In this episode, Corey Apirian, Founder and CEO of DaVinci Micro Fulfillment, discusses his experience in the supply chain industry, starting with his major in supply chain management at Syracuse University. He then shares his experience working for a wholesale distributor, where he learned inventory and receiving. Corey talks about his experience starting a multi-million dollar business with Amazon's drop-ship program and how he helped brands build their online strategies through a wholesaler. The episode is filled with insights on micro-fulfillment, Amazon's regional fulfillment model, and the benefits of micro-fulfillment for small and medium-sized businesses.

ABOUT COREY

As an accomplished Supply Chain and Operations Leader with more than 15 years of senior management experience, Corey finds that his successes have been achieved by effectively developing and executing strategies to drive significant growth, savings, and exceptional service. He specializes in eCommerce and channel merchandising, aligning operational initiatives with corporate objectives, and building and leading high performing teams that succeed through a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and engagement. He is also proficient in product development and management, conducting successful contract negotiations, implementing continuous improvements and emerging technologies, and cultivating key relationships and partnerships.

HIGHLIGHTS

• (00:02:14) Corey's Background
• (00:03:39) Starting a Multi-Million Dollar Business with Amazon's Drop-Ship Program
• (00:15:08) The Benefits of Micro-Fulfillment
• (00:15:10) The Importance of Understanding Your Assortment and Selling Strategy
• (00:35:11) The Potential for Automation in Sortation
• (00:36:14) Micro-Fulfillment vs. Quick/Fast Commerce
• (00:40:35) Ideal Inventory Turns for Micro-Fulfillment
• (00:40:38) Inventory Control and Dead Inventory
• (00:41:11) The Importance of Merchandising and Automation for Micro-Fulfillment
• (00:42:15) Finding a Good Partner for Micro-Fulfillment

QUOTES

(00:17:21) Explanation of direct fulfillment and earning and maintaining metrics for prime eligibility. - Corey: “You have to ship on time so that those goods not only have to be manifested on time, but they have to be scanned into the carrier network on time. They have to be delivering at the same time that Amazon told the customer that it's delivering and that has to be accurate. Right? There's like really four levels of metric. To maintain what they call a GD, Guaranteed Delivery status. And in many cases, it requires up to a six hour cycle time on orders.”

(00:32:08) The disruption and innovation in last mile delivery and the potential for consolidation. - Corey: “Not to disrespect UPS, FedEx and the post office, because what they have built is just incredible over the past couple of decades. And they're the pioneers, right? And maybe on some level dealing with an innovator's dilemma, they drive down the last block to go deliver packages, but they're not a last mile carrier in the sense of that of that word, this point to point delivery and this quality delivery and the cost of that delivery, I think that's the unlock that they're trying to bring.”

Find out more about Corey in the link below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-apirian/

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