Chances are the next time you visit a doctor’s office or outpatient clinic anywhere in America’s Mid-Atlantic region, Nixon Uniform Service and Medical Wear will have you covered— if only in a freshly laundered patient gown.

Founded in 1967 as a dry-cleaning business, the company entered the textile rental market in 1969 and quickly evolved into business-to-business textile management services. Today, as the market leader in medical wear and linen service, Nixon is the largest and fastest growing textile rental company in the Mid-Atlantic. 

The company provides, launders, and delivers a complete line of medical apparel (lab coats, scrubs, and patient gowns), towels, sheets, and other reusable products. What’s more, the company’s commitment to quality is evident throughout its operations, from its state-of-the-art “medical only” processing facilities that comply with OSHA regulations to its proprietary Customer Service Response (CSR) program.

From its corporate headquarters in Wilmington, DE, and facilities in Edison, NJ, New Castle, DE, Beltsville, MD, and Richmond, VA, Nixon’s 70-vehicle fleet, along with dedicated Route Service Representatives (RSRs), serve 250 weekly routes and over 6,000 customers from New Jersey to Virginia. 

However, by 2005, Nixon’s prudent management suspected that the company’s rapid growth might be leaving them exposed in other ways, specifically in terms of rising costs in their transportation operations. 

With a company the size of Nixon, measuring the actual costs of routes was very difficult.  That’s where Territory Planner made a difference in Nixon’s bottom line.

Impressed with its capabilities, the company purchased Territory Planner from UPS Logistics Technologies and implemented a complete reconfiguration and optimization of their delivery territories.

“Internally, we were looking to balance our routes and route days in terms of volume,” notes Nixon’s Vice President Jason Berstein.  “More importantly, by creating geographically-based routes, we were able to position our RSRs, as well as supporting service managers and territory sales managers, to develop even stronger relationships with our customers.” 

By optimizing their standard route operations with Territory Planner, Berstein says that Nixon quickly realized a higher level of customer service.  “Now, customers that require multiple deliveries during the course of the week can be serviced by the same RSR, where previously that RSR may have shifted from territory to territory throughout the week,” he says.  “This in turn has led to greater customer satisfaction. Our customers prefer to have fewer people involved in their account and more personalized, one-on-one service.”

Lee Beup, Nixon’s Marketing Director, agrees.  “At the end of the day, we all work for the satisfaction of our customers,” he says.  “Having optimal territories has gone a long way in positioning us to be successful in that regard.”

In the months following its implementation, Berstein reports what he’s heard from the company’s RSRs has been very positive.  “We expect customer satisfaction to increase dramatically,” he says.  “As we continue to grow our business, Territory Planner will allow us to realize the benefits of increased density by helping us to create more efficient and effective routes.  This solution has allowed us to take our own high standards of customer service to the next level.”

“Our company is growing at an aggressive pace,” Beup adds, “and Territory Planner is providing us with the infrastructure to scale our business far easier than if we hadn’t implemented it.  Long-term, we expect it to provide us with a very good return.”