Departments

Uline is a business to business distributor of shipping supplies, industrial materials and packaging materials. The primary marketing channel for the company is the product catalog, bolstered by a direct sales force and full e-commerce site. Uline employees work together as a team to support the daily functions of the company, whether they fill customer orders, man the phone lines, negotiate with vendors, expand the product line or manage the finances.

Administrative
The administrative staff performs office duties for senior executives and supports all departments. Administrative assistants are the backbone of every department.

The Administrative Department:

• Composes reports and correspondence.
• Maintains records.
• Creates and analyzes spreadsheets.
• Coordinates office functions.
• Tracks schedules.
• Performs any other supportive tasks.

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Circulation / Database Marketing
The Circulation Department plans, executes and analyzes all Uline catalog mailings.

The Circulation Department:

• Conducts circulation planning and develops mailing strategies.
• Supervises weekly catalog mailings.
• Analyzes campaign performance.
• Analyzes the customer file and customer sales history.
• Appends demographic data on new customers and maintains the data integrity of the customer file.
• Works with Customer Service to track and review data capture procedures.
• Works with Sales Representatives to provide new lead information.

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Creative/Design
The Creative Department fulfills all the design needs for the company and works closely with the Merchandising and Internet/Advertising departments.

The Creative / Design Department:

• Maintains the "ULINE Brand" look throughout all media, including catalogs, website, mailings and other promotional and advertising channels.
• Designs catalog pages and maintains production schedules.
• Creates in-house printed materials, Power Point presentations, promotional offers, advertisements, package design and illustrations.
• Develops Internet/Intranet page concepts, presentations and videos.
• Uses Quark Xpress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and other design publishing programs.

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Customer Service
Customer service representatives function as the company’s direct line to the customer. Representatives are trained to give our customers one-stop shopping by handling orders, questions and concerns without transferring them. Representatives place orders and respond to customer questions 24-hours a day, via the phone, fax, email, chat and website.

The Customer Service Department:

• Provides excellent customer service and processes orders via phone, fax, email, chat and the Internet.
• Answers product and pricing inquiries.
• Records customer feedback.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of products and promotions.
• Gathers information for price Quotes on large quantities and custom items.
• Utilizes real time/historical call statistics to provide optimal customer service.
• Conducts 24-hour live website chat.

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Finance
The Finance Department encompasses all financial operations of the company, including accounts payable/receivable, customer credit analysis and collection, tax return preparation, analysis and preparation of financial reporting, payroll processing and cash management. This large department takes care of everything from processing vendor invoices to setting year-to-year financial goals. The finance department is broken into four sub-departments: Accounting, International Accounting, Credit and Collections, and Financial Analysis.

Accounting/International Accounting:

• Produces month-end financial reports.
• Maintains, audits and reconciles the books and records of the company.
• Prepares tax returns and ensures company compliance with all government regulations.
• Processes payroll.
• Processes all accounts payable invoices.

  Credit and Collections:

• Develops and approves appropriate credit lines for customers.
• Calls customers on past-due invoices.
• Applies payment from customers to invoices.
• Minimizes the company’s exposure to losses from bad debt write-offs and fraud.

  Financial Analysis:

• Prepares the annual budget.
• Analyzes competitive threats.
• Forecasts trends.
• Sets goals to determine strategic direction.
• Performs operational and financial audits.
• Identifies opportunities for improving efficiencies, reducing costs and maximizing revenues.
• Prepares financial analysis.
• Evaluates new markets and competitors.

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Human Resources
The Human Resources Department coordinates the recruiting, training and development of new hires, manages the benefits and compensation for company employees and maintains employee relations.

The Human Resources Department:

• Recruits, trains and develops new hires.
• Interviews candidates and extends job offers.
• Orients new hires.
• Coordinates the benefits program (medical, dental, life, etc.) as well as employee compensation.
• Coordinates company events.
• Coordinates company wide internship program.

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IT
Uline's Information Technology Department is responsible for creating and maintaining systems to support Uline’s business objectives. To achieve this goal, the department deploys solutions featuring computer hardware, back office systems, application software, and communications networks.

The IT Department:

• Creates and maintains the Enterprise-Wide Application software for the business.
• Ensures network and server availability above 99.9%.
• Ensures quick response times to user requests and system operations.
• Ensures the backup and recovery of all computer equipment and phone systems.
• Maintains the following hardware and software: IBM AS400/I-Series servers, Microsoft Windows and Linux servers, Oracle and Microsoft SQL databases, Microsoft IIS, .NET, E-commerce and Intranet websites, WAN/LAN infrastructure, telephony, data connectivity between offices and the Internet, and email systems.
  

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Internet / Advertising
This department manages and maintains the Uline ecommerce web sites. Internet/Advertising also coordinates print production, keyword advertising, yellow pages, direct mail and e-mail marketing initiatives. The Internet/Advertising Department works closely with the Creative and Merchandising departments.

The Internet/Advertising Department:

• Oversees all facets of marketing and development for the Internet.
• Coordinates on-line and off-line sales promotions.
• Generates and maintains web content.
• Analyzes advertising and web site metrics.
• Works with creative on all web designs and advertisements.
• Creates and executes advertising campaigns.
• Manages print production for catalog and other marketing materials.
• Maintains and leverages the publishing content management system for multichannel publishing.
• Researches, recommends, and tests new internet and publishing technologies.

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Merchandising
The Merchandising Department develops special promotions, produces the Uline catalog, works with merchandise vendors and researches new products. The marketing department works closely with the Internet/Advertising and Creative departments.

The Merchandising Department:

• Develops merchandising strategies.
• Researches new products.
• Directs new and existing product development.
• Manages vendor relationships.
• Researches and analyzes competitors.
• Tracks market trends and pricing.
• Maintains product management and quality assurance.

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Purchasing
The Purchasing Department is responsible for managing inventory levels to achieve the company’s goal of no backorders. Purchasing sets and reviews inventory levels at all of Uline’s various distribution centers and maintains inventory accuracy.

The Purchasing Department:

• Reviews inventory levels at the distribution centers.
• Orders inventory to replenish product stock.
• Places purchase orders and maintains good vendor relations.
• Performs cycle count on a daily basis.
• Investigates inventory discrepancies.
• Returns damaged or unacceptable quality goods.

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Sales
The sales team actively markets Uline products to businesses. Each member of the team is responsible for a certain territory, where they bring in new customers and enhance existing customer accounts to ensure satisfaction. Account Representatives spend the majority of their time traveling off-site to businesses, talking directly with the customer.

The Sales Team:

• Works directly with customers to ensure commitments are met.
• Provides phone, mail and Internet support to clients.
• Provides customer feedback and new product ideas to the Merchandising Department.
• Maintains current knowledge of the marketplace, trends and offerings of major competitors.
• Provides packaging solutions to our customers based on needs.
• Builds partnerships with our customers to ensure customer satisfaction.

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Warehouse
Each Uline location is dominated by its warehouse, with each branch holding all 15,000 products in stock. All aspects of the distribution business—shipping, receiving, returns, transfers and restock—are centered within the warehouse.

The Warehouse Department:

• Picks and packs orders for customer shipments.
• Receives incoming vendor shipments.
• Loads and unloads shipments.
• Maintains freight, UPS, other carriers and their shipments.
• Audits all products upon receipt.
• Packs and wraps freight orders to reduce damage.
• Controls inventory.
• Coordinates inbound merchandise and restocks.
• Transfers stock to other locations.
• Operates warehouse vehicles (forklift, stock picker, reach truck, etc.)

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