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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
E&T FASTENERS
41 Odell School Road Unit A, Concord, NC 28027
TEL 1-800-650-4707 FAX 704-933-5775 EMAIL eric@fastenercomponents.com WEB www.fastenercomponents.com
AN INTERVIEW WITH ERIC LENZ, CEO
E&T FASTENERS
Eric Lenz, the CEO of E&T Fasteners, suppliers
of metric and standard fasteners and accessories,
gives us insight into why thousands of customers
have chosen E&T Fasteners year after year.
Who Is Your Typical Buyer?
For larger orders, we sell primarily to industrial
purchasers who need parts to complete their own
manufactured product, or to other distributors who do not
have access to the right supply. We have lots of smaller
customers, which makes us unique. We also cater to
maintenance departments, contractors, installers, or
inventory managers. We even have many inventors/
fabricators who need a few parts made while they are
tinkering with a new product.
What Do They Need?
Sometimes, buyers already know what they need,
and they just want to get a part as specified. In those
cases, we’re asked to quote on a particular specified part,
quantity and timeline. Our goal is to get that quote back
as fast as possible at the right price. Most important for
customers is not just the quoting time, but actually getting
their parts in time to make the final product. We know that
the fastener is just a ‘part’ of the final product. No one
should be slowed down by a distributor. The cheapest
price is fine, but getting it on time without hassle is
preferred. We get hundreds of quotes out a week, and the
majority of parts buyers who reach out to us end up buying
from us at some point.
Why Is That?
Because they appreciate our speed. Plus, our pricing
is actually very competitive. When a customer signs an
ERIC LENZ, OWNER E&T FASTENERS, A PROUD SPONSOR OF YOUTH
SPORTS, HOMELESS SHELTERS AND COMMUNITY NEEDS
order, we pull out the logistical stops to ensure that it gets
there on time, every time.
What Happens When A Buyer Doesn’t Know
What They Need?
We get those inquiries too. While we aren’t engineers,
we’ve been in the fastener supply business for over thirty
years, so we lend our expertise in knowing how to get
what they need so that they can get the right product. If
they need a design or to build a specification, we have
partners who can help with that.
What If They Have A Specification But Don’t
Know If It Will Work?
Absolutely, we can help there. Ha, it’s a bad day for
you if you buy thousands or millions of fasteners only to
find out they won’t work. If they have a specification but
want to make sure it works, we can make samples and
prototypes.
BUSINESS FOCUS ARTICLE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 144