© 2010 Arbill. All rights reserved. Arbill and the Arbill logo are trademarks of Arbill. 1

Challenge When a company is a multinational conglomerate with several operating units, managing the supply chain can become a difficult and daunting task. With five divisions and locations scattered across the globe, our manufacturing conglomerate customer recently decided it was time to compile data on all its suppliers and found it was dealing with 1,100 individual companies – making it almost impossible to track purchases, control expenses and secure a comprehensive picture of the products being utilized company-wide.

One area in which the customer wanted to narrow down its list of suppliers was in safety products, a variety of which are used to protect workers throughout the company’s five divisions. The company's Sourcing unit decided that the safety product supplier it kept needed to have the capability to monitor each of its divisions on a monthly basis to track product usage. Even more important was finding a supplier that could guarantee overall cost savings. After compiling data on hundreds of its suppliers, it became clear that Arbill had the expertise to serve as the conglomerate's single U.S. source for safety products, services and solutions.

Solution Arbill’s superior reporting capabilities and services were first employed in the company's Healthcare division. Now, Arbill is in charge of providing safety solutions for all of the customer's divisions. Every month and for every site, Arbill generates reports that break down the types of products purchased, the costs of those products and any savings that are being realized. Arbill also analyzes the reports, comparing data from month to month so that it can seek out and recommend potential cost-saving measures for the company. Arbill monitors the types of products and the frequency with which certain products that are purchased, so that it can recommend lower-priced or longer-lasting alternatives to help reduce expenses where appropriate. Arbill also tracks the frequency with which various sites place their orders and suggests opportunities for consolidation, so the customer can save on the costs associated with multiple purchase orders. In addition, the monthly reporting system allows Sourcing to identify which sites might not be utilizing Arbill’s services and make sure those locations become a part of the supply chain.

Multinational Manufacturing Conglomerate

“We were very impressed with the caliber of the people at Arbill.”

Category Manager, Global Sourcing Services, Multinational Manufacturing Conglomerate

© 2010 Arbill. All rights reserved. Arbill and the Arbill logo are trademarks of Arbill. 2

Results With one company overseeing all of its safety product purchases, our manufacturing conglomerate has been able to reduce expenses in many of its divisions. For example, the company's healthcare division uses nitrile gloves and can go through as many as 100,000 pairs per year. When Arbill suggested that the company switch to another glove that fit their application, one site was able to save $15,000 a year.

Another way in which Arbill is saving the customer money is by monitoring product usage. For example, if one site uses a safety glove that costs $5 a dozen and lasts only half a day, Arbill might suggest purchasing gloves that cost $6.50 a dozen and last the entire day. Measures such as these help the company to cut back on product usage, saving money not just on the products themselves, but also on the costs associated with ordering, shipping and distribution.

“We are better able to track what we are using and what our annual cost savings are, and we can also find out who is not using Arbill and get them involved,” said the company's Global Sourcing Category Manager. “Overall, we’re better able to manage our supply chain.”

Next Steps Arbill will continue to provide the company with superior products, service and cost-saving strategies that will help the company better manage its supply chain and protect its workers.

To see how Arbill can enhance the way your company purchases safety products, contact us toll-free at 800-523-5367 or visit us online at www.arbill.com.

About Arbill Safety Arbill is a premier North American manufacturer and distributor of industrial safety products, safety-related services, and safety training programs. Arbill partners with customers to build a culture of safety across their organizations. We not only provide personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, footwear, and protective clothing to keep an organization’s workers safe, but we also track safety performance to provide ongoing protection to our clients. Arbill is ISO 9001 certified and is also certified by the Women’s Business Development Center as a national Women’s Business Enterprise. For more information visit Arbill.com.

ARBILL 10450 Drummond Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154 PHONE: 800.523.5367

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