WINTER 2016

12 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Robert Footlik
Robert B. Footlik is a licensed professional engineer. A graduate of Illinois Institute of
Technology, he has worked extensively in the fields of material handling, plant layout,
packaging and management systems. The firm of Footlik and Associates serves as staff
warehousing and materials consultants to six trade associations. Footlik writes for 12
trade and professional journals. Footlik and Associates is located at 2521 Gross Point
Road, Evanston, Illinois 60601; phone 847-328-5644.
DON’T KNOW IF THIS WORKS, BUT.....
Regular readers of these columns are already
familiar with the benefits of affinity analysis in the
warehouse.
Product grouping by families and sub
families of related materials is an excellent way to raise
the efficiency of any operation.
Putting similar
characteristics of usage can dictate breaking fasteners
into categories by size,
materials, head configuration,
metallurgy etc. with associated
washers, nuts and other
products nearby.
This saves
picking travel and helps
insure quality and accuracy.
University courses teaching
this technique call it “Data
Mining.”
But using advanced
correlations and complex
algorithms isn’t really necessary. Often you and your
staff know the relationships, or your customers might be
able to share this information with you…if only you would
ask. All too often Fastener Distributors make sales calls
on the Buying Department to shake hands, discuss
pricing and terms along with other financial information.
This is a vital component of doing business, but it
bypasses completely the real customers. It’s time to try
something new, “Synergistic Sales.”
Who Is A Candidate For Synergistic Sales?
OK, I just made up the term. A quick on line search
shows some companies who have this in their name, but
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
what does it mean in your context?
Instead of stopping at the front office a Synergistic
Sales Call continues out the back door and goes into the
warehouse, factory, job site, contractor’s field office and
other places to ask one simple question: “What can my
company do to make your people more efficient?” This
isn’t mysterious or complex.
It’s a statement as much as a
question that defines a role for
your warehouse and business
building on the premise that
your warehouse is a sales tool.
How you approach this
depends on the context of the
visit and the marketing
philosophies of your company
and it will differ greatly based
on the type of customer. Let’s
examine a few examples.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) are a
fairly simple case. Somehow a product is designed, a
parts list is generated and a production order is sent to
the factory floor for manufacturing. Hopefully this results
in a sales order for your company that includes pieces,
boxes, cartons or pallets of specific line items required
to make the product. But have you ever thought about
the specifics of how your customer handles this
internally? There are numerous value added processes
that can enhance your bottom line while simultaneously
saving the customer a lot of money and generating
loyalty well beyond the balance sheet.
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