MORE TIME FOR THE RIGHT TASKS To improve the supply chain and offer new efficiencies, Fastenal introduced the idea of an onsite solution. This would bring full-time Fastenal employees in to aid and assist Pierce’s existing staff, shifting the responsibilities of ordering, stocking, and general inventory management away from Pierce’s team. Fastenal would handle making sure the right parts were on hand. For Pierce, this would mean no longer filling bins or placing duplicate parts orders; workers could focus on production-related tasks. Pierce was one of the earliest adopters of Fastenal’s vending technology, so the company was familiar with how the service could help improve production. Now, with the general goal of a faster, smoother supply chain, and specific aims of reducing the walking time and cutting down on ordering and stocking, Pierce again turned to Fastenal. “Every aspect of what makes Fastenal good, Pierce embraces it,” said Troy Parkos, regional vice president, Fastenal. “So, our safety specialists are engaged. Our metalworking specialists are engaged. They challenge us in everything that we do well. Anything that’s new, we bring it to them because we know they’re the type of customer who’s going to embrace it and help us get better.” Fastenal also tracked item usage from every part of the plant so that a detailed, accurate plan could be created to put vending machines in the best locations: near workers but not in the way of their workspace. “One of the biggest wins was getting the point-of-use tool cabinets in here, getting the vending machines here on the floor at the point of use,” said Walsdorf. “Ultimately, it benefits our customers, because we’re devoting our resources and time to building them a quality apparatus as opposed to chasing down parts, tools, and hardware.” A CUSTOM SOLUTION FOR CUSTOM WORK Because no two companies are the same, Fastenal always customizes an onsite solution to match the needs of each unique business partner. For Pierce, the Fastenal team worked to find a way for the systems from both companies to exchange data. Pierce uses a program to manage plant budgets and determine which departments and jobs are profitable. Fastenal worked to ensure that new product-usage data not only went into Fastenal’s inventory management system but also flowed into Pierce’s system. Fastenal’s vending and bin stock solutions helped Pierce save time and money by removing the guesswork of managing inventory and by placing needed items in point-of-use locations. This reduced purchase orders and consolidated billing, all while critical supplies were delivered to multiple points of use by Fastenal employees. A customized vending center was set up in the space that used to house Pierce’s tool crib. Fastenal turned it into a controlled environment, shrunk the necessary footprint, and provided half the space from the old crib back to Pierce to use for other needs. Cabinets, where tools can be checked in and out, were moved onto the floor to control and track tools used during assembly. And Fastenal switched all tools on the assembly line to new Milwaukee cordless versions to improve ease of use and to prevent the unintentional scratches that were left behind on vehicles from air hoses dragging across the tops as workers moved around. “One of the huge things with Fastenal is being able to forge an exclusive relationship with Milwaukee Tools,” said Walsdorf. “They have enough battery life with the larger amp hour batteries, and they last a better part of your workday. So, instead of having to lug a bunch of stuff and pull an air hose off the wall, you can get these batteryoperated tools. I check it out of the vending machine. So, I get the drill, I can do my job, and I can move onto the next thing.”
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