SUMMER 2012

58 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

58 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Powers Fasteners Inc. 2 Powers Lane, Brewster, NY 10509 Tel: 914-235-6300 Fax: 914-576-6483 Email: info@powers.com www.powers.com WHAT ARE THE REAL COSTS OF IN-HOUSE PACKAGING Distributors have been exploring creative ways to increase their bottom line. For many, buying fasteners in bulk and packaging inhouse was once a viable and profitable revenue stream. For most distributors today, this is actually a cost prohibitive way of conducting business due to rising labor and benefit rates for man-hours, cost of packaging materials and more importantly, the quality of the products sent to the market place when bought in bulk. What are the real inherent costs for a distributor when purchasing fasteners in bulk, and then ship, market and distribute Buying in bulk raises a multitude of questions: - How much inventory do I carry - What’s a good product mix - Do I have to buy excessive amounts to obtain the correct price - Where do I get my knowledge base - How about the creditability of the vendor - What percentages are unsalable in a keg of product - What am I really buying - Are the lots fully traceable in case of an accident or incident - Am I buying from someone who carries enough liability insurance - Am I receiving firsts or am I buying seconds that nobody else wanted - Are there any quality control standards in place from my current supplier If you do not have answers to these questions, or they leave you wondering, perhaps your business could be exposed to some risk. Finally, ask yourself this question now: if you could purchase all of your packaged fasteners from a wellknown, trusted supplier, with reliable quality, at a competitive price, stocked in 22 locations throughout the US, with eye-catching packaging and visually appealing point of purchase displays, why wouldn’t you do it Powers Fasteners may have the answer for you. Powers’ Packaged Fastener line is a comprehensive offering of screws, bolts, nuts, washers and specialty items. As an ISO 9001 certified company, Powers features product quality assurances and testing procedures at its state-of-the-art facility in Brewster, NY, as well as with third party laboratories. New products continue through the stringent testing process and once approved, they are added to local warehouses where the knowledgeable sales staff assists customers in selecting the right fasteners mix for maximum sales impact. Convenient boxes and jars keep products organized and ready at hand, and bulk packaging is also available upon request. Andy Marker, President, L.W. Meyer, says, “I switched to Powers’ Packaged Screw Fastening line because I wanted to sell my existing customers the “total package”. They were already buying Powers’ line of fasteners from me, since Powers has the most code-approved products in the industry. When you add in the engineering they do to ensure the products get specified, prompt delivery from local warehouses across the U.S., great colorful packaging that helps move the product, and the integrity of the Powers name on everything, it was an easy decision to switch to Powers Packaged Fasteners” Take another look at the question; is it worth packaging fasteners in-house