In a world where image and speed drive sales, having the best team and technology to take care of fleet graphics is paramount to spreading brand awareness as far and fast as possible. Turbo Images ensures that its clients’ vehicles get noticed on all North America’s roads and for all the best reasons. It is trusted for top-quality materials and printing methods that give clients a clear edge over their competitors. Charles Veilleux, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Anne-Laure Rey, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, recently shared some of the company’s latest developments with me.

Headquartered in Saint-Georges, Quebec, Canada, the impetus that gave birth to the company is as impressive as its subsequent success and phenomenal recent growth. An unshakeable commitment to quality and customer satisfaction is part of its secret.

The company offers clients “the best warranty in the marketplace… We make sure that their brand is well exposed and that they’re using their vehicle as an asset to showcase [it],” says Veilleux.

The company has service centres across Quebec and Ontario. It also has three sister companies that work closely together, namely Turbo Studio, its specialist design department; Lettra Pub; and Team Coach Imaging. These all help to make it entirely self-sufficient in many ways. The latter two firms were acquired during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

The company holds several, respected, industry-related certifications, including MCS, a seven-year, full warranty on its eco-friendly vinyl offered by the manufacturer. As one of this manufacturer’s most important and largest clients, it has also been furnished with a 3M Platinum certification. In addition, it holds a G-7 certification, which ensures that its colour matching remains exact and unbeaten. Considering that substrates come in white and that adding lamination further distorts colour, this is a complex task that requires real skill.

Turbo Images equips itself with all the most relevant knowledge and technology to meet or exceed these high standards. “Every customer is different and every branding is different, so every order is also different. We are dealing with a very custom product/service offering. So, we have specialized ourselves in meeting all the needs of our customers. We can do it with the right tools and technologies and knowledge,” says Rey.

The company was founded in 1993 by Veilleux’s father, Pier Veilleux, who also established its culture based on family values and a respect for quality. Veilleux, Senior remains the company president.

“We’re not slowing down any time soon. We need more people to grow the company with us. We’re passionate [about teamwork]. We put customers first and offer them the best customer experience,” Veilleux says before regaling me with a story of how the company came about.

His father, Pier Veilleux, was visiting a prospective buyer for his decals and stickers when he noticed a mock-up for a branded trailer in the office. Veilleux, Sr. enquired about the sketch and learned that it was an upcoming job requiring painted artwork for 162 trailers. He put in his proposal for doing the entire job at ten percent less than a competitor and landed the project without any prior experience in the field whatsoever.

With a new crew, he set to work in a rented space and completed the job in about two months. When the work was complete, he and his team delivered early and within budget. The profits of this first job paid for the land on which its headquarters has been built.

Despite its impressive growth, Turbo Images is still synonymous with tenacity and customer care. It always keeps the bigger picture in mind with eco-friendly efforts that include running its facility almost entirely on sustainable hydroelectricity, reusing packaging from its suppliers to ship its clients’ goods, plus using specialized films, and more.

It is also in the process of aligning itself with the International Standards Organization’s ISO 14001 requirements surrounding environmental management principles. “Since the founding of the company, [the president] already had in mind to be the expert in vehicle graphics,” says Rey, noting that the focus on vehicle graphics “started twenty-eight years ago. This is why we really are an expert in this field.”

Other services and products include all-latex printing, which allows it to work entirely without the toxic solvents that give the traditional printing industry a bad reputation. This transition recently cost Turbo Images a cool two million dollars, reflecting the power of its resolve to be the best printer in the industry and the kindest to the environment. The company also uses and recommends 3M’s PVC- and phthalate-free film, Print Wrap Film LX480C 3M™.

Add to this the fact that vehicles are back at work much faster and it quickly becomes obvious that this new way of doing things is much smarter. Following much in-depth enterprise resource planning, the company’s current large investments are also supporting its goals of becoming Industry 4.0 proficient. Apart from increased efficiency, it means that every department is systematically overhauled to integrate this technology.

The Turbo Images team of 135 people is a close-knit one. For this reason, it could seamlessly pull off one of its most involved projects to date. When Coca-Cola needed just short of 500 trailers wrapped in next to no time, the crew stepped up to the challenge in the true spirit of the firm. The specifications for the project demanded, in some cases, wrapping over old artwork and working in nearly thirty different places with moving targets. The entire project was negotiated over three days, after which it took only seven weeks to complete and deliver some quality branding, again on time and within the budget.

Turbo Images is now also doing a complete rebranding with eco-friendly, 3M vinyl for Telus, Canada’s well-known telecommunications giant. The project supports Telus’ move toward environmental responsibility.

With such fierce capabilities for speed and quality, it stands to reason that Turbo Images has won several awards over the years. More recently, it was a finalist in two categories for some of its industry’s greatest Canadian honours. Canada’s Sign Company of the Year (SCOTY) nominated it for outstanding work, overall involvement, and staff training benefits, while BOCSI awards trailblazers in vehicle graphics. The SCOTY nomination honoured the company’s sterling work on the City of Brampton’s first fleet branding of a forty-foot, fully electric Nova Bus LFSe.

Turbo Images’ superb teamwork and talent for planning also meant that the company weathered COVID-19 and the challenges that came with it with ease. When the lockdown set in, the company quickly regrouped, falling back on several measures that were already in place, like working remotely, for instance. Its strong marketing campaign, which launched before the health crisis, carried it through measures that prevented the company from attending any significant industry marketing events.

But the company is not only known for its quality service. Turbo Images is also known for its generosity in its local region, where being part of local charity organizations is a natural part of being responsible. “We do our best to always stay involved in the community and be a part of the social and economic wellness of the region, as well as supporting some of our clients’ charities,” Rey says.

Turbo Images will also continue to collaborate with organizations on unique wrap projects that spread awareness about important topics, like the roadshow wrap launched by the Universal Womens Network™ on International Women’s Day on March 8 to promote women in the industry. The artwork features one hundred accomplished Canadian women leading industries across the country. The collection of images first appeared on the cover of its publication, 100 Women of Inspiration Book, and now has pride of place on the wrapping of the official truck traveling across Canada, underscoring workplace challenges that women come up against. The initiative specifically aims to promote inclusion and diversity for working women. Women across the country can participate by sharing their stories on social media and adding #SupportHER.

Moving ahead, Turbo Images does not leave its growth up to chance. Its growth plan is shared with the entire company four times every year to ensure that everybody understands what is expected to achieve its common goals and exactly what they are. “We are all aware of what is happening at Turbo Images,” Rey adds. As things are right now, its next goal is to increase the company’s revenue to almost twice its current amount over the next half a decade.

With such an acute awareness of the natural world, its markets’ needs, as well as the human aspect behind every deal, Turbo Images’ success is assured.

The post Expert Fleet Branding Like No Other<p class="company">Turbo Images</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Business in Focus had the opportunity to sit down with the current owners, brothers Derek and Tyler Kivi who provided fascinating insight into the evolution of the company. They also shared their view of the future, which looks pretty bright from the outside.

Kivi Bros Trucking is an open deck, heavy haul carrier with broad capabilities and extensive resources that has built its success on a foundation of family, integrity, and hard work. It is a legacy in the making and a trusted name.

Regarding the history of the company, Tyler explains, “Kivi Trucking is what it was called, which started in the 1950s with my grandfather. His name was Henry Kivi. They hauled a variety of freight from concrete culverts to logging. So, fast forward from the 1950s to 1995.

“His sons — my father Jeff and my uncles Mark and Robert — formed Kivi Brothers Trucking, which ran from 1995 to 2017, which is when Derek and I purchased the company from them.”

The real heavy haul
Today, Kivi Bros Trucking operates across the continental United States, Canada and into Alaska. Four terminals support it – the headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota; and facilities in Blaine, Minnesota; Harrodsburg, Kentucky; and Kimball, Wisconsin.

From these, the company serves the lumber industry, manufacturers, heavy equipment, and all who need expertise moving valuable freight. According to Tyler, when it comes to heavy haul loads, “Those guys are extremely experienced. They’re top caliber and they get paid for it.”

The company’s breadth of capability across all loads and conditions is enhanced by the versatility and range of equipment that includes Peterbilt, Kenworth, Volvo, and Western Star – and when it comes to trailers, a special loyalty to Ritenour. With 300 trucks and around 400 employees, Kivi Bros has grown impressively.

“As far as our services go, they are a little more particular to the equipment we offer. We’re an open deck carrier, so we provide flat-bed, step deck, Conestoga, and RGN. We also have some extremely specialized trailers so they offer a wide variety of services,” says Tyler. In addition, there are less-than-truckload (LTL) services.

At Kivi Bros Trucking, the goal is to provide safe, reliable transportation services that deliver the same standard of quality that has come to be expected since the founding of the company three generations ago. With the family name and reputation on the line, these ambitions are taken very seriously.

Family support
When asked what underpins the company’s success, Tyler sees a simple underlying reason. “I would have to lean on the commitment we have from our family, because it’s a heavily influenced family company. There’s Derek and I, and another brother who works directly in operations, and we have uncles who still work here, and we hope to have our own kids join in someday. The commitment from our family has always stood strong.”

There is a real dedication to the maintenance and enforcement of exacting standards of quality, safety, and service, an exceptional work culture and a work environment that breeds success, which seems so often characteristic of family-owned operations.

“We’ve never wavered from challenges or challenging times and the same goes for our employees. Once our employees get involved, they show that same kind of challenge-accepted mentality,” says Tyler. Good hiring and training practices go a long way in this regard.

He also notes, “The requirements we have set are higher than the standard requirements. When we hire the driver, they go through an orientation, and we have some of the best trainers/teachers in the world.”

The trainers are veteran drivers who work one-on-one with the drivers after the paid orientation period to ensure that the driver is comfortable and has the resources and information to do his or her job safely. This includes instruction and practice on how best to use available deck space while loading cargo.

“We want to set our drivers up for success – not only our drivers, but the company, too. And doing that starts at the very beginning,” says Tyler. The beginning is where Derek, Tyler and their family started as well.

“Derek and I both carry CDLs and that’s not only because we learned from the bottom up, but we enforce the idea that we lead by example. There’re things that we make sure we understand. We get out there and get our hands dirty. We’re always familiar with what’s going on and people enjoy that,” explains Tyler.

Leading by example has always been a defining principle of the culture at Kivi Bros Trucking. Everyone is part of a team that collaborates to uphold the company’s reputation. The result is an open, transparent, and honest business model. They are an open deck carrier with an open-door policy.

“Integrity for us is very important,” said Tyler of the company culture. “As far as drivers are concerned, we’ve got a wide variety of freight, so when you couple that with the equipment we have to offer, it makes several opportunities for them.”

Just the deal for drivers
One of the greatest opportunities for drivers is the pay structure. Whereas many carriers are mileage based, Kivi Bros Trucking offers drivers a percentage, which is viewed as greatly beneficial. They also have the possibility of LTL which gives them the opportunity to earn two to three times what a mileage-based driver could.

That sounds almost too good, but Tyler confirms it, “especially in this market right now, because they benefit instantly. They don’t have to look for a raise – they get that raise when the market is like it is now, when the capacity is tight. We really give them an opportunity to make the most out of every trip.”

Another benefit for drivers is having experiences that will not only reward them financially, but also provides memories for a lifetime. Tyler still recalls his first trip to Alaska, which seems to be the memory that drivers relish the most.

“We send a lot of our first timers up there and it’s probably something that they’ll talk about for the rest of their lives. So, to give that opportunity to somebody not only to make money, but to enjoy going and doing a first that they’ve never done, and might never do again – that’s something they’ll always talk about,” Tyler says.

The good news for Kivi Bros Trucking is that the market is extremely hot right now, which means there is no shortage of opportunity, but COVID has certainly introduced its share of challenges in an already difficult industry.

Kivi Bros Trucking, despite not having the opportunity to go into restrooms or eateries at the height of the pandemic when shutdowns challenged the economy, continues to keep on trucking, both literally and figuratively. The team continues to offer outstanding performance and service despite the unique challenges of these times.

Keeping it Kivi
For Tyler, the goal is to maintain the value proposition the Kivi family has worked hard to establish.

“There’s so much that is always changing and coming at us, so navigating through this while providing the best that we can and maintaining that integrity is what we want.” Continued diversification and sustainable growth as an asset carrier will follow, as surely as it has for seven decades.

The team at Kivi Bros Trucking – drivers, management, and support staff – will continue to face challenges head on to ensure that assignments get where they need to go, and arrive when they need to be there.

Hard work like theirs keeps the economy moving and the market strong, while above all they strive to keep themselves and the motoring public safe. It is the Kivi way and so it will continue for many years to come.

The post The Kivi Way<p class="company">Kivi Bros Trucking</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The company has been busy implementing the most advanced technology to monitor trucks in real time. ITS now uses the latest electronic logging device (ELD) from Samsara. The solution helps it prevent service violations and meet compliance requirements, increases efficiency, and empowers drivers with helpful information they can easily access on company-supplied tablets.

“Basically, everything is pushed to our drivers,” says Director of Transportation James C. Hotnich. “They can open up their tablets and they can see everything. They can see their pick up numbers, reference numbers, delivery numbers, their appointments, whatever it may be.”

The technology makes the entire transportation process smoother and saves drivers time and extra steps. “It limits the amount of time that they need to come in and talk to us,” says Asset Operations Manager Jacob Mazzatti. The technology also helps drivers maintain contactless delivery requirements to prevent the spread of COVID.

The positive impact of the new ELD has been felt throughout the company. Drivers particularly appreciate the insight it gives them. “They can see a few days out – they’re not just going day by day,” Mazzatti says. “They can plan their weeks accordingly.” This improves driver quality of life, which is important to management. “They have lives as well,” he says. “It’s not just all work and driving.”

Drivers also enjoy the convenience that Samsara’s ELD solution brings. They can upload receipts and other documents on the spot using a convenient app, eliminating the need to keep up with lots of papers and remember to submit them later. This is especially handy when drivers have to use their own credit card for a work-related expense and want to take care of the reimbursement request right away.

Customers also benefit from the new ELD solution. “We’re able to give live updates to our customers,” Hotnich says. Gone are the days when customers waited and wondered when their shipment would arrive. For example, “a couple of weeks ago, we had some weather up in the northeast,” he remembers. “A lot of roads were shut down. With the technology that we have, we were able to pretty much send live updates to our customers.”

All they have to do is “click on a link, and they can see exactly where the truck is.” The technology delivers constant communication, taking all the guesswork out of the process from the dispatcher to the customer.

The company has also embraced new technology for greener, more efficient operations. The last time we spoke, the company had just purchased its first electric vehicle. In fact, ITS was one of the first to buy a purely electric terminal truck from Orange EV, an industry-leading start-up specializing in yard trucks to move trailers within company facilities.

The solution was such a success that ITS followed up by buying a second, fully-electric, yard truck to use at its Buffalo facility. “The drivers are very happy with it,” Hotnich says.

ITS managed to come through the pandemic and shutdown unscathed. “Luckily COVID did not really impact us,” he says. “We actually received more business through COVID.” This was primarily due to ITS dealing with products that remained in demand.

The company transports a wide variety of essential foods, from chicken and milk to cereal, produce, and essential paper products. “Obviously, everyone was eating and drinking,” Hotnich says. As a result, ITS jobs remained secure. “We never had to lay any office staff off. No drivers were laid off.”

With business booming despite the difficult times, geographical expansion is very much on the table. The company’s over-the-road operations have expanded as far north as Maine, as far south as South Carolina, and as far west as Minnesota. The team regularly transports shipments down to Kentucky and the Carolinas and west to Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. “We’re looking to expand that more and more,” Mazzatti says.

The team relies on two transport operations to cover the expanding workload, ‘every other day’ and ‘five and two’. ‘Every other day’ drivers leave one day and return home the following day, staying within about five hundred miles from the Buffalo headquarters and driving about seven hours a day to cover the company’s regional business. The schedule gives these drivers plenty of time to be home with their families.

‘Five and two’ drivers travel beyond the New York region, driving for five days at a time and then returning home for two days. “The guys like that because they get a whole forty-eight hours off,” Mazzatti says. Having options helps keep drivers happy because they can work the type of schedule that is best for them and their lifestyle.

This flexibility is important because keeping drivers happy is crucial to the company’s success. Hotnich says the biggest challenge the company, and the industry at large, faces is an ongoing driver shortage. “There’re a lot of different avenues that we’re looking at to try to combat that,” he says.

ITS has always been committed to employee satisfaction, which has been particularly important during the current driver’s market. “Jake [Mazzatti] works with all the drivers. If there’s anything they need, [even if] it’s short notice, we try to work with them as best as possible because, while we have grown and continue to grow, we want to make sure that our values at the core of being a family-owned business are held true. We don’t want employees to be, you know, employee ID 123. We want them to be James; we want them to be Jake; we want them to be Claire. We want to have a good, open relationship with all of our drivers.”

This applies regardless of a driver’s route or hours. “It doesn’t matter if it’s an over-the-road driver that Jake might see once a week,” Hotnich says. “If that driver has something going on, Jake’s door and my door’s wide open. So if they have something going on, they can just come in and talk, whatever’s on their mind. Same thing with local drivers – anything that’s going on, we have an open-door policy. We listen.”

One thing that management listened to was the drivers’ request for a lounge. The company is renovating the company’s main terminal in Buffalo to create a space for drivers to relax, unwind, and freshen up after a long day or days on the road. The new lounge will include showers, televisions, couches, and other requested amenities.

ITS is considering partnering with a local school to help funnel new drivers to the company or it might even launch its own school. Either way, the goal is “to get that young talent pool in the door and show them that, you know, it’s not your father’s or your mother’s trucking industry,” Hotnich says. “A lot has changed – a lot of technology.” For one thing, the hours are far better than in the past. “It’s not [that] you’re out thirty, thirty-five days in a row,” he points out, adding that the compensation is generous. “You can make a good living being a truck driver.”

Perhaps most importantly, drivers have the satisfaction of knowing that they are making a positive impact, especially during tough times. “Our drivers had a hand, like other trucking companies through this pandemic, to literally keep America moving,” Hotnich says. “No matter how small it seems that their contributions are, all the drivers have made a huge impact across the country.”

The post The Future of Transport<p class="company">Innovative Transportation Services</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.