NASHVILLE – Fortna has partnered with MSC Industrial Direct Co., one the top U.S. distributors and direct marketers of Metalworking and Maintenance, Repair and Operations (“MRO”) supplies, to successfully implement a new, repeatable model for operations, processes, and systems in three of their US Customer Fulfillment Centers (CFC’s).
These enhancements are integral to “MSC’s Optimization Project,” a company-wide best practices initiative, and will reduce distribution costs while optimizing their high level of customer service and reducing order cycle time. MSC distributes over 600,000 different products from approximately 3,000 suppliers through its sales force, master catalog, promotional mailings, telemarketing, and the Internet. Their products range from fasteners and measuring instruments to cutting tools and plumbing supplies, and they serve over 300,000 customers who need metalworking and MRO supplies.
Fortna and MSC teamed to design streamlined processes, retrofit facilities with new and upgraded materials handling equipment and coordinate systems and support. MSC also recently acquired J&L Industrial Supply whose supply chain processes and inventory were integrated into the new designs. Fortna actively managed project risk and coordinated with a variety of vendor partners.
Additionally, FortnaWCS™ was implemented across the network. This warehouse control software manages materials handling systems with a web-based user interface. It also provides visibility into processes in real-time and offers flexibility to balance workloads with a real-time dashboard for floor activities.
“MSC and Fortna started with a proof of concept and have partnered to implement enhanced systems and processes, making the planned benefit a reality,” said Doug Jones, EVP, Global Supply Chain Operations at MSC Industrial. “The primary objectives of this initiative were improved operational efficiency, reduced order cycle times, and increased operational capacity. This project has successfully delivered on all objectives and also came in on-schedule and below budget. It was a successful go-live from day one in that our customers didn’t even realize that we had switched over to a new system. It was seamless,” he continued.
“Fortna is proud to have a long term partnership with MSC and deliver specific value to their supply chain,” said John A.White III, president of Fortna. “Fortna’s holistic approach to optimizing people, processes, systems and assets has been proven to positively drive bottom line results at MSC,” he continued.
Fortna and MSC have now completed supply chain optimization projects in three of MSC’s four U.S. Customer Fulfillment locations: Harrisburg, PA, Atlanta, GA and Elkhart, IN.
