MRO distributors pull out stops to serve customers

By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 6/20/2008 9:59:00 AM

While many of the big businesses located along the river in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, were impacted by the flooding last week, the focus now is on clean up, says Jay Fetsch, district branch services manager for Grainger. Based in St. Louis, Fetsch has responsibility for Grainger branches located in the region affected by the flooding, including those in Des Moines, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo. Branch buildings and company employees in the region were out of harm’s way and not affected by the flood, he says.

But some customers were and suspended operations. Now, Fetsch says, they are still trying to determine what they need to get back in operation.

In such an emergency, Grainger’s first concern is to determine whether employees are impacted. None were. Next, the company assembled a team of people to review a list of emergency supplies and determine which products are needed in response to the emergency. For flooding, customers initially will need items to try to prevent damage such as sandbags, raingear and boots, and those needed afterwards to clean up the mess such as pumps, hoses and shovels as well as respirators, gas detection equipment and pressure washers. Also needed were generators and batteries for areas of the city where the electric grid turned off power.

Then, there’s the question of how soon Grainger can get the products to customers in the affected areas. “There was never any question of whether to extend our normal business hours,” says Fetsch. “The question really was, how many employees do we bring in to make sure we offer the same essential service?”

A team in the company’s distribution center in Kansas City, Mo. immediately mobilized to start filling emergency trailers. Grainger also tapped its national distribution channel and was able to pull products out of areas like Chicago, St. Louis and Memphis.

Trailers arrived in Cedar Rapids and started unloading supplies as early as 5am and employees worked until 11pm. The branches were open for business during these hours and remained open on Saturday and Sunday, which was Father’s Day. “A lot of our employees personally sacrificed time with their families to help our customers,” says Fetsch. “I think this speaks volumes to their dedication.”

There was a point as the river was cresting that some of the major highways leading to Cedar Rapids were shut down. “Some of our transportation partners understood the urgency of getting these trailers into Cedar Rapids, and, in some cases went 2-3 hours out of their way to get into the city,” Fetsch says. “I think that speaks volumes of the partnerships we have with the companies that we use to transport products.” Other of the company’s suppliers—the manufacturers—located in the region helped by providing additional products such as pumps and hoses in emergency trailers when the distributor needed them.

“Our employees in Cedar Rapids should be commended for their unselfish and unwavering dedication to serve our customers,” says Fetsch.

Grainger has also donated a trailer loaded with more than $15,000 in emergency supplies to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids.