see is the complex fulfillment operation working behind the scenes to make that experience possible. For ecommerce brands, every shipment represents more than an order. It's a promise to a customer. Whether it's a rug, a beauty product, a piece of apparel, or a food item, fulfillment has a direct impact on customer satisfaction, reviews, repeat purchases, and brand reputation. At ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Centers, we help brands deliver on that promise every day. Recently, our team captured the journey of a Tumble rug moving through one of our fulfillment operations. While the process may appear seamless from the outside, each order is supported by a combination of technology, inventory management, quality controls, and experienced warehouse professionals working together to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Great Fulfillment Starts Long Before an Order Is Placed The customer experience doesn't begin when someone clicks "Buy." It begins with how inventory is received, organized, tracked, and managed inside the warehouse. Accurate inventory is the foundation of successful fulfillment. If inventory data is unreliable, every downstream process becomes more difficult. That's why ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ invests heavily in inventory control processes, warehouse management technology, and operational discipline. From receiving and putaway to cycle counting and inventory audits, every step is designed to maintain visibility and accuracy across our customers' inventory. When an order enters the system, our teams know exactly where inventory is located and how to process it efficiently. Technology Creates Visibility—People Create Results Modern fulfillment requires sophisticated technology, but technology alone doesn't create a great customer experience. Warehouse management systems, automation tools, and integrated data platforms help drive efficiency and visibility. They provide real-time information, streamline workflows, and help teams prioritize work throughout the day. However, successful fulfillment still depends on people. The warehouse associates, supervisors, quality teams, customer experience professionals, and operations leaders behind every shipment are what transform data into execution. At ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, our focus has always been on combining technology with operational expertise. The result is a fulfillment process designed to scale while maintaining high service levels and accuracy. Quality Control Is Built Into Every Order Customers rarely think about quality control when they receive a package. That's because the best quality processes are often invisible. Before an order leaves the warehouse, multiple checkpoints help ensure products are picked correctly, packaged appropriately, and prepared for shipment according to customer requirements. These controls are especially important for brands that have worked hard to create a premium customer experience. The condition of a product upon arrival can significantly impact how customers perceive a brand. A damaged shipment or incorrect order doesn't just create operational costs—it can erode customer trust. That's why quality isn't treated as a final inspection. It's embedded throughout the fulfillment process. Every Package Represents a Brand Third-party logistics providers don't own the brands they serve, but they play a critical role in protecting those brands. For many consumers, the delivery experience is one of the few physical interactions they have with an ecommerce company. Packaging quality, order accuracy, delivery speed, and shipment visibility all contribute to the overall brand experience. When a Tumble rug arrives at a customer's doorstep, the customer isn't thinking about warehouse operations. They're thinking about the brand they purchased from. Our responsibility is to help ensure that experience reflects positively on the brand every single time. The Goal Isn't Shipping Boxes. It's Creating Confidence. Fulfillment is often viewed as an operational function. In reality, it's a customer experience function. The best fulfillment operations create confidence—for customers waiting for their orders, for brands managing growth, and for teams responsible for delivering consistent results. Every order that moves through a ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ facility represents a commitment to operational excellence, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction. The journey from warehouse shelf to doorstep may happen behind the scenes, but its impact is felt with every successful delivery.
By Faith Artieda May 28, 2026
This year marks an important milestone for ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½— 20 years of participating in The Great Game of Business® (GGOB) , a program that has helped shape our culture, strengthen employee engagement, and create a stronger sense of teamwork and shared success across the organization. Over the past two decades, GGOB has become much more than a business program at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½. It has become part of the way we communicate, collaborate, and grow together as a company. Through open-book management principles, weekly huddles, forecasting, scoreboards, and Mini Games, employees across ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ locations have had the opportunity to better understand the business and actively contribute to its success. One of the most meaningful impacts of GGOB has been the way it brings people together. In an industry built on precision, service, and operational excellence, collaboration is essential. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½’s success depends on teams working together across departments, facilities, and regions — and GGOB has helped strengthen those connections by creating a culture centered around communication, accountability, and involvement. GGOB encourages employees to think beyond their individual roles and understand how their work impacts customers, coworkers, and overall company performance. Whether it’s improving warehouse efficiency, supporting transportation operations, enhancing customer service, or identifying process improvements, employees are empowered to contribute ideas and solutions that help move ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ forward.  As Tim Barret, Founder of ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, states, "...we share all of the financial results with all of the employees, and they have a vested interest since they will receive a payout result." That sense of involvement creates stronger engagement across the organization. Employees are not simply completing daily tasks — they are participating in the success of the business. By understanding company goals and key performance drivers, teams are able to work together with a shared purpose and celebrate accomplishments collectively. Community and collaboration have always been important values at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, and GGOB has helped reinforce those values over the last 20 years. The program creates opportunities for employees to learn from one another, support one another, and recognize the impact each person has on the organization. It encourages transparency and open communication, helping employees feel more connected to leadership, their teams, and the company’s long-term vision. As ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ has continued to grow nationwide, maintaining a strong culture has remained a priority. GGOB has played an important role in helping preserve the family-oriented environment that ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ is known for, even as the company has expanded operations and welcomed new employees across the country. The program helps create consistency in communication and engagement while keeping employees connected to the bigger picture. To help celebrate this 20-year anniversary, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ owner Tim ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ recently participated in a video discussion reflecting on the company’s GGOB journey and the impact it has had on ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ over the years. The conversation highlighted how collaboration, employee involvement, and shared accountability continue to contribute to the company’s success today. This milestone is ultimately a celebration of the people who make ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ successful every day. The dedication, teamwork, creativity, and commitment shown by employees across the organization are what continue to drive ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ forward. Twenty years later, The Great Game of Business continues to strengthen the culture of collaboration and engagement that makes ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ special — and the future of the game is stronger than ever.
By Faith Artieda May 26, 2026
How ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Is Improving Inventory Accuracy with AI-Powered Warehouse Visibility
More Posts