Posts Tagged ‘distributors’
Safety First: NAUMD Aims to Keep Modern Uniform Design Challenging
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Perhaps not in every “best dressed” competition do judges evaluate details like a pocket flap. But such a contest held by the North-American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors may consider it the difference between a right and a wrong look.
“If there is any possibility at all in the duty of an officer that the cover of that pocket can get caught in his or her hand — whether they are reaching for a weapon or doing some other act — then you’re not doing your job,” said Richard Lerman, president and CEO. “They can be hurt, the person they’re trying to assist can be hurt, and they discharge that weapon simply because of a problem that should have never occurred.”
Since 1933, the association has created alliances between companies working in all aspects of outfitting policemen, firefighters and medical staff, among others. Such companies are recognized in the association’s “Best Dressed Public Safety Awards” at its annual convention and expo.
Safety measures only account for part of what judges — ranging from law enforcement members to apparel consultants — evaluate. They also analyze how well a uniform conveys an image and identity, of both the department and the community.
Police officers used to wear solely “navy, navy and more navy,” as Lerman said. But these days, with a number of municipalities popping up in communities, designers have since taken more creative liberty.
Regardless though of whether they are suited in brown, grey or green, judges reward elements that make an officer easily identifiable. An iridescent stripe, for example, can be seen as a life-saving and perhaps winning addition, Lerman said.
While its “Best Dressed Public Safety Awards” rewards a final product, the association has become increasingly concerned with a uniform’s creation. As a result, this year the association deemed its annual convention and expo “Meeting the Challenge of Change.”
One challenge the convention will address is the increase in sourcing abroad over the past 20 years. Due to union and federal regulation, U.S. labor and energy costs can add up, resulting in sourcing from, lately, Vietnam and Africa, Lerman said.
The association works with the Environmental Protection Agency regularly, Lerman said. All parts of a uniform’s life can be made into green initiatives, from its creation — with only approved chemical solutions — to its disposal — possibly grinding it into coat insulation.
“What they use to enhance uniforms — a plastic seam product used on the elbows of jackets, depending on the work environment — those have to be environmentally acceptable now,” Lerman said.
When the association recruited Lerman in 2006, he had to quickly acquaint himself with the industry’s many and growing concerns. But the reward of facing such challenges can be summed up in one moment, he said.
“When a new police officer is able to put on a real uniform and not training for the first time, you see the look in their eyes, and you know that just putting on that uniform is a great achievement, that the honor and dignity they’re seeking as a police officer is there. The challenge for our members is to make sure the uniform they’re putting on is worthy of that respect and dignity and honor, and not in any way taking away from that.”
Tags: christina lee, distributors, Environmental Protection Agency, green movement, NAUMD, North-American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and, Richard Lerman, working with manufacturers
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How Wholesale Distributors Can Be Held Liable For Defective Products
Friday, March 14th, 2008
Whether you are a wholesale distributor or the manufacturer, you could be held liable for defective products under certain laws and regulations that govern product liability. This could include any type of bodily injury or property damage losses from the product itself, packaging or anything related to the product use.
It’s usually the manufacturer and not the wholesale distributor who is held responsible should any of these things occur, because the wholesale distributor does not have any responsibility over the design, assembly and quality of the products. Unfortunately, however, there may be some instances where a wholesale distributor is held liable for product defects.
The wholesale distributor may be held liable, or at least increase their exposure to the possibility of being held liable, if they offer and provide installation, servicing or repairing of the product.
Another way a wholesale distributor can be held liable is if they modify the products, which may mean modifying the warranty or instructions of the product. This would include repackaging or re-labeling the product in any way.
Some of this stems from the fact that the United States has stricter safety guidelines than the overseas manufacturers. Thus, a wholesale distributor will modify the product or instructions to comply with the safety standards. If the wholesale distributor chooses to import products knowing that they will have to modify anything on the product or instructions, they assume the product liability exposure.
There are a couple of different organizations that oversee products that go on the market. One is the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) . Their responsibility is to protect the public from risks that would cause serious injury or even death from consumer products. This would include products that would pose a fire danger, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard, and any harm to children.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with ensuring public safety with regard to biological products, medical devices, our food supply, and products that produce radiation. This also includes the labeling of products that disclose what is contained in the food we eat, including any ingredient statements to ensure that the public is aware of what exactly is in the products.
There are a lot of federal and state regulators that are charged with ensuring product safety, including the state product liability laws. Any business considering becoming a wholesale distributor should seek a qualified products liability attorney. This would ensure that the business is in compliance with any and all applicable laws and regulations set forth by the different agencies.
An attorney will be able to help you determine who is in charge of what law and regulation as well. Additionally, your attorney can assess if your business is adequately protected and insured for liability risks and make recommendations to you to help you become appropriately protected if it is necessary.
Mitigating risk is a part of business and something you need to consider. While it is important to not become overly concerned or obsessive about potential litigation, you do want to make sure you have the appropriate protection in place for you and your business.
Tags: advice, defective products, distributors, larry Slusser, Product Sourcing, source, tips, wholesale
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Dealing with Back Orders
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
For any small business, having to deal with back orders throws up some of the biggest challenges you’ll face. Not only do you have to sort out alternative arrangements with your suppliers, but you also have potentially irate customers as a result. And they won’t want to know it’s not your fault - all they’ll want are the goods they paid for.
Although having to deal with back orders can be problematic, there are certain things you can do to make the process easier, as well as prevent them in the first place.
Choosing Suppliers
Although there will be times when back orders are unavoidable, through no fault other than demand outstripping supply for a product, who your supplier is can have a lot to do with how your company copes. For example, what type of delivery systems do they have in place for busy times of the year? If they’re a manufacturer as well as a supplier, can they cope with peak periods?
Asking sales reps or people in the same line of work as you will soon tell you whether or not your supplier is up to the job of providing your goods when you need them the most. And one thing you must always do is visit your suppliers at least once - that will give you a good idea of how competent they are.
Build a Good Distributor Network
Despite your best efforts, and no matter how good your supplier is, there will still be times when demand simply can’t be met and orders are going to pile up. In this case, it’s good to have more than one distributor you can count on, for when the goods are ready to be shipped.
If you only work with one distributor, they’re possibly going to be snowed under with the extra workload of getting your back orders to the waiting customers. Therefore, having three or four (or more) that you can use will get your back orders out quicker, keeping the customer happy. Plus, it may be that another distributor has a product you’re waiting for, and can help you out in the short-term.
For more information on this, read Sourcing Your Inventory from a Single Supplier vs. Several .
Partial Shipments and Replacements
Another way to deal with back orders in the short-term is either partial shipment or offering a complete replacement. For example, if you’re looking to ship 100 gift parcels, but your supplier can only provide 40, make that shipment anyway. Although not ideal, you’re still getting some goods out to your customers, and they’ll appreciate the effort. Just make sure to include a note or a shipping list that shows that part of their order is backordered. It also helps if you can find out a date that their items will be available and shipped to them.
If feasible, offer a replacement order if you have a similar product. However, this can be problematic in itself, if you’re dealing with SKU codes and stock items, so it might be a last resort.
Whatever you do, the one thing that’s paramount is keeping your customers informed. Staying silent and hoping the problem will resolve itself is not the way forward. Your customers will probably appreciate the fact that at certain times of the year, there can be problems. As long as you keep them up-to-date with how the back orders are processing, you’re more likely to keep them happy as opposed to sending them to a competitor because you ignored the situation.
Tags: advice, back orders, danny brown, distributors, Generating More Sales, Sales, suppliers, tips
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Basics of Wholesale Product Outsourcing: Small to Medium Business Owners
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
The business environment in the past decade or more has changed rapidly. It is now possible for a small to medium-sized business to flourish with the help of thorough market research and efficient wholesale product sourcing.
This kind of sourcing has its advantages and its pitfalls: if the source is genuine, profits are guaranteed, but if the source is defective in one way or the other, the entire business can fail. To ensure continued success in wholesale product sourcing, here are a few basics that a small to medium reseller needs to keep in mind:
Before buying wholesale, the buyer has to be sure of an existing target market in which the products can be resold at a profit. You should only buy a product on wholesale if there is a demand for it, feeding an existing demand is easier than creating one. Equally important: what is of no value to you could be of high value to someone else.
If a wholesale source seems too good to be true, it is probably a scam. Sourcing products on a wholesale basis is never easy, and needs a lot of legwork. Research is your best friend in finding a genuine wholesaler, there is no cheap shortcut to finding a wholesaler who would meet his or her end of the bargain.
A wholesaler should not be contracted till he or she is verified as having existed for a considerable period of time, factory-authorized, and working from a solid infrastructure. One of the best ways is still to call the wholesaler, and if possible, to make a visit.
Middlemen have to be avoided at all costs; these are the people who do not have access to the goods themselves. They arbitrate between the buyer and the seller while marking up the cost, sometimes posing to be legitimate wholesalers themselves. You must always verify if the wholesaler has a real, longstanding relationship with the manufacturer.
The idea is not only to be able to find a wholesaler who is selling the goods you want, but one who is also selling them at enough discount for you to be able to make a profit. Discount does not mean a compromise in quality, however.
A small-medium business owner can choose from amongst the following types of wholesalers:
Dropshippers: For a small to medium-sized business owner, drop shipping can be an excellent option. This means that you simply open a store, advertise a product chosen from the wholesaler and take orders. You charge your customer a retail rate for the product and pass the order to your wholesaler. Your wholesaler processes the order by packing and shipping the product directly to your customer, charging you the wholesale rate.
You do not need to have an inventory, only a small back-up store in case your wholesaler fails you, which you can order in "light bulk" from a supplier. The prices do go up in this case, because dropshipping can be expensive, so you have to ensure that you still make an adequate profit out of the amount you charge your customer.
Manufacturers: Most big manufacturers are not accessible to small businesses, but if you can find a way to get in touch, you might be able to buy wholesale directly from the manufacturer. Most small to medium or new manufacturers are more than happy to become wholesalers themselves, all you will need to deal with them would be an ID, tax license and resale license.
Since there is no distributor between you and the manufacturer, your profit margins would be higher. One of the best ways to source products from manufactures is to attend Merchandise marts and Trade fairs.
Liquidators: This can be attractive for small business owners as liquidators often sell stuff for pennies which can later be sold for dollars. The important thing is to find why the liquidation is taking place.
If it is happening to clear out the warehouse of a business that is closing down, but the goods are ok, then this is a good deal. But sometimes liquidations also happen because a product has no demand, or is defective, and this is where caution comes in.
Distributors: Wholesalers and distributors are those who buy in bulk from the manufacturers for resale to retailers. If you can find a factory-authorized distributor for a product and develop a long-term business relationship, you can place re-orders easily, and lower your buying price significantly.
Importers: Cheaper markets in Asia, especially China, have become very attractive to small-medium business owners because of the low cost of products: importing is now a viable option in order to achieve higher profit margins.
Importing involves more risk, higher volumes and higher payments, so it is best approached with the help of professionals. Communication with the wholesaler and the maintenance of delivery dates and quality standards is paramount.
The sort of wholesale supply that would be suitable for you would depend on the type of products you wish to source, what the size of your business is and the target market you have in mind. Wholesale sourcing is never simple; but once established, it can yield benefits for the long term.
Tags: advice, distributors, Doing Business Internationally, export, import, liquidators, manufacturers, outsourcing, Product Sourcing, small business, source, tips, wholesale, wholesale product outsourcing
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Sourcing Products From Manufacturers vs. Distributors
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
Once you’ve crossed the hurdle of figuring out what you’re going to sell online, you have to figure out how to source your products. You have two choices - purchase straight from the manufacturer or get the products you need through a wholesale distributor. There are advantages and disadvantages to both strategies, so it pays to understand how each method works.
Buying directly from the manufacturer may or may not involve drop shipping; however, it’s always the most direct way to get your products. When you go straight to the manufacturer, you bypass all the middlemen and distributors along the way that try to make a profit and leave you with only a little to skim off the top.
One of the main advantages of buying from the manufacturer is that you don’t have to deal with anyone but the company producing the product you are interested in. It’s better to build business relationships with product suppliers who have a real vested interest in the sale of their products and the satisfaction of their customers.
Another advantage is that you save a lot of money buying from the manufacturer. Again, you have the opportunity for great savings when you go straight to the source and sell your products in a partnership with the manufacturer. It’s a win-win situation for both parties because you market the product and find paying customers - the manufacturer concentrates on producing and shipping the product out.
The only disadvantage is that some people are intimidated by dealing with manufacturers and don’t know where to start. Making contacts, approaching manufacturers, and trying to find someone to work with may be a daunting task for some people.
Sourcing products through a distributor is another valid option. Although it may cost a little more, it may be easier to get things started this way. If you’re trying to source products from overseas or want to get your hands on something unique, searching for a reputable distributor may actually be the easier and more affordable option. Also, distributors are more likely to offer drop shipping as an option and work in tandem with your online business.
The main disadvantage - the distributor has to make money as well, so your bulk discounts won’t be as high. The distributor will be working with multiple clients in more than one location, and you may have trouble communicating sometimes, whereas with a good manufacturer business is conducted on a more personal basis.
The option you decide to choose really depends on your circumstances. What type of product are you trying to sell? Where is it coming from? Do the manufacturers make it easy to sell large or small quantities, or is it easier to source products through a distributor?
Once you decide what works best for your business, sourcing products will become easy for you to manage. At first it may pose a bit of a challenge and take a lot of your time (research is always important) but it will be well worth it in the end. When you locate trustworthy and reliable suppliers with amazing products, your business will be set up to thrive.
Tags: advice, distributors, E-Commerce and E-Business, manufacturers, Product Sourcing, source, sourcing products, tips
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