How North Coast Logistics Increased Outbound Throughput 33.6% Without Adding Warehouse Staff

The vision

Founded in 1992, North Coast Logistics is a Midwest-based third-party logistics provider serving industries ranging from general merchandise to chemicals and hazardous materials.

When Talour Avdek-Gazey stepped into the role of President in 2017, she recognized the limitations of NCL’s aging, paper-based systems. Accessorial charges, which generate a significant portion of NCL’s revenue, were recorded on paper and keyed in later by customer service; a lost or unreadable note meant lost revenue. Inbound product could land in the system as “location 0,” a placeholder meaning nobody actually knew where it was. Outbound orders ran on paper tickets, with customer service representatives sometimes walking the warehouse to track down orders, and inventory accuracy depended more on institutional knowledge — “Tim knows where it is” — than on any standardized process.

“Our customers were asking for better technology, faster turnaround, more visibility. And internally, we knew we were burning time on manual billing, inventory errors and delays. We needed a system that could scale with us.”

— Talour Avdek-Gazey, President, North Coast Logistics

Why Tecsys

After a careful evaluation of several WMS providers, NCL selected Tecsys WMS for its usability, flexibility and the strength of its implementation support. Tecsys brought Sequoia Group into the process early, and Sequoia stayed hands-on through planning and execution, helping NCL manage change across two facilities and train staff on the new billing, reporting and inventory processes.

“The team didn’t just demo the software. They brought the implementation partner with them, sat with our team, and focused on how to make the transition successful. Tecsys brought the technology. Sequoia brought the plan. That told us they were thinking long-term.”

— Talour Avdek-Gazey, President, North Coast Logistics

The solution

NCL implemented Tecsys WMS across both facilities, replacing paper-based processes with system-driven workflows for receiving, billing, outbound fulfillment, inventory and reporting.

Receiving now runs on system-driven receiving and directed putaway, eliminating the blind tallies and paper movement that used to slow inbound processing. On the billing side, custom buttons built into handheld devices let pickers log accessorial charges in real time, before a container even closes out; the system ties each charge to its order and routes it straight into billing. Outbound work moved from paper tickets to digital pick waves, with automated release and prioritization for rush orders. Standardized locations and full traceability of every adjustment replaced the old inventory guesswork.

NCL also brought customer reporting in-house. With dozens of shared-space customers each wanting a different view into inventory levels, movements and aging, NCL’s own team now builds and automates those reports, changing a field or delivery schedule without waiting on IT or an outside vendor.