Machinist’s Corner: Ya’ gotta love your vendors?

Do your vendors realize how important they are to you? Do they appreciate your business or realize a dozen others are looking to take their place?

Apparently, some don’t. They think they’re the only game in town.

The company I work for was holding a “kaizen” event. In preparation, we needed vendor-supplied workbenches, lift tables, carts and other things.

We chose an industrial-supply vendor ahead of time. We thought everything we needed would be available to ship the same day we placed the order. This particular kaizen event took place over 7 days.

At the start of the first week, we laid out the cell on a whiteboard, then on the shop floor using makeshift tables and cardboard. By late Tuesday, we placed our order with the vendor. We stressed that the items must ship that day, as guaranteed by the vendor’s catalog, because we needed them prior to our event.

By Thursday afternoon, nothing had arrived. I called our contact and got his voice mail. I called customer service and gave the representative our P.O. number. The rep told me he had no record of receiving an order from us.

Now I’m a little upset. I ask for a member of the sales staff. A salesman confirms there is no order. I reorder, this time verbally, and the salesman promises the order will ship that day. We will receive it the next day, Friday. Great. I receive confirmation.

Friday afternoon and still nothing. I contact customer service and am told the items are still in the warehouse, which is 35 minutes away from my company. The warehouse crew is loading the order on a truck and it will arrive midweek—the following week!

I explain calmly this is unacceptable. I reach a supervisor who checks on the details. After a while, he confirms the order is being loaded but doesn’t know when it will arrive. I suggest Saturday, when we would have a shift available. He will check and call me back. I’m on my way home when he calls. The warehouse is closed Saturday. He’ll place notes in the file for the next person.

At dinner with my wife, I get a call. The equipment is on a truck and will be delivered sometime Monday. I’m given the carrier’s phone number and a tracking number. Except the tracking number is not valid. The vendor is now closed. And my boss wants an update. Aargh!!

Saturday morning and both the vendor and carrier are closed.

Monday morning I call the vendor, who confirms the tracking number. I call the carrier, but there’s no record of the shipment. Back to the vendor, who will check. I arrive at work and give my boss the bad news. We now have seven event participants with nothing to do.

The vendor calls—the items are on his dock, ready to load. What? I tell them I’ll send our driver to make the pickup. They agree to stop the warehouse from loading. Our driver is about to leave when the vendor calls, telling me the order has been loaded and the truck has left. I ask when the delivery will be made.

“Today,” he responds.

Finally, Monday at 8:15 a.m., we receive the shipment. Our team unloads the order and we start assembling.

I’m appreciative—and relieved—we received the order. But do you think I’ll be using that vendor again anytime soon?