Procuring critical supplies has always been a matter of survival for manufacturing companies. Over the last several months, however, securing a reliable supply of personal protective equipment in industry has become a matter of life and death.
Types of Personal Protective Equipment in Industry
In addition to the standard equipment plants must stock to protect eyes, ears, hands, and lungs, your industrial PPE supply chain list has expanded in the era of COVID-19. No longer can supply chain and procurement managers concern themselves merely with keeping track of PPE supplies on hand and ordering replenishments when stockpiles run low. Even as the pandemic wanes, those responsible for buying personal protective equipment in industry continue to be challenged by supply shortages, fierce buyer competition, and expanded shopping lists. Previously, the industrial PPE list contained items that protected workers from the hazards inherent in their jobs – rubber gloves as barriers to cleaning supplies, safety glasses to deflect sawdust, earplugs to muffle machinery noise, etc. Now industrial SKUs must also include defensive measures against the airborne and surface-borne virus. Plants that never before required cloth masks, latex gloves, plastic aprons, and face shields now are scrambling to buy them in bulk.
Less Expense, Hassle, and Uncertainty
Tight supplies and skyrocketing demand have made filling your industrial PPE supply chain list one of your greatest challenges. You are probably trying to cope by engaging as many potential sources as you can uncover, entering into ad hoc arrangements, and trying to piecemeal enough supplies to get your operation through the next week or month.
It doesn’t have to be that way. By partnering with SDI, you can put our dedicated industrial PPE procurement service to work for you:
- Purchase leverage – With a vast client network, we buy huge quantities of every imaginable industrial product, component, cleaning supply, and protective gear, so we can leverage that purchasing power to negotiate the best prices. We pass that savings on to you.
- Redundant sourcing – More important, SDI scours the globe to locate trustworthy manufacturers and distributors of quality PPE. With numerous sources available to accommodate our industrial PPE supply chain list, we can ensure an uninterrupted supply, so you can protect your workers and keep your doors open. We can leverage our extensive supplier network, so supply lines can mitigate the risk from regional strife, trade wars, and supply chain disruptions.
- Expertise and resources – SDI has developed the resources to streamline the supply chain and iron out logistics so you can take delivery of your critical PPE supplies more quickly. Our teams coordinate contracts, purchases, freighting, and expedited delivery. This saves you time and mitigates the risk. SDI researches each partner’s manufacturing capacity, demand, and lead time to assess their reliability and quality. Expertise in all key industries gives us the insight to forecast market shifts and match predicted demand to our suppliers worldwide. We have a throrough vetting process to ensure we work with reputable manufactuerers and distributors that can provide the proper certifications (FDA approved or non FDA approved, depending on customer needs) and SDS for hand sanitizer. For U.S. customs, we make sure that prices are designated as FOB so suppliers know they can export into the U.S.
Creating a Resilient Supply Chain
To help mitigate the risk of supply and demand shocks and the economic challenges posed by COVID-19, SDI offers strategic reserve access and surge support to help customers build resiliency in their industrial PPE supply chains. Strategic reserves guarantee avaialability of predetermined safety stock with a cooperative, pooled inventory model for these essential materials. This approach gives customers access to fresh stock that has been certified to OSHA standards and turned to ensure compliance within a compressed lead time of only 24-48 hours. Addressing demand surges with a critical back-up creates resiliency in the supply chain and provides certainty of outcome. Additionally, having a central command center, empowered through process and technology allows our team to review real-time data and act quickly in a volatile and rapidly changing market.
For even greater PPE supply security, SDI teams can work at your location or remotely to actively manage your vendors from manufacturer to delivery to your warehouse and to oversee internal workflows that distribute the equipment to employees. Onsite teams will be in position to implement SDI’s most comprehensive services and integrate them with your supply chain operations.
Learn how SDI can keep your people safe and keep your industrial facilities up and running. The economic recovery has begun, and you do not want to be caught flatfooted by unnecessary downtime. Contact SDI today.
