WINTER 2014

44 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

44 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK G.L. Huyett PO Box 232, Exit 49, G.L. Huyett Expressway, Minneapolis, KS 67467 Tel: 785-392-3017 Fax: 785-392-2845 Email: glh@huyett.com www.huyett.com G.L. HUYETT LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE G.L. Huyett, a manufacturer and master distributor of non-threaded fasteners and grease fittings recently launched a new website, www.huyett.com The site provides 24-hour access to more than 95,000 parts in over 600 product lines. The company manufactures shafting, turned parts, keystock, and machine keys. As a master distributor and importer they offer low order minimums and same-day shipping of a complete inventory of pins, retaining rings, grease fittings and accessories, bushings, washers, shims, shaft collars, assortments, and tools. The company’s VP of Marketing, Greg Tabor, explained “In today’s market the launch of a new website may not be seen as groundbreaking, but within our niche, we recognized a need for and developed an e-commerce site that provides photos of every product category, individual prices, illustrations, technical drawings, and complete technical specifications of every part we sell.” The new site makes it easy to find and buy parts that are often difficult to source, hard to manufacture, or difficult to buy. G.L. Huyett’s CEO, Timothy O’Keeffe, told us, “More often than not, companies that make these parts are difficult to buy from because they really only want to sell them in high volumes, which makes it difficult for companies to get their hands on what they need without buying more than they need or want to buy.” By sourcing parts from manufacturers worldwide, G.L. Huyett makes buying small quantities easier. Jessie Baker, Customer Service Group Manager noted, "We already have a highly-trained sales staff that know our products inside and out along with the ability to do custom manufacturing and provide engineering support. By adding a website with all of our product information, we make it easier for our customers get what they want and need even faster." “Our objectives in developing the site were clear,” said Tabor, “G.L. Huyett has been printing comprehensive product catalogs loaded with information gleaned from decades of sourcing and manufacturing. By augmenting our printed materials with a cutting-edge website we make buying easier by providing our customers with options that let them search, research, and buy when it is convenient for them.” Huyett.com features sophisticated search capabilities that let visitors narrow their search results by attributes. There is an information-rich Knowledge Vault full of training materials, resources, and catalogs geared towards steelmaking, manufacturing processes, and best practices. “New tools allow our customers to manage their accounts online, view their order history, save their favorites to expedite reordering, get quick quotes, and see quantity breaks and negotiated pricing,” added O’Keeffe. “We hope to migrate our current customer base to an e-commerce platform instead of an ‘email-RFQ-email-quote-email-PO’ paradigm.” Established in 1906 by Guy Huyett in the “other Minneapolis,” the company is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Kansas. The company was founded on the production and distribution of machinery bushings. In the 1970’s, an entrepreneurial owner, Bob Hahn, recognized huge potential in expanding product offerings to supply fasteners for industrial equipment; material handling equipment; power transmission and associated motion control components; outdoor power equipment; agricultural and construction equipment; rigging and scaffolding; automobiles and trucks; and more. Ask any G.L. Huyett employee what the company’s reason for being is and you’ll get the same answer time and again, “I’m here to make our customer’s life easier.” Customer service seems to be the common thread that runs throughout the organization. G.L. Huyett describes itself as “Purveyors of a Way of Life.” O’Keeffe explained, “Our Way of Life starts on the inside of the company in how we treat each other, how we demonstrate a commitment to excellence, and commit ourselves to bettering ourselves through training while continually looking for ways to efficiently increase productivity. To our customers, our Way of Life is demonstrated through our desire to make their lives easier. It’s not what our customer’s buy, but why they buy from us that’s important. Customers can get clevis pins and washers anywhere, but they can’t get the friendliness, knowledge, and efficiency that G.L. Huyett offers from anyone else.”