Amtrak

In November of 2009, Amtrak awarded HPI with its uniform program after many years with their previous supplier. At the time, Amtrak found themselves managing inventory and practically running the day-to-day operations of the program out of necessity. Inventory issues and shortages were causing service interruptions, long lead times and high backorders for their uniform program which included Amtrak’s 55 stations and over 5,600 employees.

Challenges

Amtrak wanted a responsive uniform supplier that could provide made-in-the-USA uniforms without the current inventory and shipment/back order issues.

Uniform Coordinators, one for each station, needed to be able to order uniforms online through their intranet system (eTrax), receive prompt order confirmations and generate reports.

For over 25 years, Amtrak had no automated uniform allotment. Employees received a monthly uniform allotment to go towards purchasing new uniform pieces to keep their uniform looking its best. These uniform allotment purchases were manually tracked and managed for each employee by the Uniform Coordinator.

Solutions

Through HPI’s preferred manufacturing partners, HPI not only provided Amtrak with a made-in-the-USA uniform program at competitive prices but also improved uniform fit and comfort through custom design and manufacturing.

As the new uniform provider, HPI created an ordering system that included easy-to-use selection tools, real-time inventory awareness, tracking information and reporting options that Amtrak needed to manage its business.

Since each Amtrak Uniform Coordinator handles all uniform orders for their station which includes 20 – 300 employees, HPI added instant order confirmations upon checkout as well as selectable custom reports that generated information by date, employee, station, etc. on demand.

HPI is currently in the final phase of providing Amtrak with the options of allotment / payroll deduct for payment. Instead of monthly allotments going into employees’ paychecks (which may or may not be used for prompt uniform refreshment), they will now automatically be placed into each employee’s uniform allotment fund.

Results

Amtrak employees now enjoy the new comfort and fit of HPI’s custom designed made-in-the-USA uniforms as well as quick turnaround times (orders in by 2PM EST are shipped out the same day) as evidenced by HPI’s steady 99.4% fill rates.

HPI designed and manage an online uniform store customized to Amtrak’s needs with one-stop shopping, multiple employee ordering, real-time inventory and order tracking that is accessible through their internet system, eTrax.

HPI is nearly finished setting up uniform allotment accounts for all Amtrak employees. Uniform Coordinator will be able to utilize these funds when placing orders for employees as well as easily assess how much each employee is using of his/her funds to keep their uniforms in good condition. HPI’s advanced systems will instantly update and manage the uniform fund allotment accounts for all Amtrak employees thereby removing a large, time-consuming task from all the Uniform Coordinators. HPI has subsequently been awarded the apparel contracts for Amtrak’s Police Department Fitness and Training Program as well as the Engineering Department for Safety & Appreciation Events.