From Deliveries to Truck Maintenance, Red Classic Offers It All

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From seamless deliveries to truck maintenance, see what else Red Classic offers its customers outside of Coca-Cola products deliveries.

“Who is Red Classic? We are.”

That’s the mantra used by the wholly-owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, a brand with strong roots in the beverage company that has grown into the leader in the supply chain and logistics industry we know today. The company and its involvement with Coca-Cola go back 130 years, and today the brand still delivers Coke-brand products.

However, Red Classic learned that just delivering Coke products meant an empty truck was coming back from deliveries. The company began picking up shipments of unrelated items on the way back from dropping off its Coke products to better utilize the fleet. Now, more than half of the company’s contracts are outside of Coca-Cola products.

The asset-based company has 500 pieces of equipment for deliveries from the Mid- and South Atlantic out to Ohio and Alabama. An internal maintenance company handles all work on transportation equipment and Coca-Cola’s material handling equipment. There are over 900 employees with Red Classic, which is also made up of contractors and 150 owner/operators.

With a portfolio heavily weighted in products outside of Coke, Red Classic’s goal now is to become as integral to transportation as Coke is to the beverage industry.

For Red Classic’s leadership, this means focusing heavily on one thing: people. As the company continues to make a name for itself outside of its parent company, it is bringing in disciplined and process-driven employees.

Although promoting from within will be a continuing strategy, Red Classic is also keying in efforts to attract more millennials and recent graduates. Recruitment shouldn’t be too hard, given that the company's employees voted Red Classic as the fourth best place to work in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2015.

The strong culture—which promotes dignity and respect for everyone and a career path that allows for growth—and the company’s commitment to fit and empowerment means that attracting and retaining young or new employees come naturally. From company outings such as baseball games and other social gatherings to fun challenges that keep the teams motivated and engaged, Red Classic is consistently investing in its people.

Red Classic’s process excellence team, as well as the provision of the right tools and clearest path to process excellence, keeps the logistics teams running efficiently, effectively, and at the highest quality possible for the industry.

But this investment in people extends beyond the company into the community. Red Classic is dedicated to causes greater than the company and is involved with truckers against trafficking, home build projects through Habitat for Humanity, the United Way, and others.

The company has a long history in the supply chain industry, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, to speed up their goal to become one of the sector’s leading supply chain companies, Red Classic is focusing on technological investment, including the reconfiguration of current technology, onboarding services, and GPS and full tracking of deliveries and trucks.

Beyond expanding its technical capabilities, Red Classic is also looking to broaden its footprint and move into new and different markets. The Midwest would be a new, unexplored gateway for the company, with the potential to be a lucrative new geography for the business. Its brokerage group will acquire more trucks and expand its operations as well. New independent maintenance offices, as well as additional services like intermodal transportation, are all on the docket for future investments.

One this is for sure, though: Red Classic will never forget where it came from or its identity in the industry.