8 minute read
Nicolas Morisse, COO at Staci USA, on his company’s bespoke logistics solutions
by iThink Media
GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
NICOLAS MORISSE, President at Staci US Corp, explains how the company’s bespoke logistics solutions are dedicated to delighting its global customer portfolio.
GLOBALLY, LOCALLY
taci US is an entity part of the Staci Group, experts in logistics for multichannel retail supply chains, with a constant doubledigit growth and super crisis resilience. Nicolas Morisse is President of Staci USA, since he created this subsidiary in March 2019.
Nicolas explains, “The Staci US story is a bit of
an ‘American dream’. We wanted to accompany a customer for which we were already distributing their products in France. We had the opportunity to respond to their call for tenders as part of the outsourcing of their logisitics in the United States. Thanks to our determination, we won this tender.
“The next steps were crazy, with the creation of a subsidiary of Staci in the USA in March 2019, the opening of a warehouse in Jersey City in May 2019, and the setting up of a French-American team to start this project and transfer the activity from the existing warehouse to the new one. We did it in four months! It was an exciting challenge. Then everything got out of control with the arrival of two additional large customers, and then covid, which upset our plans a little.”
Even if the volume of orders to prepare remained very high (more than 5,000 orders per day) during the pandemic, the difficulty of recruiting, combined with not being able to go on site, complicated the operational management. But this did not dampen the
morale of the teams. Today, Staci US has more than 150 employees, and nearly 300,000 square feet of warehouses in three states, from east to west. In three years, it has gone from zero to over $20 million in revenue, and its annual growth rate for the next three years is expected to be over 20 per cent (excluding external growth).
Nicolas continues, “Today my role is essentially to focus on North American development, accompanying European customers on the American market because they have confidence in our ability to reproduce the successful models we have set up with them in Europe. But also in the other direction, taking new market share and offering our logistical solutions on the other side of the Atlantic.
“We have more than 60 locations worldwide, more than 2,500 employees, and a strong presence in Europe, particularly in France, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium.
“We have over seven million square feet of logistics space worldwide. Here in North America, we have locations in Jersey City (NJ), Memphis (TN), and the last one opened a few months ago in Reno (NV).”
Since entering the North American market in 2019, Staci US has acquired several key clients including LimeLife, Pierre Fabre, Biologique Recherche, Kusmi Tea, and SlickChicks, which is a startup clothing company poised for aggressive growth this year.
Nicolas says, “The Staci Group has a deep international portfolio across many sectors, from automotive and cosmetics, to ecommerce and spare parts, working with such big-name clients as Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Red Bull. We are inviting our overseas clients that do not necessarily have a logistics presence in the US to come out to our facility and see our network here, equipped to support their growth.”
AI powered cameras helping warehouses run better
Catch packing errors and increase packing performance with Rabot Pack.
Nicolas believes it is Staci Group’s expertise in multichannel B2B, B2C and D2C logistics, as well as ecommerce, that sets the company apart from its competitors. He says, “We have a fully integrated end-to-end logistics platform, from dock to door. Our platform follows the lifeline of a product from
inbound, pick and pack, and value-added services, through to transportation, distribution, and reverse logistics. We also integrate with many web shops, ecommerce web stores and marketplaces, and we have a very dynamic warehouse management system, with a team to support it. This makes integration super-simple and super-convenient. It is a global network. Companies can leverage
our supply chain network to sharpen their competitive edge.
“We create tailor-made logistics solutions to support international companies, or to help domestic companies looking to go international. For instance, we created a bespoke logistics solution for our client Limelife in Spain, UK, France
and Germany, as well as here in the US. Our unique selling proposition separating us from our competitors is this ability to offer bespoke logistics solutions with innovative digital solutions for our clients.”
End-to-end monitoring of the value stream of the company’s logistics solutions provides the visibility, transparency and traceability that today’s clients demand. Nicolas adds, “At
Staci US, we deal with a lot of pharmaceuticals organisations, so it is critically important to have end-to-end traceability of products. You have to be able to monitor expiry dates, batch numbers, and who went through the product, in the unlikely event of a recall or a return.”
As far as Staci Group’s vision for the future is concerned, Nicolas believes it is absolutely crucial to have green initiatives in place. He says, “The Staci Group has a team exploring green logistics and reducing our carbon footprint through recyclable packaging material, less packaging material, and working with logistics partners on cooperative carbon reduction measures. We are focused on making all our sites smart facilities in order to reduce our energy consumption. In North America, we are looking into renewable energy solutions to augment or supplement our energy use in our facilities. Motion lighting and automatic temperature controls mean we do not waste energy. We want to lead the way within our industry.”
Staci Group's mantra is think globally, act locally. The goal is to offer practical solutions to customers, so that they have the ability to easily reach customers on the east and west coasts. Meanwhile, the company continues to explore
additional facilities and potential acquisitions across the United States to further its offering in this massive market.
Nicolas explains, “We are fortunate to be supported by one of the largest investment funds in Europe and the world, ARDIAN. This fund manages more than 100 billion dollars. Thanks to this shareholder, which represents nearly 80 per cent of the company’s capital, along with Société Générale, a major French bank, and some 60 of Staci’s managers, we can pursue our external growth serenely.”
According to Nicolas, it is impossible to do business without partnering with likeminded companies. He says, “Our green initiatives are extremely important, as is our culture of satisfying our customers and how we treat our employees. We want to partner with like-minded companies because they have a proven track record of doing the right thing for their customers, their employees, and the global environment.”
One such partner working with Staci US is the managed services provider, Unlimited Technology. This global IT network helped
set up Staci US’ IT infrastructure when it launched three years ago. Nicolas adds, “What's unique about Unlimited Technology is that they follow our philosophy: think globally but act locally.”
Staci US is partnering with a company called Landsberg for their packaging materials. Nicolas continues, “Landsberg helps us find renewable and sustainable packaging supplies, as well as reduce our costs and streamline our operations. We are on a mission to delight our customers and employees, and Landsberg helps us fulfill that mission.”
But what makes Staci US so successful is its team. Nicolas says, “I think first of Nathan Lugo, our COO. Throughout Covid, Nathan led the teams with me remotely, recruited in a totally new period, and managed to structure a reliable and determined team.
“At the end of the year, we had the pleasure of welcoming Johanna Pudda as our General Manager. She is French, but has been living in the USA for more than 15 years, working with the best and most famous logisticians. Our Sales Director is also Franco-American, coming from freight forwarding, which is very reassuring for our French customers. Thanks to this multicultural and logistically native team, we have fantastic opportunities ahead of us.”
2022 marks a very exciting year for Staci US, with ambitions to expand North American operations and introduce the company’s offerings to new customers. Nicolas concludes, “What we are doing here in the US is fantastic. We are opening new facilities and creating new jobs in North America, while continuing to serve our international customer base.”
For more information, visit www.staci.com
