What Does Melted Ice Cream & 50,000 Have to Do with Logistics?

05/19/2020

In the world of grocery distribution, there is always a certain amount of spoilage that occurs. It’s the nature of perishables and supply chain logistics. But for one of our West Coast customers, discarding a ton of bad ice cream turned into a potential $50,000 mess.

It turned out that a company employee mistakenly decided to dispose of half a container of ice cream into a dumpster that was never intended or approved for liquids. In no time, the ice cream eventually started melting in the heat of the distribution center and began leaking out of the container and heading straight for a community drain.

Site managers quickly realized the mistake and that this rapidly growing mess of a problem was about to get even worse. If the liquefying treat ever made it to the city drainage system, it would cost the customer a minimum of $50,000 in fines. That’s where Merit Logistics stepped in to save the day.

The site manager sought out our sanitation team to help dispose of thismessy problem before disaster could strike. It took 5 hours and twelve team members from two different buildings and divisions to eliminate the problem and properly dispose of the melted ice cream, but the Merit team rallied to clean up the mess before any fines were incurred. It was a great job by our associates for going above and beyond in order to solve such a sticky situation. It’s just one more example that shows at Merit Logistics, we don’t just value our customers’ business…We Earn It!