Monday Morning Monologue: Are you buying production parts from McMaster Carr?
Good Morning!
Are you buying production parts from McMaster Carr, MSC, or other similar websites/ suppliers? If not… good for you! You can continue on with your day. If so, please read on.
It can be intoxicating to order a part from McMaster at lunchtime and have it in your hand as you’re getting your first cup of coffee the next morning. But it’s costing you big money. While those companies are awesome for items needed quickly (maintenance/ prototypes), they are very expensive, quality is not controlled (need a PPAP? think again), and the actual part received can differ from shipment to shipment.
You can get speedy service with a quality controlled part, at a fraction of the price. Look up your local distributor for whatever component(s) you’re buying. Or better yet, find the manufacturer. Depending on the volume it may make the most sense to go direct. It also doesn’t necessarily mean you have to bring in a years worth at a time either. If you’re confident in your volume, negotiate a blanket order or stocking agreement. That locks in the price and should allow for smaller more frequent deliveries… keeping your inventory levels low.
Same part, short lead time, for a fraction of the price.
Have a great week!