Accelerating Excellence: How Toyota and DHL Drive Customer Satisfaction

In this episode, join Tim Ernest, Senior Manager, Customer Parts, Toyota and Matt Ver Meer, Vice President, Operations, DHL Supply Chain as they discuss a customer-centric approach, insights into after-hours delivery, white glove service and our Carrier of the Year award.  

Transcript

00:00:08:18 - 00:00:28:09
Speaker 1
Welcome to all Business No Boundaries, a collection of supply chain stories by DHL Supply Chain, the North American leader in contract with justice. I'm your host, Will Heywood. This is a place for in-depth discussions on the supply chain challenges keeping you up at night. We're breaking beyond the boundaries that are limiting the supply chain. Today's episode is accelerating.

00:00:28:09 - 00:00:43:10
Speaker 1
Explain how Toyota and DHL drive customer satisfaction. Our guests are Tim Ernest, Senior Manager, Customer Parts for Toyota, and Matt Ver Meer, Vice President, Operations, DHL Supply Chain. Let's dive in. Okay.

00:00:43:10 - 00:01:04:00
Speaker 2
Good afternoon. Welcome to you both. I'm excited to have both of you here. I've been looking forward to recording this episode. As you all notice, I'm not in the comfy confines of my, studio. Today in New York City. So, little change of scenery for  me, but, but I don't think that will impact the, the podcast at all today.

00:01:04:02 - 00:01:19:10
Speaker 2
So we're going to start today like we normally do. I'm going to ask each of you to introduce yourself. So your name, the company that you work for, your role there, and then how long you have been? Tim, since you're are our guest. Why don't we start with you first, please?

00:01:19:12 - 00:01:51:12
Speaker 3
Yeah. Thank you. Well, I'm really appreciate you having me on. My name is Tim Earnest. I'm the senior manager of customer parts. And that includes our logistics operations team here in Plano, Texas. So I work for Toyota motors. Been with the company for 26 years and had the, great experience to work at multiple locations throughout our service parts and accessories supply chain, working in California, then moving to Kentucky for several years.

00:01:51:12 - 00:02:04:09
Speaker 3
Did a little stint in new Jersey and back to Kentucky because I loved it so much. And now I'm down in, Dallas, Texas. So, and enjoyed the snow this last week. It was quite unusual.

00:02:04:11 - 00:02:10:19
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that was a shock to the to the to the city. How long have you been in Dallas area?

00:02:10:21 - 00:02:12:12
Speaker 3
Just a little bit over three years now.

00:02:12:14 - 00:02:16:16
Speaker 2
Okay. Okay, great. So how about you, Matt?

00:02:16:18 - 00:02:43:19
Speaker 4
Good afternoon. Well, thanks for having me here today. My name is, Matt Vermeer. I'm vice president of operations, here with, DHL. So, I sit within our EMC group. So, that's the alphabet soup for, automotive engineering, manufacturing, chemical and engineering. So, my main area of focus is the dedicated delivery service, that we do, for a number of, automotive customers, including Toyota.

00:02:43:21 - 00:03:06:01
Speaker 4
So, our fleet are responsible for the delivery of, auto parts from the, past distribution centers to to the, dealers. So, been in the industry for for many, many years. Currently also reside in Dallas-Fort worth area. So, down here in the, warm originally from from Iowa. So, looking forward to our conversation here today.

00:03:06:03 - 00:03:18:02
Speaker 2
Yeah, likewise. Welcome to you both. So Matt started to, to touch on at Tim, but I wondered if you could kind of orient us around. So we're Toyota is a big company, and we're talking about the automotive side. Correct?

00:03:18:04 - 00:03:18:23
Speaker 3
That's right.

00:03:19:01 - 00:03:35:03
Speaker 2
Okay. And then the, the service part. So in your definition, what does that mean? How does it play out in your, business? What what service are you providing, to whom? And kind of through what mechanism?

00:03:35:05 - 00:04:05:02
Speaker 3
Yeah. So we are the source of service parts to all of our 1400 Toyota and Lexus dealerships across North America. We also export to practically every country in the world now. So anywhere our Toyota and Lexus vehicles go, our team will support from, parts side. So if you need an oil change and air filter change, tire change, lug nuts, I mean, it's it's soup to nuts, quite honestly, on auto parts.

00:04:05:04 - 00:04:46:15
Speaker 3
So we have the relationship with our suppliers to provide service parts to our Toyota and Lexus customers, basically up to 15 years after production end of that model. And our supply chain is really our value add to make sure we move that product through in a safe and quality process, all the way from supplier through our parts centers and, parts of distribution centers all the way to our dealers, where finally parts are being repaired for our customers and hopefully getting those vehicles back in our customers hands as quick as possible so that they can do their daily tasks with their number one way of transportation.

00:04:46:17 - 00:05:00:14
Speaker 2
Okay. Good. Thank you for that. That that's helpful. So, Matt, can you tell us how do and Toyota came to be on this podcast together? And more importantly, what the working relationship is between the companies?

00:05:00:16 - 00:05:29:06
Speaker 4
Yeah. So, we we do business with Twitter in the, Phoenix market. So we're, we're doing the delivery of, parts, for the greater Phoenix area. And, and we've had that relationship since, 2020 is, is when we started, that was when a brand new first distribution center was put in place. So, we've been we've been working very closely with Toyota and, you know, over time that's been, an evolving, partnership and relationship.

00:05:29:12 - 00:05:58:21
Speaker 4
We've had some great success. I would say, in the relationship. But, as everybody knows, the world looked a little different in 2020 than it does now. We got to implement this at the height of the, Covid situation. So, I think, we we've had a very tight partnership for, but but have gone through a lot in a very short period of time, with starting up the new business coming out of Covid, then going into what would be business as usual.

00:05:58:21 - 00:06:19:12
Speaker 4
But then, of course, we know the automotive industry has been and, tremendous, world of change here, recently as well. So, I think through, through our partnership and how we've, how we've worked together, we've had some good successes and continue to, polish the, process and, and, and how we, solve the, problems of getting parts out of the dealers.

00:06:19:14 - 00:06:45:13
Speaker 2
Super. So, Tim, from from your chair, obviously you were instrumental in making the decision on the Phoenix operation. How did that come to pass? When, the pandemic kind of came in, did that caused you to rethink any of your timing? Just how did that factor into the start up of it? And then maybe, you know, we talk about a Phoenix Center.

00:06:45:15 - 00:06:52:20
Speaker 2
How does that fit into the overall kind of aftermarket supply chain for, for Toyota?

00:06:52:22 - 00:07:21:00
Speaker 3
Yeah. Well, great question. So I'll start off with, really the importance of Phoenix. So, prior to 2020, all of our Phoenix related, dealers were being serviced out of our facility in Los Angeles. So long drive time, long lead time. And because of those lead times, we had to have fairly early cut offs for those dealers to place our orders so that we could pick them and get them on, truck, out and deliver.

00:07:21:02 - 00:07:43:17
Speaker 3
So with the growing market, Phoenix was growing considerably with a lot of people moving there prior to Covid. And I think, many people moved to warmer weather climates during Covid as well. But it was a market that was underserved in our aspect, and we really needed to get a better level of customer service into the Phoenix area.

00:07:43:19 - 00:08:12:15
Speaker 3
So Phoenix Plan was probably launched in 2018. So the plans were set, the facility was set. The decisions for our business partners like DHL were basically all set. Covid was not going to slow us down. Yes, it it of course did slow us down, but it wasn't going to be a decision to say no, go. At this point in time, it was still an important process of getting critical parts to our customers.

00:08:12:17 - 00:08:55:10
Speaker 3
And what a what a great time to actually launch, because, you know, you had your doctors or nurses, your fire personnel, police personnel, the personal vehicles very well could have been a Toyota Lexus. How could we better service them so that they could help support, the whole country through that pandemic situation? So it was really a big business lead for us to get the customer, closer delivery location, allow them a later cutoff so more opportunity to diagnose more vehicles throughout the day, send us an order closer to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. in the evening as opposed to 11 a.m., and still get parts the next day by seven a am.

00:08:55:12 - 00:09:21:05
Speaker 2
Gotcha. Okay, good. So, Matt, tactically speaking, or maybe the mechanics of the solution, how did the how did the parts get delivered into dealerships? Is it, you know, where where on the clock does it happen? How does it work with the the the drivers doing the delivery? I've heard things like unattended delivery things, things like that.

00:09:21:05 - 00:09:23:19
Speaker 2
So explain sort of the service.

00:09:23:21 - 00:09:47:11
Speaker 4
Yeah. So we, we, we get the product out of Phoenix, and the and the dealers have, as Tim said, you know, through the day, to order their parts, then they're depending on where the region is, there's a cut off and then, and then those parts are delivered over to the, the facility that where we load the trucks and, and then our drivers depart so that, that those departures are going to be happening, typically late in the day.

00:09:47:13 - 00:10:07:11
Speaker 4
And they're, they're driving and delivering into the evening. So, from Phoenix, we're going to, we're going to touch we have 56 different dealers that we deliver to in six different states. And, as you may know, the states out west are a little bigger than they are. So we're we're running some some pretty good distance, doing that.

00:10:07:11 - 00:10:33:04
Speaker 4
And then those, those drivers are going to go into the, each, each individual dealer and they're going to be making those deliveries while nobody's around. So, so the technicians and everybody there at home, you know, sleeping and we've got access into the facility, an area of the facility where we can, you know, put in cages or, offload totes and product and, and leave that there and we'll do the scanning and whatnot.

00:10:33:04 - 00:10:52:21
Speaker 4
So every, all the systems are updated on what product we, we dropped off and then we'll, we'll lock up the door and off we go to the next facility, the next dealer. And so when, when the technicians show up the next morning, 6 or 7:00 or whatnot, they go in there and their parts are ready, and they can start fixing that vehicle that they diagnose the previous day.

00:10:52:23 - 00:11:09:01
Speaker 4
So that's how it works for the majority of it. But but we do have we really have, even faster service in the local Phoenix market where there's some of those, dealers that are close by that they can order into the morning and we'll deliver that afternoon, or we'll even allow them to come over and pick up from the facility.

00:11:09:01 - 00:11:25:19
Speaker 4
So, you know, for some of the closer end dealers, they have that opportunity to potentially turn that vehicle, diagnose order parts, fix and call up the customer to pick up that vehicle in the in the same day, in, in some instances.

00:11:25:21 - 00:11:43:06
Speaker 2
Gotcha. Tim, if I'm, if I'm a Toyota risk management professional, how do I think about, non Toyota employees going into dealerships? By themselves, you know, locking in, unlocking, dropping off things. How do you get comfortable around that?

00:11:43:08 - 00:12:07:13
Speaker 3
Yeah, I think for that it's a lot of pre discussion. Right. So in this whole process we would have probably quoted about five different carriers for this program. We would have sat we would have met with them. We would have understand their operation. We would have you know got comparables. We know DHL does the service for other, you know, competitive nameplates.

00:12:07:13 - 00:12:39:02
Speaker 3
So we would have talked to probably some of those competitive nameplates to gather some information on service and, capability from them. DHL came in with a, unbelievable package and unbelievable presentation, a lot of great detail on their abilities to not only service the customer, but also take care of their own people. And I think just those pre discussions before our selection just, continue to grow the trust between the two organizations.

00:12:39:04 - 00:12:53:22
Speaker 2
Great, great. So shifting gears a bit, I, I've heard this concept of the Toyota way, and I wonder, Tim, if you could tell us what that means. Just overall and then what it means in, in your, scope of control.

00:12:54:00 - 00:13:19:07
Speaker 3
Yeah. So I'll, I'll start with really the two main pillars of the Toyota way, and it's, respect for people. And the second pillar is continuous improvement or kaizen. Those are the two major pillars that we operate within under the Toyota way. Now, there's a there's ten other categories within the Toyota Way I could get into, but that would be a couple hours session to go through all that.

00:13:19:07 - 00:13:48:06
Speaker 3
But, general condition is how do we treat others? How do we treat our customers? That is number one. We want to give them the right product at the right time, at the right place, in the right quality. But respect for people is also safety. We want all of our members, both internal and external and business partners, not only to do the job that they need to do, but to be able to do it safely with high quality again for that and service to the customer.

00:13:48:06 - 00:14:11:00
Speaker 3
So for me, it has a lot to do with the final touch. And that final touch to the dealer. I mean, that is the last time I'm going to see those parts within our supply chain move to the end customer. And it's one of the most important moves that happened, because now it's actually an asset to the dealer that can fix the customer's car.

00:14:11:02 - 00:14:39:07
Speaker 3
So if there's a quality missed delivery or a damage along the way, or a missed delivery or rerouting delays, etc., it can create a lot of impact. But the great thing with the partnership with DHL is they've consistently performed across those different metrics. And that's, one of the key areas where I think, you know, we continue to do great things within our relationship and continue to build on it.

00:14:39:09 - 00:15:01:04
Speaker 2
Terrific. So, so, Matt, maybe at the start, with thinking about culture fit when you thought about DHL against the Toyota way or the the Toyota Organization, and then operationally, you know, how things evolved in the, either operations or the relationship overall? Over the years that, that it's been in place.

00:15:01:06 - 00:15:19:08
Speaker 4
Yeah. So, I mean, first and foremost, I mean, the matches is perfect. You know, when when you're dealing with a customer who leads with respect, I think that puts everybody, a little bit more at ease and willingness to, you know, have, the good conversations, the hard conversations, and sure that we're aligned and where we need to go.

00:15:19:10 - 00:15:39:09
Speaker 4
And then, you know, Toyota's, just focus on continuous improvement. I mean, that's in our DNA as well. So, you know, we we we utilize all the continuous improvement tools around our business planning. We utilize it within our warehouses. We utilize it with our transportation, our technology and everything. So that that is it's just like a perfect match.

00:15:39:09 - 00:16:11:22
Speaker 4
And we're able to to communicate using those tools and ensure that we're going in the in the right direction. I mean, we we keep a very, very close eye on, on, our performance metrics on business conditions. Volume changes, on network implications. I mean, anything that that can, can tweak and change how we need to approach the business and we feed that information into our continuous improvement tools and make sure that we're we're finding the best way to, you know, change the process and ensure that we're delivering on the promise to, to those dealers.

00:16:11:22 - 00:16:29:07
Speaker 4
So, you know, from that perspective, I mean, working with it is just it's a really, really great, relationship and partnership, because we both have basis in the same foundation and how we approach the business. So we're, we're we're speaking each other's language pretty regularly.

00:16:29:09 - 00:16:56:14
Speaker 2
Yeah. That's great. So I wonder, there's been, it's been a tumultuous, you know, 4 or 5 years, right, of pandemic and, lots of other things happening in sort of the geopolitical world. I wonder how the, the, the market has evolved or changed in that time span and what the impact has been. Tim, from your standpoint on, you know, what your dealers are needing, what your and customers are needing.

00:16:56:16 - 00:17:02:19
Speaker 2
And, and that in turn, Matt, you know, what adjustments have had to be made on the DHL side.

00:17:02:21 - 00:17:24:11
Speaker 3
Yeah. Well, another great question. So I'll say through the Covid, period, definitely the age of vehicle, grew quite a bit over the couple of years through that process. People weren't going to dealerships, weren't buying new cars. Actually manufacturing was struggling to get the components to build new cars. So people had to hold onto their cars longer.

00:17:24:11 - 00:17:56:21
Speaker 3
And that, sometimes requires additional service. So the importance of Toyota and our business partners, like DHL to provide service and get the parts to the end customer and repair those vehicles was paramount during those years. So, we're continuing to see strong demand, smart, strong requirements from our customers. And, with the Phoenix PDC and that on site leadership team working very closely with the DHL team, we're doing a really, really good job.

00:17:56:23 - 00:18:11:11
Speaker 2
Okay. That's great. So, Matt, how about you both in the in the Toyota business and then, you know, in the your support some other, you know, mainline auto manufacturers. What are you seeing from a service support standpoint?

00:18:11:12 - 00:18:31:16
Speaker 4
Well, there's there's I mean, it's probably the most change we've seen in the auto industry in the, I don't know, I would likely say forever, because, the, the changes around, you know, just the product type. I mean, are we staying on the internal combustion engines? We've got this transition to electrification. It varies on how much transition there is.

00:18:31:16 - 00:18:52:07
Speaker 4
Market by market. You have a lot more transition out west than you do maybe in the Midwest and out East. And and you have new players that are out there that are hopping into the to the fray that, you know, used to be the big automakers and that have been pretty stable for a long time. And now there's there's other companies that that are coming in and, some are going to make it, some are going to make it.

00:18:52:07 - 00:19:21:00
Speaker 4
So it's, there's a whole lot of change going on. I think it's taught us to ensure that we're we're giving flexible options, taking more regular looks at how we're servicing the business, looking for opportunities where there may be synergies, amongst customers or whatnot, that, that that could help, benefit both and, you know, as, as a, as a consumer of, of, equipment, ourselves, you know, we're out there running, trucks and trailers and whatnot.

00:19:21:00 - 00:19:45:21
Speaker 4
We're we're also having to, identify where the applications for those different, type of, solutions work. So, you know, we may use the diesel engines on the long haul that, that are in remote areas, but, you know, we've gone through a lot of electrification on our, site, trailer sporting equipment and whatnot. We've we've looked at, CNG units where it makes sense.

00:19:45:23 - 00:20:03:08
Speaker 4
We're looking at electrical, vehicles for, for some of the, short medium haul type of, opportunities as well. So we continue to put a lot of that into our network to, which allows us to as a, as a consumer of that, we also then are dealing with what a lot of Toyota's customers are on.

00:20:03:09 - 00:20:24:00
Speaker 4
Hey, where do I go get my fuel? Where do I plug in? Where do I, get maintenance? It's it's, it's not the same way that we've been operating equipment for the last, you know, decades. It's, it's a little bit different approach. So, we get to go through both ways as as a provider to our customer and as a, consumer of the equipment ourselves.

00:20:24:02 - 00:20:47:07
Speaker 2
Okay. Yeah. Very interesting. So, Tim, I'm not going to ask you to reveal any deep Toyota secrets, but, you know, generally speaking, when you talk about the, you know, kind of hot topics around electrification and alternative fuel sources, I know Toyota's had, you know, sort of, stuck in a lane on that or, and had a point of view.

00:20:47:09 - 00:21:04:17
Speaker 2
And I think it's been, you know, leaning heavily on hybrids. But, I wondered if you could talk about sort of the Toyota, the Toyota View, on, on what's to come and, and maybe your own opinion on, you know, kind of, how you see things evolving over the next few years.

00:21:04:19 - 00:21:29:09
Speaker 3
Yeah. I think Toyota will continue to be a strong environmental player in the reduction of CO2. Our game plan. Yeah. I was a little bit different maybe than other nameplates. With the full on, the EV or electrification, strategy, we went with more of a hybrid based strategy. And, I mean, there's multiple reasons for that strategy.

00:21:29:11 - 00:22:09:02
Speaker 3
Quite honestly, most of these materials come from, overseas markets. Over 70% of the five key products come from China. And, definitely, concern there as well as high cost. And so for a battery electric, if you produce one battery for a Bev, you can produce, I think it's 90 hybrids. So what's the benefit from a CO2 reduction if you have one b EV taking off one combustible engine off the road versus 90 hybrids taking off 90 combustible engines off the road.

00:22:09:02 - 00:22:34:01
Speaker 3
So we feel our strategy strong. We feel that's the right way to go. We're going to continue with our 2050 environmental reduction plan and CO2 dispersion. So, happy with the company. Glad we stuck to our guns on that one and really stuck strong with the hybrid strategy. I think it ended up being, the right way to go because you see, some of these other that went full electric struggling a little bit.

00:22:34:01 - 00:22:48:12
Speaker 3
And I was down driving through the, Austin area and saw some of the, parked vehicles down there. Won't name the company I saw, but, they have a lot of vehicles parked.

00:22:48:13 - 00:22:55:14
Speaker 2
Yeah, interesting. I had never heard the 90 to 1, comparison before. That's that's pretty staggering.

00:22:55:16 - 00:23:14:03
Speaker 3
It is staggering. And, it's something that we we reported out to government and other agencies to say this is why we're sticking with this strategy. The 90 to 1 makes more sense from an overall CO2 reduction, as opposed to the 1 to 1.

00:23:14:04 - 00:23:22:16
Speaker 2
Yeah. Interesting. So, Matt, you've been in and around the automotive industry a long time. What do you how do you see the next few years playing out?

00:23:22:17 - 00:23:43:14
Speaker 4
Well, it's been interesting because, you know, everybody jumped in so heavy on electrification. And I do think you're starting to see it slow down just a little bit. You know, I think what Tim saw in Austin, is probably being repeated amongst other, that product. But, you know, I think, I think there's, there's going to be a variety at some point.

00:23:43:14 - 00:24:03:08
Speaker 4
I think that, you know, the various paths will kind of coincide and we'll figure out what what the best way is. I mean, I do feel like there's, you know, in our industry, there's certain there's a very strong, business case for electrification when it's short haul and, you know, yard moves and stuff like that. The long haul can be a little bit tougher.

00:24:03:10 - 00:24:29:14
Speaker 4
I mean, the, the, the amount of energy it takes and the amount of battery it takes to do some of this long haul. And the charge times that it's, it's, you know, we're, we're seeing some of that being closed a little bit with some of the, current technology that's being released. But, you know, then there's also the hydrogen and, and, and the approach for, for that, which, seems like it could be a really strong, application for, for our business.

00:24:29:16 - 00:24:53:02
Speaker 4
You know, I think at the end of the day, if you, if you win the clock back, jeez, probably 20, 25 years. I mean, when, when it started getting into the, hybrid market, I mean, they they were an absolute leader and and changed the game, when they did that. And, I think Toyota has, often shown they have a very pragmatic approach to how they, go about their business.

00:24:53:04 - 00:25:09:00
Speaker 4
They, they study they, they, they look at all the options and the path and, you know, I think they've done that again here, you know, kind of the second phase, if we will. And, you know, if it's, it's going to be it's going to be interesting to see how it all, how it all pans out.

00:25:09:00 - 00:25:24:09
Speaker 4
But at the end of the day, to answer your question, at the end of the day, I think there is going to be a mixture of it. It's a based on, but there's going to be, vehicles are going to be much more use specific, if you will, than, you know, Swiss Army knife, per se.

00:25:24:10 - 00:25:26:17
Speaker 4
So you got to know what your use is going to be.

00:25:26:19 - 00:25:43:06
Speaker 2
Gotcha. I want to ask both of you, a two part question. What are you most excited about for 2025? And what do you think the biggest challenge to your, business or scope of control will be in that in that year? Anybody can go first.

00:25:43:08 - 00:26:15:05
Speaker 4
Well, I'll, I can start my my excitement and my concern may actually be the same exact thing. Because, we're coming in with a pretty sizable geopolitical change. This year. And, and how that pans out is going to be very interesting. So, you know, a lot of, pro-business, a lot of, you know, trying to, ensure that the, the economy keeps moving, if that if that keeps going, then that's obviously good business.

00:26:15:07 - 00:26:32:12
Speaker 4
For us, I think coming out of 2024, there was a lot of people who kind of had the, the reins on what, but just trying to see what's going to happen. Now, how are we going to come, through the election and everything? And where was that going to go? So, you know, I think there's some strong indicators that there's, positive, coming.

00:26:32:12 - 00:26:51:04
Speaker 4
So I'm looking forward to that. And, and getting past this election cycle and maybe to a little bit of stability. And, and, and see where that can go. So I mean, that, that I think, in and of itself represents the biggest, opportunity change coming in 2025. From my perspective.

00:26:51:06 - 00:26:53:01
Speaker 2
What do you think?

00:26:53:03 - 00:27:12:10
Speaker 3
Yeah. Well, I probably going to be a little bit more generic in my response and saying that, you know, I'm not going to prognosticate what the what the big challenges are going to be. What what I can tell you is, like Toyota is one of the strongest companies of when a problem does arise, because if you're no, it's going to be a problem.

00:27:12:10 - 00:27:34:04
Speaker 3
You're already doing something about it. It's those things that pop up that you had no control of. You couldn't plan, you had no idea it was going to come. Now you've got a real problem, right? And our people are the best at identifying the root cause of those problems, implementing countermeasures and making sure we're doing it with the customer in mind, with quality, with safety in mind.

00:27:34:04 - 00:28:10:07
Speaker 3
And quite honestly, you tie that in to the business partners that we have with our relationships. And again, Toyota goes for a long term relationship because we want to learn together with our partners like DHL. We want to continue to grow with DHL. And when we continue to work together, we can solve problems together much quicker. And that's where I want to continue to focus, is don't worry about what problem may come up, just be ready for it and let's work quickly to resolve it so our customers are not impacted.

00:28:10:09 - 00:28:29:03
Speaker 2
Excellent. Well, I think that explains a lot about why Toyota has, achieved its position in the market for such a long, long period of time. So thank you for that. And thank you both for, the conversation today. It was really good to talk with both of you and hear your perspectives. I wish you luck.

00:28:29:03 - 00:28:38:07
Speaker 2
As we go into next year, whether you feel like you need it or not. And, look forward to hearing how, things progress in the future.

00:28:38:09 - 00:29:06:19
Speaker 3
If we do, if we have a little bit more time. Well, I would like to focus, and I think Matt would like to focus as well. DHL has been our carrier of the year award winner three years going, and I don't think that's small potatoes. That is a big deal. With as large as Toyota is, how much business we have across the country being the top provider for three years running means you're doing a lot of things right.

00:29:06:19 - 00:29:32:21
Speaker 3
And I do want to point out that we're very appreciative of the DHL partnership. They're doing the right things. They are working on Kaizen, they're working on safety improvements. They have great respect for their drivers, giving them tools and apps to keep communicate and going. During all times, any time there's a quality air, they are on top of it quickly to resolve it and get it corrected.

00:29:32:23 - 00:30:00:11
Speaker 3
So some of the things that we look at on those annual plans or annual reviews, you know, quality delivery, safety, continuous improvement, like the Kaizen aspect that we talked about. And quite honestly, at DHL has been a great partner for the last, I'll say, going on 4 or 5 years, on all those categories. And I do want to recognize them for, their awards over the last several years.

00:30:00:13 - 00:30:02:20
Speaker 2
I think this is where Matt gets to say something.

00:30:02:22 - 00:30:20:13
Speaker 4
Oh, well, thanks, Tim. I'm glad you mentioned it. We're not one that like to our own horn. So if, then we'll do it on our behalf. That's great. But it has been, I mean, the team that we've got out there in Phoenix is unbelievable. Our drivers are committed to, performing on a nightly basis. Our managements, they're supportive.

00:30:20:15 - 00:30:44:22
Speaker 4
And, Yeah, I mean, the to actually win at three consecutive years, they've actually won it every year and they've been eligible for it. So they're kind of like got a perfect win record thus far. So hopefully that and don't jinx anything. But, you know, we, we keep attacking the business the same way. And really what Tim said is, earlier a win and you don't know what the challenges are going to be and how you attack those challenges to fix it going forward is is kind of key.

00:30:44:22 - 00:30:56:06
Speaker 4
And I think the teams are great job on that. So we value our partnership with, Toyota. We learned a lot being able to work with a company of their caliber. And, I think it's just been a great partnership. So thanks, Tim.

00:30:56:08 - 00:31:14:09
Speaker 2
Fantastic. Yeah. Thank you Tim, and kudos to the team for, for for all that they do to, win that award and get that recognition from, from Toyota, that's a big deal. Okay. So we'll break there and, and look forward to, what's to come? I wish you both the best in the new year.

00:31:14:09 - 00:31:19:23
Speaker 2
And, look forward to crossing paths sometime in the months ahead.

00:31:20:01 - 00:31:25:00
Speaker 3
Thank you for having us. Well, appreciate the the opportunity and the discussion. And, Matt, good to see you again.

00:31:25:02 - 00:31:28:08
Speaker 4
And see you.

00:31:28:10 - 00:31:33:00
Speaker 1
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00:31:33:00 - 00:31:34:19
Speaker 2
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00:31:34:19 - 00:31:44:17
Speaker 1
Podcasts. You can also listen to our entire library of episodes on our website, dhl.com, forward slash AB and B podcast. See you next time!