Often some of the services required by our industry are better suited to the core competencies of distribution and result in more overall cost effective solutions.
These can include:
Reduce the level of Supply Risk - you cannot afford to have stock-outs, backorders, or shipping errors. The cost of shutting down a press for lack of the right end seal or changing the schedule because you do not have the right stickyback to mount a job is unacceptable. Distributions focus on the supply chain reduces these risks. One of our core competencies is inventory management. We have a proven unsurpassed track record of dependable service.
Lower Total Cost resulting in a "Lean" supply chain — although the perception is that many times buying direct can result in a lower price, most often this is not the case. Distribution can compensate for some of the inefficiencies in the supply chain such as uneven product usage, smaller order sizes, fabrication, and specialty requirements.
We "spread out" the costs of selling and supporting products which result in a lower overall total cost to you by allowing manufacturers to minimize the overheads needed by them if they were required to perform all these tasks.
Responding to "surprises" ...distribution is often better positioned than manufacturers to ship on an "emergency" basis when demand for a product quickly changes or other situations occur that require after hours or unusual requirements.
Asset utilization - often buying direct means larger minimums and longer lead times which results in increased inventories and tied up working capital resulting in lower return on assets.
Saving you time (and money!) The ability to reduce vendors creates less P.O.s, less time managing inventory, less invoices, and less time seeing multiple sales staff.
Broad knowledge of the latest technology ...distributor sales staffs and tech support teams typically carry broader product lines are often an excellent source for what is new in the industry. These staffs also can receive more comprehensive training than manufacturers that are focused primarily on one area of the printing process.