Quality Importers Cut Costs & Saved 40 Days with MyCarrier

Company Background

Quality Importers, headquartered in Florida, is a leading provider of premium cigar accessories. Founded over 25 years ago in a garage and still family-owned, the company has grown into a dominant player in its niche market. Through strategic acquisitions—including its 2019 merger with Xikar—Quality Importers has expanded into a family of brands featuring humidors, lighters, cutters, ashtrays, and travel accessories. With rapid growth transitioning them from a mom-and-pop operation into a more corporate structure, the company needed scalable, reliable logistics to keep up with rising demand.

The Challenge

As the company grew, shipping and logistics processes became increasingly difficult to manage:

• Using five different broker and carrier websites to quote and book shipments, creating inefficiencies.

• Manual processes for dispatch, BOLs, and invoice reconciliation, requiring hours of staff time.

• Claim resolution through brokers that took weeks, often yielding only partial recoveries.

• Limited visibility into shipment statuses, forcing customer service to spend hours tracking down information.

• High costs from using brokers rather than fostering direct carrier relationships.

The lack of centralization was costing Quality Importers valuable time, creating errors, and straining its ability to scale.

The Solution

Through a recommendation from Southeastern Freight Lines, Quality Importers adopted MyCarrier to streamline operations and build direct carrier relationships. Key benefits included:

• Centralized Quoting & Dispatch: One platform to compare rates, select carriers, and dispatch shipments with a click.

• Invoice Hub: Automatic reconciliation of carrier invoices with NetSuite orders, reducing AP workload.

• Claims Portal: Faster claims resolution directly with carriers, cutting claim resolution time from a month to just days.

• NetSuite Integration: Seamless data sync with custom APIs for package dimensions, weights, and tracking, reducing manual entry.

• Analytics & Reporting: Real-time insights into carrier performance, delivery times, and cost breakdowns for smarter negotiations.

The Results

Since implementing MyCarrier, Quality Importers has seen significant improvements:

• Cost Savings: Immediate annual savings of $16,000 by switching from Shiphawk to MyCarrier, plus lower negotiated rates with carriers.

• Time Savings: More than 40 days of staff time saved annually through automation in claims, invoicing, and shipping workflows.

• Carrier Optimization: Southeastern Freight Lines grew to capture 40% of Quality Importers’ business by offering competitive rates and faster service.

• Improved Customer Service: Real-time shipment visibility reduces delays and supports same-day shipping requests.

• Scalable Growth: Faster workflows allow the team to process higher shipping volumes—supporting growth without adding headcount.

“Overall, we’ve saved about 40 days in time and $16,000 in costs just by switching to MyCarrier. It was well worth the five minutes it took to implement the workflow.”
– Taylor Torres, Operations Manager

Why it Matters

For Quality Importers, MyCarrier delivered more than just efficiency—it created leverage. With stronger direct relationships, faster claims, and data-driven analytics, the company has reduced costs while improving reliability. MyCarrier allows their small operations team to act bigger than they are, scaling seamlessly alongside the company’s rapid growth.