Project: Apple Control Tower
“We threw a ton at you and you came back with something even better than we imagined and did it in such a short amount of time!”
Monica Beatty, Apple - Regional Supplier Manager, Outbound Transportation
Opportunity
When Apple launches new products, the timing and security surrounding the outbound shipments of those products from an Apple warehouse to their retail partners such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, etc. is of the utmost importance. If trucks encounter problems in-transit or sit idle due to showing up too early or too late at the receiving location, they are at heavy risk for theft of high value cargo. Therefore, accurate real-time data analysis and collaboration between Apple, the drivers, and their retail partners is necessary to allow for a successful transfer of new Apple products to store shelves.
Solution
After receiving a demo of RXO Connect, Apple wanted to utilize the platform to help manage their new product launches. I had lengthy weekly sync meetings with them to ensure I fully understood their requirements as well as the prioritization of each requirement and the timing/deadlines for release. I was informed that there would be a large new product launch in September of 2023. We didn’t know what the product was at the time due to security and confidentiality but it would later be understood that it was the iPhone 15.
My team conducted a gap analysis based on the requirement needs and what we believed we could accomplish prior to the September deadline. I continued to iterate on design ideas and solutions with Apple during our weekly sync meetings. By May, we started releasing new updates iteratively so that functionality could be introduced and tested by Apple prior to the September deadline.
We ended up utilizing a new dashboard design we had already been conducting user research on to build what we called the Control Tower to manage the Apple new product launch shipments.
In August 2023, I did an onsight with Apple in their new Austin, TX headquarters to review everything we had released so far and to test out the Control Tower on the monitors in their war room to ensure the product was flawless.
Results
The Control Tower was a huge success and was instrumental in RXO gaining Apple’s trust and growing the amount of business they were willing to give us. This made Apple one of the largest key strategic customers for RXO going into 2024.
“The RXO Connect Control Tower Dashboard is a HIT! Everyone loves it… but everyone wants access now. How many people can we grant access to?”
Monica Beatty, Apple - Regional Supplier Manager, Outbound Transportation
RXO Connect being used to monitor shipments at Apple HQ
(intentionally blurry to hide any potential confidential information)
