Business Description
We are one of the largest providers of electrical and mechanical wire and cable,
hardware and related services to the U.S. market. We provide our customers with
a single-source solution for these items by offering a large selection of in-stock
items, exceptional customer service and high levels of product expertise.
Our wide product selection and specialized services support our position in
the supply chain between wire and cable manufacturers and the customer. The
breadth and depth of wire and cable and related hardware that we offer requires
significant warehousing resources and a large number of SKU’s (stock-keeping
units). While manufacturers may have the space and capabilities to maintain
a large supply of inventory, we do not believe that any single manufacturer
has the breadth and depth of product that we offer. More importantly, manufacturers
historically have not offered the services that our customers need, such as
complimentary custom cutting, cable coiling, custom slings and harnesses, paralleling,
bundling, striping, cable management for large capital projects, and same day
shipment, and do not have multiple distribution centers across the nation.
Our Cable Management Program addresses our customers’ growing requirement
for sophisticated and efficient just-in-time product management for large capital
projects. This program entails purchasing and storing dedicated inventory so
our customers have immediate product availability for the duration of their
project. Advantages of this program include extra pre-allocated safety stock,
firm pricing, zero cable surplus and just-in-time delivery. Used on large construction
and capital expansion projects, our Cable Management Program combines the expertise
of our cable specialists with dedicated project inventory and superior logistics
to allow complex projects to be completed on time, within budget and with minimal
residual waste.
We were founded in 1975 and have a long history of exceptional customer service,
broad product selection and high levels of product expertise. In 1987, we completed
our first initial public offering and were subsequently purchased in 1989 by
ALLTEL Corporation and in 1997 by investment funds affiliated with Code, Hennessy
& Simmons LLC.
We market our wire and cable and related services through an inside sales force
situated in our regional offices and a field sales force focused on key geographic
markets throughout the U.S. By operating under a decentralized process, region
managers are able to adapt quickly to market-specific occurrences, allowing
us to compete effectively with local competitors. We believe the knowledge,
experience and tenure of our sales force are critical to serving our fragmented
and diverse customer and end-user base.
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