Alani Kuye is the Founder and CEO of Phlatbed, a last mile delivery consumer logistics company that specializes in large item, same-day delivery services. Phlatbed has been an Alibaba.com customer for more than 15 years, allowing Alani and his team to optimize operations and sustain continued business growth.

Driven by his passion for changing consumer logistics for better, Alani launched Phlatbed to address the lack of on-time, last mile delivery and shipping service for large items. For almost two years, Phlatbed was in “stealth mode” as Alani and his team built its capabilities, partners and infrastructure to maximize success.

During this time, Alani worked with several partners trying to streamline the design and prototyping process for his business-critical technology and equipment. Getting the correct partner was, unfortunately, not immediate for Alani. However, once Phlatbed discovered Alibaba.com’s platform, Alani and his growing team’s needs were quickly met.

Finding Agility with Alibaba.com

Alani uses Alibaba.com for its expansive vendor options available. Seeing the agility at which Alibaba.com’s vendors move quickly from creating a quote on the RFQ Platform to delivering the final product is impressive. The customization of equipment and technology that he once waited on for weeks, is now completed – with the highest quality certification – within two-to-three weeks, and in some cases days. Prior to working with Alibaba.com, Alani’s product lifecycle took anywhere from six-to-eight weeks greatly limiting the speed at which he could drive his business forward. “Even now, 15 years later, I can go to Alibaba.com, put up an RFQ and I'll get responses within hours,” says Alani.

Alibaba.com’s massive ecosystem and online marketplace of global sellers and manufacturers is a major selling point for Alani. The platform’s vendor vetting system drives value for Alani as he quickly finds trusted, Gold or Verified Suppliers to build and nurture business relationships. As Phlatbed continues to grow so does Alani’s vendor network through the supplier database to incorporate vendors that offer customized products and services to address the company’s evolving vertical markets.

“I can see the 12 qualified vendors that have responded to our specifications, and from there, I can share that with my team, gain feedback, perform any customizations that we need, and turn new products around in a matter of days.” He no longer has to navigate working with vendors whose processes and supply chains are unorganized, time consuming or simply not Alibaba.com verified.

Driving Long-Term Growth and Success

Today, Phlatbed has more than 30,000 drivers across the U.S. in every major city, driven by its simple value proposition – “…if there's a name and an address we’ll get it to you the same day.” Through the partnership with Alibaba.com, Alani has been able to broadly expand Phlatbed’s capabilities, partners and overall agility. With $30 million in contracts pending, Phlatbed is steadily increasing its hubs, its employee base and its product verticals. According to Alani, "Thanks to Alibaba.com, our agility and response time is unmatched."

Alibaba.com has played a vital role in Alani’s business, giving Phlatbed the competitive advantage of global access and local agility, as well as enabling supporting company growth. Alani looks to Alibaba.com as much more than a marketplace, it is a key strategic partner for him and his business.

“Alibaba.com is really a strategic partner, it's beyond business.”