National Book Network has been working furiously over the past few weeks to catch up on a backlog of shipments that accumulated in its warehouse in February.
NBN president Jed Lyons explained that during February the company installed an enhancement to its existing warehouse system that is designed to speed shipments and improve productivity. "It took time to integrate" the new system with the current one, as well as to train employees to use the new tools, which include a handheld computer, Lyons said. The combination resulted in delays in shipping books and accepting returns. Lyons said the warehouse problems "are behind us," noting that NBN billed more business in the first 10 days this month than it did in all of March 2003.
NBN client publishers contacted by PW, while frustrated with the disruptions caused by the interruption in service, said they were satisfied with the way NBN handled the situation. The distributor received the most credit for paying publishers for books that were scheduled to ship, but didn't—a move that eased cash-flow concerns. And because there were no returns, some publishers made out better this February than last year. As one publisher noted, "I've never had a month look so good in the returns column."
