For High Quality Fastener Distribution, Process is Everything

For distributors, moving fasteners from suppliers to end-users involves many critical steps. Packaging, inventory, warehousing, and logistics are areas that rely on a union of technology and people, all under the most important governing element: a solid process.

In the fast-moving world of retaining rings, clamps and pins, the internal process takes center-stage for any organization up to the task. It involves planning for success, doing the work, checking the results, and acting upon those findings. Within that framework, successful distribution rests upon these four key areas:

Quality Process
The most important part of a quality distribution process is also the most often overlooked. Actively auditing tasks, products and people is the only way to determine whether or not improvements need to be made. Even small corrections can lead to greater overall efficiency – but can only be discovered through rigorous and routine examination.

Making sure evaluation matrices are in place for all aspects of distribution is key. From the front office to the shipping dock, examining and improving quality output should be an ongoing internal mission.

Sales & Service
Daily phone calls and emails requires prepared and focused company representatives. Planning ahead for appropriate resources helps distributors not only handle quotes and orders accurately, but also improve customer service based on feedback and results.

Smart Sourcing
Orders must be placed, prices must be negotiated, fork trucks must be moving… there’s work to be done and it must be done correctly. Of the “many moving parts” of a good distributor, sourcing product requires all hands (and brains) on deck. This is especially true when it comes to the ebb and flow of inventory.

Operations
As the team hits their daily rhythm, there must also be a process in place that checks results with a pair of fresh eyes. An effective operations system works in tandem with the “doers” to make sure that every task is accurate and complete. Internal inspection and evaluation reduce errors, and keeps backorders to a minimum.

As with any business, the buck stops with the leadership team. When they are engaged with management and remain at the center of the process, it encourages a distribution model that can perpetually improve upon itself.

For over 40 years, Prospect Fastener has followed this model. Over the years, as we cultivated our status as Master Distributor for Rotor Clip, KMC Stampings, Driv-Lok, Kerr-Lakeside, Spirol and more, this process has been the cornerstone of our success. From leadership, through management and to our dedicated team members, our company remains laser-focused on excellence. We distribute value while always looking for ways to do it better.

For High Quality Fastener Distribution, Process is Everything

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