Staff Analysis
Statement of the Problem
Two college roommates, Nelson Jones and Dave Verden, started Jones Electrical Distribution (JED) in 1999. JED acts as the middleman, purchasing products from manufacturers and selling to general contractors and electricians. JED purchases products, ranging from controllers to signal devices and fuses, from nearly 100 different suppliers. JED’s customers mostly use the products purchased in the construction and repair of commercial and residential buildings. As a result, JED’s sales follow the seasonality of its customers’ businesses, which are most active in the spring and summer months.
Jones also faces strong competition from national distributors, home centers, and other supply stores. Jones has grown sales volume by competing on price and incentivizing an aggressive sales force. Jones, to compete on price, has tried to minimize operating expenses by paying the salesforce heavily based on commission. Additionally, Jones has taken advantage of the 2% discount offered by its suppliers for quick payments. Jones has also been proficient at demand forecasting and inventory management, which has allowed him to satisfy his customers’ needs with a moderate level of inventory and stay in business in a competitive market.
Since 1999, Jones has turned JED into a profitable business operation, growing sales to $2.24 million and earning a net income of $30,000 in 2006. Although Jones has been successful over the past several years, he has
Out of every 100 customers 20 had to call again for repeat work installation and service activities .Within a short span of thirty days there were around 16 percent repeat or rework .
turnover, which is made possible by low prices and limited product selection. This business model is appealing for them and has many benefits. Firstly, by setting up the business approach to rapidly
The Supply Chain Management System used at Lowe’s is a collaboration process. According to LeRoy Allen, Senior Vice President of Logistics for Lowe's Companies, as cited by Real Results Magazine (2012), Lowe’s has more than 3,000 suppliers and having effective communication with all of them is difficult. Providing them with key information helps them, not only run their own business but assists Lowe’s in running theirs. This model was designed to efficiently run the supply chain together (para. 2).
Chester chose to enter the sensor industry in 2016 as the niche cost leader. Our mission is to providing trustworthy products to our customer base. Our goal is to offer these products at a cutting edge price, with low overhead, at a high volume. By focusing on the Traditional and Low End segment of the market, Chester’s ability to achieve our mission made it possible to gain market share. Many aspects went into the logistics of the supply chain in order to carry out our operation. While the cost leader strategy is not always an opportune circumstance for the traditional segment, it allows us to offer lower prices to entice customers to purchase our products over other companies in the industry.
Since Donna Dubinsky and Roy Weaver did not address Mr. Jobs questions regarding the 1985 Distribution Business Plan, he assigned Debi Coleman to develop a new Distribution Strategy Proposal based on the “just-in-time” concept. Ms. Dubinsky was not proactive in presenting her issues and concerns regarding the “just-in-time” concept. It is assumed that she considered the idea not feasible and that it would not gain momentum; however, the exact opposite occurred.
A customer service program was developed in 1999 to track the performance of their employees. As incentives for their employees offering great customer service the data received from this tracking is used to reward employees. Additionally, it gave Lowes the ability to recognize the cause of service failures, thus giving them the opportunity to improve in that area. The layout of the store is helpful to the customer in locating the products that they are looking for. Its warehouse style store is laid out so that two shopping carts can pass in the aisles in comfort. This seems to appeal to the female shoppers which initiate eighty percent of home projects Lowes distribution system is strong and efficient. They regionally operate fourteen distribution systems. They efficiently distribute seventy five percent of its merchandise to its stores through the fifteen flatbed distribution centers they have for lumber, building materials and other long length or heavy items. Because can purchase large scale orders they are able to get them at a discount and pass the savings onto their customers. Lowes has multiple technological systems that their customers have access to. They offer how-to-videos, DIY projects, landscaping and lawn ideas, and more helpful videos full of inspiration. The enhanced multi-channel experience for the customer is available in many variations. Lowes has in-store-Wi-Fi, touch screen technology, and barcodes that can be accessed through a customer’s
The rise of the Internet and the impact on the Electrical Goods sector – (Part 2)
Jack feels that the company should go under a new system to increase efficiency for their warehouse and inventor. Liz is concerned that the investment for the (ASRS) may not yield the necessary return to justify the investment.
Although 2012 has seen some increase in the industry revenue, IBISWorld predicted continuous decline until 2014 (Outlaw, 2012). David Jones announced in its ASX Release 40% decline in profit-after-tax in 2012 is expected, partly associated with costs involved in its new strategic initiatives (David Jones, 2012). Myer, David Jones’ closest competitors, experienced decreased total sales of 3.8% and stated in
Although margins have been maintained, sales have not increased. There is a threat of losing consumers do to now being the highest-price paint in the service area. Therefore, Jones/Blair must draw attention to their core competencies to leverage themselves in the marketplace.
Jones-Blair needs to increase their sales while keeping their margins consistent with limited resources on advertising and sales promotion.
Because Harrington Collection thinks that sales people are the most important factor in the consumer decision-making process, they spend significant resources training their personnel and offering them attractive commissions. Their expenses are understandable, and didn’t change for the fiscal year of 2007. What did change were the Manufacturing Group’s expenses. The Manufacturing Group’s SG&A increased 4.63% in 2007, meaning that the cost of maintaining the current manufacturing set up is increasing.
When offers of reduced pricing are accepted for equipment, meeting delivery expectations becomes an important part of enhancing the customer experience to maintain satisfied loyal customers. An inventory specialist in the current distribution center would be given the additional task of segregating and maintaining inventory levels to meet the needs of the customer loyalty department.
The Company Jones Electrical Distribution was founded in 1997. The company distributes and wholesales electrical components. It is a sole proprietorship owned by Nelson Jones who is looking for a new banking relationship that will allow him to receive a larger loan to sustain his business.
Even though direct competition has decreased, the tendency of retailers to get their products directly from manufacturers puts the company in a position of relooking its competitive edge as a distributor. The marketplace is shifting from an individuality to supply chain performance – the ability to meet end-customers needs through product availability and responsive and on-time delivery. Supply chain performance crosses both functional lines and company boundaries. Brunswick must change their way to fill customer orders faster and more efficiently than the competition.