At Caster Concepts Inc., we’ve cultivated a superb, predominately local supplier base whose reliability and unwavering standards consistently allow us to exceed customer expectations.
We achieved this by committing to a symbiotic relationship with our suppliers based on mutual respect and timely payment, in exchange for a quality product.
Despite operating in a global economy where CEOs are rated based on successfully managing intercontinental supply chains, the majority of these suppliers are local. Caster Concepts made a strategic decision to grow and maintain a network of highly qualified domestic vendors. As a result, 80 percent of our key suppliers sit within 30 miles of our Albion, Mich.-based headquarters.
In another strategic decision, we committed to using our own family of companies to manufacture many of the key components in our casters and wheels. Keeping the manufacturing in the family, so to speak, ensures maximum oversight of customer-dictated lead times. It also guarantees that the highest quality parts and products go into every medium-to-heavy-duty industrial caster that we make.
Our outside suppliers understand and align with our corporate culture and strategy. They recognize the importance of our 100 percent on-time delivery commitment to our customers. Our suppliers are fully aware of the decisive role they play in our ability to meet this on-time delivery guarantee. Caster Concepts works hard to foster a symbiotic relationship with suppliers and vendors because we realize that our success directly relates to theirs.
Thus, we hold ourselves to the same high standards that we hold our suppliers. In exchange for our suppliers’ expertise, we commit to communicating with them quickly and concisely. Most importantly, we pay our suppliers in a timely fashion within the agreed terms.
When we started Caster Concepts 25 years ago, my father shared one of his key business principles with me: “We will not finance this business on the backs of our vendors,” he said.
We’ve never wavered from my father’s philosophy. Without exception, timely payments in exchange for high-quality products are the most important factors in a successful supplier-customer relationship. This mutual respect cements our many long-standing, thriving vendor partnerships, and allows Caster Concepts to build a culture of trust.
We Build Trust, and that trust begins with our actions and our conduct when dealing with the vendors with whom we work daily. Our supplier partnerships are one reflection of Caster Concepts’ We Build Trust philosophy, and I believe our enduring, respectful relationships with our valued vendors and suppliers speak volumes.
I welcome your thoughts regarding your own valuable supplier relationships. How have you built trusting business relationships? Have you noticed that when trust exists, communication and efficiency rise exponentially? I would appreciate reading your insights in the comment section below.
At Caster Concepts Inc., we will work with you to find the product that best fits your needs. Caster Concepts Inc. is an ISO 9001-2008 certified designer and manufacturer of a comprehensive line of industrial casters, ranging from a medium-duty series to a heavy-duty series for any application. CCI also manufactures caster wheels to withstand impact, corrosion, temperature extremes and chemicals found in harsh industrial environments. These multi-functional casters and wheels serve a variety of applications in the industrial, automotive, food service, aerospace, material handling and other demanding markets. Learn more about the entire family of Caster Concepts companies – Reaction Industries, Conceptual Innovations, The Machine Center, Fabricating Concepts, Triple E Manufacturing, Conveyor Concepts and Larcaster by visiting the most comprehensive web site in the caster industry at: https://www.casterconcepts.com
For further information please contact us at customercentral@casterconcepts.com or call 517-629-8838