![]() Up to that point, Zachary Horton, Ember’s shipping and logistics coordinator, says the company was using several different 3PLs to get its products delivered to its large retail customers. That in and of itself tells the story of why we needed a reliable logistics partner on our side.” “We knew we needed a great third-party logistics partner to handle projects like launching in Apple stores in 26 different countries,” says Poel, “and in a single day, opening global e-commerce channels and supplying to TMall China. When Ember signed Apple as a customer in 2018, the need for a streamlined, reliable logistics and transportation setup became even more important for the innovative manufacturer. “The next thing you know, we were making and selling accessories and a variety of different colored mugs.” “When you have two customers and a few SKUs, the logistics are pretty easy,” says Poel. With that unexpected sales boost came new manufacturing and distribution challenges, the likes of which the company hadn’t experienced before. That request transformed our company from ‘startup’ to ‘real company.’” Best Buy jumped onboard not long after, with both partnerships boosting Ember’s sales “basically overnight,” says Poel. “Then they asked for coffee mugs versus travelers. “They sold out in a couple of weeks,” says Poel. Starbucks put Ember’s travel mug on its shelves for retail sale in 2016. “They enjoyed their drinks right to the last drop…it went over really well.” “We put some Starbucks coffee in one of our mugs and asked them to set it at the desired temperature,” says Poel. The company’s first product was a travel mug, which a team of Ember engineers presented to Starbucks-a company that puts great effort into growing, hand-picking, and roasting its coffee beans, only to have the final product poured into a paper cup. It didn’t take long for Alexander to solve his cold breakfast problem, but that discovery sparked another question in his mind: What if he could use the same technology-a combination of radio-controlled batteries, heating elements and sensors-to keep coffee, tea and other drinks hot? Would it be better than those heated, coaster-like mug warmers? “And with that, Clay set off to invent the world’s first temperature-controlled coffee cup,” says Phil Poel, Ember’s COO. Radiance has since become one of the top lighting design agencies in the country with a client list that includes Universal Studios, Mattel and 20th Century Fox. He started his first company, Radiance Lightworks, in 1999 at the age of 23. An inventor, Alexander holds over 100 patents worldwide and is the inventor of General Electric’s LED light bulb, the GE Infusion. ![]() If the idea sounds far-fetched, think again. ![]() ![]() “I think I can make a heated plate to keep my eggs warm,” the serial entrepreneur said to himself. It all started with Alexander’s scrambled eggs, which he of course preferred warm versus cold. That’s exactly what Clay Alexander was pondering back in 2010, just before founding Ember, a design-led temperature control brand that’s now creating a new category of consumer products. But what if you could customize that drink’s temperature as you consumed it, vary the degrees to see how it affects the taste, and enjoy your hot beverage right down to the last drop? There’s nothing worse than getting halfway into what was once a piping hot cup of coffee or tea, only to have it go cold on you. Inventor of the world’s first temperature-controlled mugs turns to SEKO, as a single 3PL provider, to support its massive sales growth and worldwide supply chain operations. Logistics Management Magazine Article - by Bridget McCrea, Editor
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