MYTRAK goes for green How do you create a healthy and fit society, one person at a time? MYTRAK knows. In 2004, Reed Hanoun, a successful entrepreneur, founded MYTRAK Health System Inc. with four employees in the basement of a house. His mission was simple, to help individuals get fit and lead healthier lives. Their company motto “Go for Green” is homage to their lifechanging technology. Every day the health circle on the device is lit in red. As calories are burned, it changes to yellow and finally a green light is given when the daily goal for calories burned is achieved. MYTRAK simplifies the process of making people healthy. It encourages individuals to ‘go for green’; and guides success by engaging and motivating people to stay physically active through the use of their state-of-the-art technology. It all began with the “Success Coach,” an application device used on gym equipment that sets targets for health, fitness and biometrics. Currently the application is available in 26 countries, six languages, at 4,300 fitness clubs and is used by approximately 1.5 million people worldwide. MYTRAK’s next step was partnering with one of the largest direct response companies in the world—a national infomercial provider. “We were utilizing their shipping and logistics service, which resulted in per-package shipping—not the ideal long-term solution,” Julio Andracchio, vice-president of operations says. “Eventually we were faced with the question: How do we deal with millions of potential customers dispersed across the globe?” That was only the beginning. In 2008, Hanoun quickly realized his technology could benefit the masses. MYTRAK leveraged its market experience to develop a mobile solution that virtualizes a fitness centre and satisfies the vast non-gym market, which represents nearly 85% of the population. Hanoun’s first step was to create a portable version called MYTRAK Personal Smart Coach, which is now in 21 countries, five fitness clubs and used by two million people. This version launched in 2010 and has been helping thousands of users lose weight, stay active and improve their health. At the same time, it’s also gained popularity from Corporations in 21 countries as they’ve used the device to engage and motivate their employees in leading more active and healthy lives. The Challenge Results Achieved With MYTRAK’s operations spread throughout China, Canada and the U.S., support was needed in shipping products internationally to a large number of customers. By taking full advantage of UPS’s expertise, shipping times were reduced by 14 days per shipment from China to the U.S. and seven days for receiving and stocking in Canada. Due to the efficient shipping process UPS implemented, MYTRAK saw their brokerage charges decrease significantly and some of their shipments were able to avoid customs charges. “We also had challenges shipping direct from China to the U.S., which resulted in re-routing the shipments to multiple locations. This process was inefficient and costly.” The Solution In 2008, MYTRAK engaged with UPS to service its Canadian, U.S. and worldwide customers. With multiple shipping options now available to them, MYTRAK has been able to optimize the service they can provide. With UPS’s scalable shipping option, a multi-stage shipping process was implemented allowing a ramping up or down of shipping activity as the need arose for U.S. customers. UPS Services UPS International Returns Quantum View® Manage and UPS Web Developer Kit APIs enhance customer’s reverse-logistic and shipment visibility demands. UPS Paperless® Invoice and UPS customs brokerage service help reduce the impact to the environment while facilitating accurate and timely clearance of MYTRAK’s international shipments. UPS Standard® is ideal for smaller volume of shipments. UPS Trade Direct® is used for shipping a high volume of shipments to various locations in the U.S. UPS freight services provide cross-border movement for high volumes depending on the nature of goods to be shipped. “Managing returns with the projected volumes was also a concern. We wanted to focus on what we do best—not necessarily shipping and logistics. Having UPS take on that aspect of the process, I’ve gained efficiency through better shipping systems and our company is saving approximately 60 minutes in work per day. The shipping systems also allow us to use less paper. After our first month of partnering with UPS, we saved 46% on shipping costs and subsequently have saved between 40% and 70% on our monthly costs. The transition and system integration was seamless,” says Andracchio. Future Success In July of 2011, NBC and MYTRAK Health System Inc. reached an agreement with TV show “The Biggest Loser.” Each participant will be equipped with the all-new MYTRAK SlimCoach device, rebranded as, The Biggest Loser SlimCoach, powered by MYTRAK. Viewers of the hit show will have the chance to see how the device can help change lives. This mass exposure of their product and strategic partnerships will help fuel MYTRAK’s expansion into the global market. With a staff of over 60 employees and counting, they plan to leverage their exposure and strategic partnerships in the U.S. and in foreign markets including China, Mexico, Brazil, England, Ireland and Australia. “We hope to work with UPS in creating an international logistics plan, which would include warehousing, shipping and inventory control.” With UPS’s help, MYTRAK can focus on achieving their business goals and “go for green.” UPS Worldwide Express™ is ideal for urgent international shipments. For more information on MYTRAK, visit www.mytrak.com. For more information about the UPS products and services mentioned above, please visit www.ups.com. © 2011 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. UPS, the UPS brandmark and the color brown are trademarks of United Parcel Service America, Inc. All rights reserved. “I’ve gained efficiency through better shipping systems and our company is saving approximately 60 minutes in work per day. The shipping systems also allow us to use less paper. The transition and system integration was seamless.” —Julio Andracchio vice-president of operations MYTRAK