What happens when you order tooling from a tool vendor? Mike visited Iwen Tool Supply to get a behind the scenes look at the process that keeps our machines stocked and ready to roll.
Video Transcript:
All right everybody, we’re back at Ian Tool. I’m back here with Travis. We get all of our tooling from Ian. They come multiple times a day. I see him bring in their Green pack list with their package material, but I’ve never been here to see what actually happens. So I’m going to ask Travis to take us through when I order a tool from IA, how does it get to me? What’s the process? Travis, you want to take us through that?
Yeah, so basically when you place an order, whether it’s through an inside sales channel or a vending automation order, it’s going to come to us, it’s going to come to our team, and it’s going to get fulfilled a number of different ways. So we may have to order it from the manufacturer if it’s something that we don’t stock here. Something that we do stock here, obviously, is going to be on our shelving. We get UPS shipments every day, we pick up from the depot, and then this is actually our morning process. So you can see basically the team behind me, they’re working receiving packing list from the manufacturers, entering into our ERP system, which then every order that you guys have placed is already queued up waiting for that product to come in. So whether it’s a stocking item or it’s an item that we order from our manufacturer, the order is queued, it’s ready to go.
Yeah, so real quick question while we’re talking about that. I know we get some deliveries and some stuff gets UPS drop shipped. Your system would separate that, correct?
Yep, so depending on basically geographical location, where the customer is located, how fast they need it, that depends on how we ship it. So we actually fulfill about half of our own orders right from our inventory right here. All right, let’s check it out. Basically, this is a day-to-day. So the team’s fulfilling orders as they’re coming in from the manufacturer. We’re doing stocking orders, they’re queued up and ready, but they have to come in from the manufacturer. So the guys right now are working on stuff that just got into our warehouse, it’s received, it’s processed, and now it’s going out to the customer.
So what’s the next step? Once the stuff is received and they have all their orders queued up, they pull from that bin and it’s processed from there?
Yeah, so it’s going to come into our receiving team. They’re going to bring it in, check it in, verify the quantities, make sure everything’s there, and then it’s going to go into our inventory, which you can see on the shelves behind us. Then it’s going to be staged and queued for shipment, whether it’s a same-day shipment, next-day shipment, whatever the customer needs, it’s going to be ready to go.
Great, and then what about like, I know we’ve had sometimes where we have to pick stuff up from your location. Is that an option as well?
Yeah, absolutely. We have a will-call area so customers can come in, pick stuff up if they need it same day, or if they have an emergency, they can come in and get it. We also have our own fleet of delivery vehicles, so we can deliver it to you same day or next day, whatever you need.
So in a situation where a customer needs something right away, how do you handle that?
So if it’s something we have in stock, obviously we can get it to them same day or next day. If it’s something we have to order, we’re going to work with our manufacturers to get it as quickly as possible. We have great relationships with our suppliers, so we can usually expedite orders and get them in quickly.
That’s fantastic. And I noticed you have a pretty sophisticated inventory system here. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
Yeah, so we use a state-of-the-art ERP system that tracks all of our inventory in real-time. It helps us manage our stock levels, so we always have the right products on hand. It also allows us to track orders from the moment they’re placed to the moment they’re delivered, so we have full visibility into the entire process.
That’s great. And one thing I wanted to touch on too is the customer experience. How do you ensure that your customers are getting the best possible service?
So we have a dedicated customer service team that’s available to help with any issues or questions that may come up. We also have a very user-friendly website where customers can place orders, track shipments, and view their order history. And of course, our delivery team is always out there making sure that our customers get their products on time.
One thing I really appreciate about your service is the communication. Can you tell me a little bit about how you keep your customers informed throughout the process?
Yeah, so our ERP system sends out automated emails at each stage of the process. So when an order is placed, the customer gets an email confirmation. When it’s shipped, they get a tracking number. And if there are any delays or issues, our customer service team is proactive in reaching out to let the customer know what’s going on.
That’s great. I know from our experience, it’s been very seamless, and we appreciate that. And just out of curiosity, do you guys handle all the deliveries yourselves, or do you use third-party carriers as well?
We do both. So for local deliveries, we use our own fleet of vehicles. For longer distances, we use third-party carriers like UPS and FedEx. But we always try to control as much of the process as possible to ensure that our customers are getting the best service.
That’s fantastic. And just to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share about your process or what sets you apart from other suppliers?
I think one of the biggest things is our commitment to customer service. We really strive to go above and beyond for our customers. Whether it’s expediting an order, making a special delivery, or just being available to answer questions, we’re here to help. And we always appreciate feedback from our customers so we can continue to improve our service.
Well, Travis, thank you so much for taking the time to walk us through this. It’s been really enlightening to see how the process works behind the scenes. We appreciate everything you do for us, and we look forward to continuing our partnership.
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