ECN Electrical Forum - Discussion Forums for Electricians, Inspectors and Related Professionals
ECN Shout Chat
ShoutChat
Recent Posts
Increasing demand factors in residential
by gfretwell - 03/28/24 12:43 AM
Portable generator question
by Steve Miller - 03/19/24 08:50 PM
Do we need grounding?
by NORCAL - 03/19/24 05:11 PM
240V only in a home and NEC?
by dsk - 03/19/24 06:33 AM
Cordless Tools: The Obvious Question
by renosteinke - 03/14/24 08:05 PM
New in the Gallery:
This is a new one
This is a new one
by timmp, September 24
Few pics I found
Few pics I found
by timmp, August 15
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 255 guests, and 16 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
#71262 11/01/06 04:15 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 202
3
Member
Little things that make a difference:
-Cold water
-Tea or Coffee
-Drink vending machine that works. If it doesn't work, ensure the machine can be opened by staff to sell the drinks "over the counter"
-A parking area big enough to park a truck with a 20' trailer.
-Knowing how long items are going to be when not in stock.

#71263 11/01/06 02:14 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 360
T
Member
Um, Let me jump in here please, and tell you what happened around here. The RR spending on electrical equipment varies from year to year depending on what projects are in the pipe, but anywhere from 2500 to 15000 in a years time.

I used a supply house based in another city. The local was reasonably well stocked, which is what I like because a lot of my projects are "engineered on the fly" because I build them around what I can find. Across the street from the supply house was the electronics house, from which I bought everything from solder to semiconductors. Counter help was courteous and knowledgable in both places.
First thing to happen, electrical house bought the electronics house. Pretty soon the electronics house was in the electrical house, squeezing space so electrical supply space got reduced. But the same people still were behind the counter.
Second, the electronics people got moved to HQ, a state away. So now you ordered by phone, or got the electrical people to try and tell you what still existed on the electronic shelves.
Third, the company hired some college kid to run the inventory from the home office. Now the counter help are grumbling about "there's six on the shelf but the computer says I don't have any so I can't sell you one." Or vice versa. But if you ordered by phone it would come out of the inventory "that wasn't in the computer"
Forth, the supply house sold the whole shebang to an offshore company. Now there's nothing on the shelf, with counter help running to other places of employment, and customers having to order everything out of the next big city, the local house is now merely a transfer station with maybe one box of outlets and the like on the shelves.

I moved my business to another local owned place, and they sold out and now it's pretty much useless too.

I am now travelling almost 45 minutes one way to shop at a local owned place, because they have stuff in stock and people who know how it works and what they have.

I realize this is overly long, but it gets frustrating when the places you can get what you need don't have it.

TW

#71264 11/01/06 09:29 PM
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7
B
Junior Member
My main supply house takes fax orders,delivers to my place next day.They would as a courtesy drop off 1ea. 1/2 pvc l.b.
Also 2% cash discount 30 days. Plus my salesman can be reached 24/7 by cell phoneif needed.

Bob O.84,pa.15330


Bob O.84,Pa.15330
#71265 11/02/06 01:29 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 152
A
Member
Well that's what the EC's say - here's a taste of what your banker will/might say: Keep your inventory at the absolute minimum - it costs you and nothing has moved yet. Re 30 day accounts - lets see 50 clients with 15 to 20k extensions = a million dollar line of credit and it's costing you $7k a month in interest just to cover their credit extension. With EC's in the warehouse now you will be dealing with shrinkage and misplaced inventory just like the big orange - take a look at how much that costs those fellas every year on one of their annual statements. Also now your insurance goes up. Separate people answering the phone in the back vs counter staff, you will be dealing with increased staff overhead because the one can't help out the other and the orders phoned need to be communicated to the counter staff so they know what to give who = more people overhead.

Make sure the big equipment you rent out generates sufficient income to cover actual costs of ownership, here's an example. Big widget costs $5000.00 new. You buy 1, how much do you need to rent it out for: 5k depreciated linearly over 5 years (rental life) = 1k per year. Annual service costs $300.00 Cost of labor on goods sold (rented) at say an hour every time you rent it (15 mins getting it loaded, same for unloading, filling out forms exacting payment) times the number of times it's rented, say 1 times a week = 52 hours of time per year at $15 per hour = $780 per year. Insurance on rental unit for theft or destruction = $50 per thousand per annum = $250. Interest on money borrowed to buy the widget @ 8% = 400 per year. Non labor administrative costs = 250 per year. One repair for damaged piece (not customer fault) = $350. Did I forget anything? We are now up to 1000 + 300 + 780 + 250 + 400 + 250 + 350 = 3330 per annum in operating costs alone, no principal has been paid back and no profit has baan made. $3330 + 1000 per year in returned principal (complete repayment over the life of the unit) plus 1000 per year profit (modest 20% margin) makes 5330 per year or $102.50 per rental. Just my 0.02. Good luck Ann

#71266 11/02/06 03:10 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7
W
Junior Member
Ann, How right you are! Its hard trying to explain to a bean counter in the middle of the US that you really do need stock on 4 inch rigid pipe. All they see is the computer print out stating, low inventory turnover for said item. Now I get to argue to a computer about stock!

#71267 11/02/06 06:30 PM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3
S
Junior Member
Do You deliver to the manchester/Andover Area?


Scott
#71268 11/03/06 08:06 AM
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7
W
Junior Member
Yes, we deliver all over CT and some of NY state(the part hugging CT).

[This message has been edited by Roger (edited 11-03-2006).]

#71269 11/03/06 09:17 AM
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,716
R
Member
I think enough suggestions and ideas have been discussed in this thread.

It seems to be headed into an advertisement now so it is time to close it.


Roger

Page 5 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5