For the past several years, Fastenal has partnered with Calumet Electronics to provide some consumable supplies and manage some of our maintenance and facility items. This strategic supplier initially approached us with a promise to help us grow while reducing costs, burdens, and inefficiencies. Since then, our relationship has expanded. In addition to supplying products, Fastenal also collaborates with us on logistics and brings more efficiency to our processes.
Partnering with Fastenal has eliminated stock shortages and freed up time for us to focus on other things
Calumet Electronics Vice President/CPO Elden Hendrickson, Jr.
Fastenal opened for business in 1967 as a fastener distributor. Today, they operate as a logistics company, a technology provider, and a distributor of a broad array of industrial and construction products. Their customers range from local fabricators, contractors, and K-12 schools, to global manufacturers, national construction companies, retail and e-commerce giants, and major hospitals and universities.
“Partnering with Fastenal has eliminated stock shortages and freed up time for us to focus on other things,” said Calumet Electronics Vice President/CPO Elden Hendrickson, Jr. “The Fastenal team has lived up to their promises. We appreciate the local inventory, the daily service, and their commitment to continual improvement. We extend our gratitude to the local Fastenal team: Brad, the regional manager; Terry, our sales rep; Tim, the in-store manager; and Eric and Kyle, the delivery guys.”
One gamechanger for Calumet was Fastenal’s installation of vending machines stocked with key consumable supplies. A successful vending solution takes more than an on-site machine. Fastenal’s local team delivers daily, making sure machines are filled, functioning, and fully optimized. When the pandemic hit and the world was faced with PPE shortages, Fastenal worked around the clock to ensure that Calumet never ran out of supplies so we could keep our business up and running.
Hendrickson noted, “One nice thing about these machines is the accountability they provide. When an employee vends an item, their name is attached to it. Applied accountability has allowed us to track what we’re using and where adjustments could be made. It’s brought consumption way down. The time we used to spend managing that product can now be spent more productively. That’s a great value for any company!”
