Building a Relationship Based on Trust
In all our client relationships, we work to establish trust from the outset by demonstrating that EQI products and services are indispensable. This is exactly what we did for our major OEM customer, helping them grow their catalog from 200 to 550 parts since 2017. Over the past few years, we’ve supported them with day-to-day initiatives and large-scale projects. We’re continuously looking for ways to lower costs, increase efficiencies, and reduce overhead.
EQI is proud of the collaborative relationship we’ve built with this customer. We feel empowered to ask questions about where they are headed and what we can do to ensure they get there—all in an effort to help them continuously improve. As a result, the OEM frequently presents us with significant RFQ opportunities.
Pinpointing an Opportunity to Outsource
This OEM’s latest RFQ was for gearbox assemblies. We responded with a proposal to take over their gearbox assembly process and build a new assembly line from the ground up at one of our facilities. At the time, we were already providing 80-90% of the components to make their gearboxes, and the customer was assembling the parts in their US facility.
As a first step, our engineers met on-site with their team to discuss technical requirements. This helped us gain an explicit understanding of what was needed for a commercial proposal, so we could go back to our supply base and source the additional components necessary, to provide a cost-effective solution.
Next, we quickly delivered our proposal to the OEM, outlining a cost savings of roughly 40 percent. The customer enthusiastically gave us a purchase order to create our assembly line, source and ship ancillary parts from the US, and build the gearbox assemblies.
The final steps included technical internal review, delivering PPAP documentation, and sample parts to the customer for approval. The customer not only approved the gearboxes but stated that the quality was superior to the original process. Today, we are producing, storing, and shipping the gearboxes for this customer, significantly reducing their overall landed cost. Because we can ship them line-ready components on demand, the customer now has increased floor space to produce more profitable parts.
Simplifying Supply Chains to Boost Profitability
This is just one example of how we work with our customers to identify and simplify aspects of their supply chain that we can help make more efficient and profitable. For some customers, this might be assembly or freight. For others, it might be warehousing or painting. Our goal is to uncover the customer’s pain points and present solutions that ease their burden and provide financial benefit.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today. 616.850.2630 info@eqiltd.com
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For qualification identifies and honors companies that deliver exceptional human resource practices and an impressive commitment to their employees. Organizations are assessed based on communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention, and more.
At EQI, we know that people are our greatest asset. That’s why we have an unwavering commitment to employee well-being, safety, social responsibility, and ethical conduct throughout our operations. We’ve also implemented a “one-company, one-culture” strategy at our locations across the globe, extending our people-first approach to employees everywhere and continuing to evolve best-in-class benefits.
Are you interested in joining a company that’s constantly growing with new acquisitions, offers the opportunity to work with blue-chip customers, and remains committed to employee well-being? We’d love to hear from you!
Phone: (616) 850-2630 E-mail: info@eqiltd.com
Initially, EQI focused on gray iron counterweights for forklift trucks and other large mobile equipment. Over the next decade, we swiftly penetrated additional construction, forestry, and CNC machine tool manufacturing markets and expanded our sourcing to China and India. Today, we have become one of the largest diversified metal component companies importers in the US, with multiple manufacturing and service locations globally.
As we expand our industry impact and build exceptional teams, we will remain relentlessly focused on partnering with our customers to achieve long-term success. At EQI, we are committed to solving complex supply chain problems and providing value-add services, tailored solutions, and cost-effective quality. This commitment was our north star during our first 20 years, and it will continue to guide our efforts in the future.
Our 20-year milestone is a testament to the passion and tenacity of our people, and we’d like to thank all the EQI employees and customers who’ve made our success possible over the years. Our true differentiator is the expertise of our people and supplier partners, which, in turn, drives customer relationships built on partnership and trust. We’re grateful to everyone who has contributed to our growth and are excited to see what the future holds!