Do you experience any of the following challenges managing your
inventory?
You don’t stock enough product and run out
Vendor lead times put you behind
Demand for a product spikes and you don’t have enough in stock
Supplier minimums cause you to stock extra product and face the burden of extra inventory
You experience associated problems, such as:Insufficient warehouse space to store extra inventory
Employees are running out in the middle of the workday to replace basic supplies
Atlantic’s Vendor Managed Inventory program offers the solution you need.
Enjoy the Benefits
Supply Chain Efficiency:
Our industry experience means that we understand your space constraints
and can identify and recommend your exact inventory needs, providing
just enough of each supply you need on a weekly, or bi-weekly, basis.
Expert Advice and Behind-the-Scenes Management:
In a world of “Bigger is Better”, it’s still the person on the floor
watching your business that really matters. Because your Atlantic
Account Representative shows up on site, they can proactively manage
your inventory.
Your Atlantic Account Representative helps a host of companies
maintain their supply levels, so you get the benefit of their best
practice industry knowledge. We can watch industry trends and anticipate
potential demand spikes or other challenges, and adjust inventory
levels accordingly so you never feel the pinch. We also have an
extensive knowledge of various product lines and can recommend alternative,
cost-saving options to your existing supplies.
Team Approach:
VMI is set up as a team approach, with your Atlantic Account Representative
visiting weekly to monitor your inventory levels. Then, on a monthly
basis, your Account Manager, an Atlantic Paper executive, visits
with your Representative to answer any questions and provide a higher
level of expertise when necessary.
Emergency Supply Delivery:
Our in-house purchasing team keeps an inventory of all managed supplies
for our VMI customers in our warehouse. We are willing to guarantee
inventory levels so you never have to worry about running out.
The Atlantic Advantage:
Award Winning Customer Service: Because of our commitment to transparent
business practices and best-in-class service, we are proud to say
we were named a “Partner of the Year” by the Rhode Island Manufacturers
Association for our dedication and commitment to serving our customers.
Flexibility:
You can add or drop any item from your VMI program at any time.
Trust:
Trust is the cornerstone of our VMI program, and we earn that by
over-communicating with you. Our goal is to make our clients’ lives
easier, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean coming in at the
lowest price, it does mean that we can provide real cost-savings
by helping you purchase smarter. We have valuable institutional
knowledge and are willing to do the work to ensure that your inventory
levels are constantly maintained in the most efficient way possible.
Free Service:
We offer these services at no cost, and with no hidden
fees to our select VMI customers. Atlantic Paper is sustained by
building long-term relationships with our customers and doing repeat
business with them, so have an incentive to provide exceptional
service and advice.
Experience Real Cost Savings
Automatic price reductions:
VMI includes commodity products, which can fluctuate in price. Because
of this, Atlantic Paper is the only company that monitors market
prices and voluntarily passes along the lower prices to customers
when its own costs go down.
Reduced time managing multiple vendors:
Tracking multiple suppliers costs companies a lot in both time and
money, from researching product pricing to chasing down unavailable
items to processing multiple invoices. In fact, industry averages
indicate it costs between $75 – $150 of hourly time to process one
purchase order from requisition to invoice payment. The more vendors
you manage, the more administrative costs you accrue on a monthly
basis.
New cost saving ideas:
Our proactive inventory management can also find opportunities to
consolidate your purchases and save money, and provide you with
a Customer Savings Report that details your cost savings on an annual
basis. Some examples of how we have helped customers save money
through our VMI recommendations:
Consolidated shipping box inventory by identifying one medium sized
box that effectively replaced two different but similarly sized
boxes Recommended a thinner gauge plastic wrap or bag because the
company was buying too heavy a grade for its shipping needs Identified
situations where sub-standard wraps or packaging were potentially
causing insurance, shipping, or damage risks because of breakage
and shifting during transport
Price lock:
You can be confident knowing that we lock in prices for 3 months
at a time, and only raise them when there is an industry-wide price
increase (e.g. corrugated box pricing almost invariably goes up
in tandem from all the mills). By the same token, we automatically
reduce prices when our costs go down. Either way, Atlantic Paper
has your best interest in mind.
Additional time savings:
With your Atlantic Account Representative
on your side, your floor and warehouse managers can focus on their
actual jobs, without having to worry about stocking supplies or
running out to replace missing items, which can take up to 40 hours
a week for some large companies.
How It Works
Initial walk through:
We physically walk through your facility with your team to look
at the products you have in your store rooms or warehouses.
Determine which products to manage.
We work with you to determine which products will be involved with
our initial VMI pilot. We do not need to supply everything – it’s
up to you how much of your stock you want AP to supply.
Set inventory levels:
We work with you to establish a baseline supply level for all VMI
products (generally about three weeks worth).
Regular Deliveries:
We will monitor your inventory levels on a weekly or bi-weekly basis,
depending your company’s needs and space requirements. When supplies
need to be ordered, they are delivered the next day.
Ongoing Management:
Atlantic Paper provides ongoing management
to all VMI customers, including continuously monitoring and adjusting
inventory levels, identifying new ways to consolidate products and
suppliers to save money, and offering any additional assistance
as needed.