DC Expansion & Automation for Buyers

Founded in 1946, Buyers Products is a fully integrated manufacturer and a leader in the truck equipment industry. Their work truck equipment and trailer accessories include SnowDogg™ Snow Plows, SaltDogg™ Spreaders, truck boxes, and more. The company’s engineering, manufacturing and assembly operations take place in the USA.

Project Objectives/Challenges

Buyers Products’ main distribution center (225,000 sq. ft.) and manufacturing facilities in Mentor, Ohio were at or nearing capacity and needed to be optimized.

Sedlak designed and implemented the original DC, and due to growth over the years the facility was running out of room.

Some distribution operations had been moved into open areas of the manufacturing facilities.

Buyers enlisted Sedlak to conduct two separate, related efforts to optimize operations/fulfillment and free up manufacturing space that was being consumed by DC operations.

What Sedlak Did

Conducted two 9-week facility optimization/capacity analyses to evaluate the facilities, identify immediate layout and flow improvements and initiate a transition plan into the new operations.

Performed a data analysis and concepting, created proposed layouts and developed an expansion plan.

Moved SKUs and product lines out of manufacturing to increase capacity.

Made recommendations for product handling in terms of flow, visibility, packaging, staging, and shipping.

Prepared final equipment layout and details, budget pricing, and bid documents, and compiled bid comparisons for vendor selection and contract award.

• Recommended that Buyers move distribution operations out of manufacturing and back into the main DC.
• While manufacturing was able to stay within its walls, Sedlak proposed a building expansion for current operations and future growth.
• Determined that a strategic assessment was needed due to the complexity of Buyers’ network.
• Moved forward with the additional assessment, with Sedlak performing a strategic capacity analysis.
• Developed a clearer idea of what the addition needed to be and what technology needed to be in it.
• Buyers proceeded to the design phase of the facility expansion based on Sedlak’s recommendations, and Sedlak later assisted with the implementation stage.