Systems management of wire and cable

The Materials Management System used by Houston Wire & Cable in each of their 12 US warehouses is described. The system is primarily intended for major construction projects. With this system, the wire and cable supplier accepts the tasks of warehousing, quality assurance and quality control, cutting and reeling, overnight shipping, and the elimination of all surplus. The care and custody of the wire and cable are accepted by the supplier. The positive results of this shift of responsibility to the supplier are shown. These include a reduction in purchasing costs, on-time deliveries, reduced storage costs, no cut charges, no minimum lengths, no reel deposits, overnight deliveries, reduction of thefts and damage, accurate quality control and the elimination of surplus. The overall cost reduction using this system was 22% over the life of the project presented.<>