|
Cisco-Eagle
has been in the industrial caster business since 1978. "At that point we were
doing casters the way a lot of companies still handle them," said
Caster Sales Manager Larry Trowbridge. "We were selling them but we
weren't specialists. It was several years before we narrowed our focus
and put together the program we have today."
The idea is specialization.
"We realized the same person who sells conveyor systems isn't going
to be able to supply top flight service and knowledge for casters--there's
just too much to know. So we made a commitment to specialize,"
Trowbridge said. "That's why we developed a dedicated caster
division. The market and the knowledge base are different."
Cisco-Eagle was one of the first distributors to employ salespeople
who focus exclusively on casters. "We have guys out there whose job is to understand
the customer's business and how to get the right caster solutions in
place to improve their profitability. We also have
internal caster specialists who really enhance our service."
Customers used to dealing with traditional caster houses and material
handling companies were amazed at Cisco-Eagle's levels of service. They
hadn't seen dedicated caster specialists, inventory, and fast ship
programs like it before.
Industrial caster assembly is also
specialized. "Like a lot of companies, we used to have warehouse
crews, and all of them were trained to assemble casters. It worked okay,
but when you have guys who are specifically trained and dedicated to
assembling casters from your stock, you eliminate mistakes and ship a
better product. We have guys who know the product and how to assemble it. They understand what customers
need."
"Our
inventory is another way we add value," Trowbridge said. "We
interact with other caster distributors and dealers, and find ourselves
shipping product for them, because we've got it in stock and they don't."
Cisco-Eagle's inventory includes thousands of rigs and wheels that can
be combined into hundreds of specific models. "We do it by kits. We
stock the components, so we're very flexible."
Another factor is Cisco-Eagle's
relationship with RWM Casters. "We're their top distributor, bar
none and have been for years. It's a great team because they offer so
many unique products. They have the Kingpinless caster and nobody offers
anything like that, even though some other manufacturers make a kind of
Kingpinless, it isn't the same as RWM Kingpinless, which is a patented
design. The good thing about RWM is that they don't rest--they keep
innovating with new wheel styles, better caster models."
"We made a commitment to specialize," Trowbridge said. "Cisco-Eagle offers
a lot of products and solutions, but the guys who provide caster
solutions, book the orders and assemble the casters...those folks are the
industrial caster specialists. You don't find them everywhere. You just
don't. They really know their business."
|
