Senior staff at Barnsley’s Distinction Doors run a tight ship when it comes to controlling their stockholding, and it would appear that they are sailing in the right direction.
In a recent review, the company is running at 99.4% stock availability for 2019 – one of the highest figures across the industry. David Hoyland is Distinction’s Operations Manager with day-to-day experience of being in the company’s two warehouses – which span an impressive 86,000 sq.ft – and has an intimate knowledge of the comprehensive stock available:
“Our approach is simple; be consistent and deliver quality, and we’ve achieved this outcome by administering a thorough ordering, inventory and dispatch regime. We currently carry £9 million worth of stock across doors, glass products and consumables held in approximately 50,000 sq.ft. One of our warehouses is solely dedicated to products, while the other also houses machinery and operations. Effective orchestration and management of incoming stock and outgoing deliveries is of key importance; everything must be well coordinated to allow for ease of access and to prevent shortages.”
Maintaining such a sizeable and varied supply enables Distinction to fulfil orders to fabricators at exceptional ‘on time in full’ levels, something David says the company’s growing customers seek above all else. Delays can cause irreparable damage to reputations both locally, and down the chain, not to mention a reduction in margins when projects run over due to insufficient product availability. In this industry, with competition high, status is everything.
Andy Copeland works alongside David to manage the warehouses:
“Each process, from initial marketing to generating customer interest, quoting and ultimately guaranteeing a job, is all run up to the eventual goal – a service that is delivered on time and surpassing expectation. Over the years, we have fostered precious relationships with our suppliers, all of whom understand the coordinated approach it takes to remain reputable. No one wants to bear the brunt of additional costs that could have been avoided by effective communication and timely ordering. Shortages can and do occur throughout the industry. Holding tens of thousands of units per product type in situ as we do, avoids us falling subject to these errors.”
The reputation Distinction Doors holds for impeccable service suddenly heralds as all the more impressive – reliable availability plus synchronous delivery? This is really mass consumer satisfaction at its finest.
