PECM Issue 30 2018 | Page 108

IMBERA CRYSTALLIZES GROWTH IN CONJUNCTION WITH OPTIMAS ooling giant Imbera has reaped the benefits of a knowledgeable global fastener supply partner, by involving Optimas to strengthen and manage its complex component supply chain. During a period of over 2 years, Optimas has been able to streamline supply for Imbera's main production facility in Queretaro, Mexico, delivering tangible cost savings to the premium cooler manufacturer to aid company expansion. C For over 70 years, Imbera has been manufacturing high quality cooling units, with the business typically introducing 10 new products to market every year. A major player in the industry, Imbera exports its coolers to 45 countries worldwide. However, a complex supply chain that involved multiple vendors was complicating operations, so the business took the decision to involve fastener and supply chain experts, Optimas. With a proven history in delivering component supply solutions to a number of other 108 PECM Issue 30 HVAC manufacturers in the region, Optimas could demonstrate to Imbera its capacity to deliver, which allowed the new partnership to blossom. Ricardo Rodriguez, Regional Director at Optimas OE Solutions Mexico, explains: "Our dedicated service for Imbera has delivered value through total cost and efficiency savings to their operations. Our combination of increasing efficiency, reducing stock inventory, consolidating suppliers and standardizing components provides a strong framework which can adapt easily to Imbera's future growth. A relationship based on mutual trust, expertise in industry and success has been embodied by our increased involvement in further divisions of the business - a relationship that with this framework, is only set to grow." C onsolidating and strengthening supply Originally, Imbera was ordering parts directly from a complex network of vendors, which made it difficult to accurately track costs and efficiency across the entire supply chain. As a result, Optimas was required to consolidate the supply chain to provide Imbera with one singular point of contact regarding component supply. To gauge the requirements of Imbera, Optimas conducted joint fastener implementation meetings to understand the existing framework and areas that could be streamlined. To limit the number of individual vendors supplying to Imbera, Optimas first set about grouping as many components as possible within a reduced number of manufacturers. By this method, parts were consolidated within certain suppliers, allowing an increased efficiency of product selection, but also reduced the total cost of acquisition when ordering multiple fastener variations. The approach increased uniformity within the supply chain for Imbera, which allowed the business to more accurately measure the overall performance of its logistics framework, improving the strength of sourcing.