Industry:
The largest retailer of automotive parts and accessories in the United States
Expense Category:
Waste & Recycling ServicesClient Challenge:
This well-known retailer with over 5,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada had a long-term relationship with a waste and recycling industry broker at the time they partnered with Fine Tune. At this same time, the retailer had just acquired one of its largest competitors in the space who relied on a different waste broker for their stores. Our client needed help with organization, integration and optimization of their waste and recycling programs for the combined company and tasked Fine Tune to deliver on those objectives while also targeting cost savings, overpayment recovery, better recycling commodity revenues, enhanced terms/conditions, contract enforcement and overall advocacy.
Fine Tune Solution:
Fine Tune personnel began by thoroughly immersing themselves in the data which existed from their current contractual relationships, met with and gathered service information from client personnel at all levels and began discussions with current vendors as well as industry competitors. Fine Tune utilized this information to identify and recover a large refund caused by a misinterpretation of the then-current vendor agreements. Additionally, Fine Tune uncovered several areas where the client was being underpaid for the commodities generated by their recycling efforts.
Outcome:
Fine Tune negotiated a single-vendor waste services agreement with significantly improved terms and conditions that comprehensively protect and empower our client. We managed every aspect of the transition between old and new vendors for a nearly seamless integration of services for the new combined enterprise. Fine Tune also negotiated multiple new market-competitive agreements to significantly increase the client’s recycling commodity rebate income. On a daily basis, Fine Tune now manages all temporary and permanent waste and recycling services while tracking and auditing all of the invoice charges/rebates for those services each month. Essentially, Fine Tune has become the “Waste and Recycling Department” for this client.
