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Article: IBT listens to MRO purchasersto keep competition at bay.(maintenance repair and operations)
- Article from:
- Purchasing
- Article date:
- September 7, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Susan Avery
As big, national distributors continue to grow-and reap rewards derived from MRO buyers consolidating their purchases with fewer suppliers-smaller, regional players need a game plan if they wish not only to survive, but to thrive in the years ahead. A regional distributor may specialize in one type of product offering and become a niche player or expand its services and take its business national.
IBT, a Merriam, Kan.-based family-owned distributor of bearings, power transmission products and other MRO items, has adopted a two-pronged business model that is helping it to evolve into a national provider of supply chain services. The ...