Industrial and Equipment

The industrial and equipment industry covers a wide range of products and services, and Tompkins offers customized solutions for each type of organization, including:

• Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing
• Construction, Mining & Other Heavy Equipment Manufacturing
• Foodservice & Food Retail Equipment Manufacturing
• Industrial Automation & Industrial Control Products Manufacturing
• Industrial Contract Manufacturing
• Industrial Machinery and Equipment Wholesalers
• Lighting and Other Fixture Manufacturing
• Machinery Manufacturing
• Metal Fabrication
• Rubber & Plastic Product Manufacturing
• Textile Manufacturing
• Component Manufacturing

Tompkins has worked with industrial and equipment firms to reduce warehousing, inventory, and transportation costs; to rationalize and optimize distribution networks; to address reverse logistics and the service supply chain; to establish growth strategies; to enhance low-cost-country sourcing; and to improve sales & operations planning.

Developing end-to-end capabilities, optimizing distribution and logistics networks, improving technology, and implementing strategic market planning are a few of the key challenges for this industry.

Issues and challenges confronting leaders in industrial machinery and equipment include:

Configuration Control: Due to changing data standards and compliance – along with supplier-specific revisions – Industrial and equipment companies require the latest in supply chain information technology. Supply chain systems integration with ERP into a single, cross-functional process has become the industry best practice.

Globalization and Inventory Management: Expanded globalization fuels the need to more closely monitor and control product volume fluctuations, as well as reduce distribution and transportation costs. The best performing companies are able to forecast demand well enough to meet service levels while controlling inventory levels in multiple global supply chains.

The Asia Opportunity: Do you know how to leverage the huge Asia opportunity? China and Asia present unique supply chain challenges as the region shifts from being the world's factory floor to a booming global marketplace. Learn more about Asia supply chain excellence.

Distribution Networks: As conditions such as fuel costs and ordering patterns change, distribution networks should change as well. Are distribution centers located so that they minimize costs and provide optimal service? Many companies evaluate their landed costs versus their total delivered costs. Landed costs are from US point of entry through delivery to customers, while total delivered costs also look at international sources, ocean and air transportation, customs and duties, as well as port costs. Total delivered cost provides a more complete look at the supply chain network.

Service and Spare Parts Supply Chain: Reverse logistics issues are of particular concern – supporting a product throughout its life cycle, ensuring that warranty claims are closed in time, service parts management, minimizing product returns, and managing the costs and final disposition of products. Using a proven framework to make strategic reverse logistics decisions, Tompkins can help implement reverse logistics solutions while uncovering profitability in the service supply chain.

Profitable Growth: Tompkins works with industrial and equipment companies to increase revenue by either evaluating the market potential of new products and new geographies, or by creating a competitive advantage to heighten market share. In today’s competitive market, the entire supply chain of plan-buy-make-more-store-sell needs to be leveraged for profitable growth.

Sustainability: “Going green” is no longer an option that can be left on the table – it is a priority for global supply chains today. Understanding geographical differences in environmental regulations and practices is essential, as well as designing supply chain networks that are sustainable and financially beneficial. Energy, water, carbon and waste management concerns are all important for global supply chains in this sector.

Integration of cost-effective supply chain technologies and the latest in material handling equipment will help industrial and equipment companies achieve improved customer service levels and greater operating efficiencies.

Tompkins focuses on global, end-to-end supply chain solutions in the industrial and equipment industry, with offices in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, including Technomic Asia, based in Shanghai, China, and Tompkins International EMEA, based in Germany.

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