Case Study — FMCG & Consumer Goods
Case Study: How SSL Transformed FMCG Primary Distribution for a ₹2,000 Crore Consumer Brand
How SSL transformed FMCG primary distribution — 82% to 96% OTD, 11% cost reduction, 7 vendors to 1. Case study for ₹2,000 crore consumer brand. SSL 3PL solution.
The Challenge
A leading ₹2,000 crore FMCG brand was managing primary distribution through seven different logistics vendors — separate FTL carriers for different regions, a cold chain provider for frozen SKUs, and a PTL network that used sub-contractors for tier-2 delivery. OTD was 82%, damage rate was 0.8%, and the logistics team was spending 40% of their time coordinating between vendors rather than managing supply chain strategy. Billing reconciliation alone was consuming 3 full-time resources monthly.
The SSL Solution
SSL replaced the brand’s seven-vendor landscape with a single integrated 3PL contract covering FTL primary distribution across 18 active lanes, PTL secondary distribution to 2,400 distributor points across 22 states, cold chain distribution for the brand’s frozen food and ice cream SKUs using SSL’s 475-reefer fleet, and warehousing at 12 strategic locations with 4-hour dispatch SLA. SSL’s 4PL Control Tower provided the brand’s supply chain team with a single dashboard replacing seven separate tracking portals.
Outcome
Within 6 months: OTD improved from 82% to 96.3%. Damage rate fell from 0.8% to 0.03%. Logistics team coordination time reduced by 65% — freed to focus on demand planning and network optimisation. Billing reconciliation went from 3 FTEs to 0.5 FTE (single invoice, single vendor). Total logistics cost per MT reduced by 11% despite the service quality improvement, driven by route consolidation and return load optimisation. The brand has since renewed for a 5-year term and expanded scope to include Q-commerce dark store replenishment.
Why SSL Won This Engagement
The brand had approached two other national logistics providers before SSL. Both proposed solutions that required maintaining separate contracts for cold chain (not their core capability) and for tier-2 PTL (sub-contracted in their network). SSL was the only provider that could genuinely integrate all service lines — ambient FTL/PTL and cold chain reefer — under one SLA and one invoice, with owned assets for both. SSL’s 475-reefer cold chain fleet and 320+ location PTL network are assets that no competitor could match for this integrated requirement.
Questions About This Case
How did SSL solve FMCG & Consumer Goods logistics challenges?
SSL replaced the brand’s seven-vendor landscape with a single integrated 3PL contract covering FTL primary distribution across 18 active lanes, PTL secondary distribution to 2,400 distributor points a… Contact SSL for a full case study discussion.
Can SSL do this for my company?
Yes. SSL has replicated similar solutions across 100+ enterprise clients. Contact corporatesales@sslpl.in or call +91-92978-78787 for a customised assessment within 48 hours.
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