Redundancy: Building Trust, Ensuring Lead Times

May 14, 2014 -

When Your Reputation is on the Line,
What is your Contingency Plan?

Promises...Promises...

When firms stretch the technological frontier in their industry it can become easy to rest on those laurels, waiting to fill capacity before further investment. Often Manufacturers have difficulty justifying personnel or equipment expenses that do not immediately increase ROI, or worse yet, expenses that create excess capacity for the firm or industry. The very word "redundancy" in the manufacturing industry takes on negative connotation these days as so many firms focus on cost reduction and LEAN practices in an effort to remain competitive. But how does streamlining really affect the customer? Unique competitive advantages within an industry come with the great responsibility to deliver that advantage even when exogenous factors interrupt your processes. If sales cannot deliver on promises, those advantages are compromised.

Delivering When it Counts

Blue Blade Steel is committed to redundancies for all critical aspects in the quench and temper process. Opportunities for redundant systems like multiple edging, and furnace lines that maintain a robust supply chain for customers are considered a cost of doing business. Personnel redundancies also exist throughout the process with cross-trained employees from the shop floor through all critical functions in management ensure that service is maintained at all levels.

Inventory is another unpopular redundancy that can be found in Blue Blade's system. "Blue Blade Steel works closely with it's carbon and alloy strip suppliers to build and maintain stocking programs that ensure customer supplies are available at multiple hubs throughout the supply chain," comments president and owner, Jerry Shaw Sr. "Being a privately owned steel company we don't always have to subscribe to the industry standards limiting 1.5 to 2 months inventory on hand for our customers we support with annual programs. Offering the best solution for our customers' supply chain needs isn't always dollars and cents, sometimes customer service takes precedent and we take pride in offering the best service in our industry."