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The Building Fastener industry is highly competitive and there are many Fastener Distributors out there fighting for the your business – that of the contractor, manufacturer or retailer. Most have numerous suppliers both locally and overseas and will work hard to secure you with a price that helps you meet your margins. Although you will […]

The Building Fastener industry is highly competitive and there are many Fastener Distributors out there fighting for the your business – that of the contractor, manufacturer or retailer. Most have numerous suppliers both locally and overseas and will work hard to secure you with a price that helps you meet your margins. Although you will come across some that argue differently, a fastener distributor that has a well stocked warehouse can provide you with excellent service and competitive prices on virtually any product such as Hex Cap Screws and Heavy Hex Bolts just to list a couple.

Keeping It Well Stocked
Retailers know that when you are stocking up an item, the purchase price is generally lower given a bulk discount. Since fasteners are non-perishable items, a fastener distributor can buy the most popular items in bulk and store them for their customers to have at a moment's notice. The result is speedy service and most likely a better price.
This isn`t an option with certain types of hardware and fasteners that are either difficult to find or not widely used. The distributor would then be tying up useful capital stocking an item that will not sell. Much research is put into what items the distributor will stock and which ones can be ordered as needed. If you anticipate a very large order or have an ongoing need for a certain fastener it may be that you can negotiate with the distribution firm to stock that type for a time.
The Alternative
Some fastener distributors claim that they can offer better prices simply because they do NOT stock fasteners. But that may not hold salt when looked at a little closer. While a distributor cannot always keep their supplies up, as discussed, not having anything on hand means the customer will always be waiting on their order. In the contracting and manufacturing world time is money. And with the rising cost of freight, it simply makes more sense for distributors to bring in bulk orders rather than pay enormous amounts for shipping on each individual order.
Also, when your fastener distributor is able to keep a supply of well used fasteners on hand it cuts down on the customers need for storage. They can rely on the distributor to handle and store the products and simply need to arrange for timely pick up or delivery. That's one less worry for already busy professionals.

About the Author

Larry Melone
By Larry Melone
President

Started my career in the fastener world in 1969 at, Parker Kalon Corp. a NJ based screw manufacturer located in Clifton, NJ working in inventory control, scheduling secondary production and concluding there in purchasing. In 1971 I accepted a sales position at Star Stainless Screw Co., Totowa, NJ working in inside sales and later as an outside salesman, having a successful career at Star I had the desire with a friend to start our own fastener distribution company in 1980 named: Divspec, Kenilworth, NJ. This was a successful adventure but ended in 1985 with me starting Melfast in August 1985 and have stayed competitive and successful to date. Melfast serves the OEM market with approximately 400 accounts nationally.

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