How Your Local Distributor Drives Down Your Costs

If you see your local distributor only as a channel to buy product, you are not getting the cost-reductions that can help you be more competitive.

Your local distributor brings three things to your table: product, assets/resources and people.

Assets/Resources

Your local distributor carries a variety of product lines and services, and works with up to hundreds of different companies. There are likely several resources used by others that would benefit your company. Here are just a few possibilities:

- Technical support

- Field service engineers

- Custom design/assembly work

- Light manufacturing

- Inventory management

- Scheduled orders

- Training/workshops

- Product obsolescence guidance/management

Strategically employing these assets and resources can help you drive out both hard and soft costs to help your company and processes be more efficient, and more profitable.

Many distributors bring in experts from their vendors to provide free training and workshops. Sending your personnel for a local workshop or specialized training right in your backyard can pay untold dividends in manufacturing efficiencies and quality control.

People, Network, People

Bring your challenges to your distributor. They know all the services and resources their company has to offer. Their technical and sales personnel talk to and walk through manufacturing facilities throughout your region. And they have a direct line to OEM’s and their technical staff. You would be amazed at the extensive network available to you just by talking to your distributor’s representative.

For example, you can start by explaining an issue you are having with a very specific manufacturing process. Has the representative has come across it before, or seen another manufacturer who has developed a unique solution?

Ask how the distributor can help reduce inventory costs? Or what is new on the market that is better than what you are already using. It is much too easy to keep your head down and keep doing business the way you always have, not seeing there is a better product, or better service, that can make you more competitive.

Slide Products has a vast network with hundreds of distributors in the United States, and 30 countries. Ask your Slide distributor what more they can offer in addition to the competitive pricing, one-day shipping and vendor consolidation you have come to expect.

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