What is their experience? Ask for specific case studies where your supplier looked at an entire operation and recommended changes that resulted in adaptation and saved the client time and money. If they can’t come up with one good solid case study that you can confirm through reference, then they are probably not a truly integrated partner option for you.
Do they have specialized departments for materials handling engineering? In order to truly specialize in materials handling, you must have on-site engineers using CAD that have experience, understand material handling, and can make recommendations that streamline your 1. operation. Having a “guy or two” at a dealership that used to sell racking or conveyor systems does not make them a truly integrated partner.
Listen to your partners. If they’re talking about their lines “latest and greatest” features, they’re not interested in providing you with options. An integrated materials handling professional will be listening to YOU, not talking products. Partners want to find out HOW you do it now, WHAT your plans are for the future, WHEN you want to implement them and WHERE. Anything else and they’re serving their own company’s best interest.
When was their last full install? Ask them when was the last time they installed a complete system for a client including racking, conveyors, lift trucks and the like. If it has not been within the last six months, they’re probably not a completely integrated systems partner.
What shows do they attend, who attends, and how often? If your partner is going to bring you the latest technology, they need to know what that technology is, is not, and what it can do. And you can not learn this on a website or in a manual. You have to see it in action.
Ask to visit a site. If you think you have found a partner, ask to visit one of their installed sites and talk to their client. Seeing their recommendation in action and getting word straight from the source can cut clean through any sales “puffery.”
Asking these questions and listening to the answers will help you determine if your current vendor or list of vendors can be narrowed to one truly integrated partner. Having a partner you can trust to stay on top of your materials handling needs provides you with options at all times to keep you optimized.
Cardinal Integrated Systems works in lock-step with Cardinal Carryor to listen to you and provide complete solutions for your materials handling. Whether it’s a facility completely filled with racking, conveyor systems and cranes, or compacting space using vertical carousels and narrow aisle equipment, we are happy to supply either because our business model is not contingent upon just forklift sales nor conveyor and racking sales. You can be sure that from our engineering department to our integrated and materials handling sales professionals, we will all be working in your best interest to see the job done, and make your company our most recent customer testimonial.
One source, one call; let
Cardinal Carryor and Cardinal Integrated Systems be your one partner for materials handling. Give us a call, you will be glad you did.]]>
