Ladner Building Products

A logistics analyst at a large, national distributor of building materials has been asked by his boss to prepare a report analyzing the company's logistics practices. Management is particularly concerned about the high cost of servicing customer deliveries. Students are asked to evaluate the factors contributing to the logistics problems at Ladner, including freight costs and sales mix. As part of their implementation plan, students must consider the implications of Ladner's decentralized organization structure. The multi-functional nature of the issues in this case makes it a good candidate for team teaching with logistics and marketing. An important message is the need for congruence between marketing and logistics activities within the organization.