Company Profile
This company is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of tools and equipment solutions for the transportation service, industrial, government, education, agricultural, and other commercial applications, including construction and electrical. Products are sold through dealers, distributors, direct sales, and Internet channels. Corporate headquarters are in the United States.

In the recent past, this company has worked towards and achieved the goal of becoming the company with the most complete set of capabilities for a variety of customers and applications.

Challenge
This company recognized a growing need to provide more just-in-time (J.I.T.) delivery of product to its nationwide distribution network to shrink distance and time factors to its dealers and customers. The goal was to increase support for quick-response strategies, efficiently meet market requirements, and optimize new sales opportunities.

Solution
To accomplish this, a product set-assembly operation was launched with Midwest Distribution Systems (MDS). Existing, new, and promotional products were routed to MDS for assembly, packaging, warehousing, and J.I.T. distribution from manufacturing operations. MDS developed proprietary tooling, fixtures, and production processes to streamline set assembly, increase shipping volume, and enhance quality.

Successes
The MDS solution provides true postponement capability, an essential part to this company's business model and competitive pricing strategies. An immediate benefit of the outsource to MDS was having faster turns on product sets shipping to secondary distribution points and ultimately, getting the right product into the hands of dealers, on time. In addition, product no longer had to travel to multiple assembly points. Daily "milk run" delivery to MDS occurs for on-demand assembly and centralized distribution. The resulting shorter time to market, tighter inventory control, and freight cost savings is a direct result of the improved logistics, technological resources, and services of MDS.

With MDS, coordination between manufacturing and distribution has improved. The added value of a creative fulfillment operation with a state-of-the-art warehouse management system positively impacts inventory management, product assembly, and order fulfillment processes. The relationship with MDS enables this company to react quickly to market and seasonal demand, producing more consistently to order and distribution requirements while accurately predicting delivery time-frames

With MDS, this company has become more flexible than the competition, successfully creating and meeting greater demand for its product line. In addition, the MDS partnership has enabled this company with to consistently launch new products on time and boost its sales and margin through improved logistics, assembly and packaging, inventory control and by tapping into a number of other value-added services at its immediate disposal with MDS.