A MESSAGE FROM FASTENAL EXITING THE “TRANSACTIONAL ROUNDABOUT” Thanks to online buying, we can get most household items delivered right to our doorsteps within a couple of days. As I write this letter, school will be starting soon and I need to order some clothes for my growing kids. Like millions of others, I’ll be heading to the web to start getting those orders placed. The only thing that would make this process easier is if a “back-to-school clothing expert” would go through my kids’ closets and take stock of what’s needed; or better yet, if some kind of closet monitoring device would do this automatically. How many pairs of pants currently fit? Are we doing okay on socks? … that don’t have holes? I wouldn’t even have to think about these things, let alone spend hours scouring for the right items, sizing, and styles. In the world of business, this is essentially what Fastenal does. There’s a little difference in scale though: Instead of re-stocking a few pairs of socks and pants once a year, we’re continually managing hundreds or even thousands of mission-critical products, using point-of-use technologies to monitor those items around the clock. Chances are you can get most MRO needs within a few clicks and after a couple of days. But while the individual transactions are simple (great for occasional spot buys), the cumulative process is reactive, repetitive, and costly (especially for faster-turning planned needs). We refer to this as the “transactional roundabout” – search, click, buy, receive, repeat. Round and round again, business day after business day. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to identify what was needed, conduct the research, align the purchasing and project, and receive in and put away the inventory? What if the product was simply there when you need it? We welcome you to exit the roundabout by partnering with Fastenal to manage this aspect of your supply chain for you. By migrating from ad hoc transactions to strategic supply, you’ll have a partner to right- size your inventory, assure the proper quality and safety standards are met, and make sure you never run out of planned needs. I know this is starting to sound a little salesy, and for that I apologize, but I’m genuinely passionate about the topic. If I could have a partner come in and manage my household “inventory,” I’d do it in a heartbeat. If you’re looking to take time back in your day to do more of what you do best, I hope you think of Fastenal as a partner. In the meantime, you know where to find me: sifting through closets, scouring the web, and doing my best to manage my kids’ back-to- school clothing inventory. Brooke Mlsna Vice President of Marketing 4
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