Success Stories

California-Based Master Distributor Uses Trading Partner Connect to Streamline Commerce

According to John Kenyon, president of Selecta Switch, a California and Tennessee-based master distributor, the game of distribution is all about efficiency. "If you're not chasing your costs faster than your gross profits are diminishing, you're in real trouble," he says. "Every distributor, every year, has to keep driving costs down, because there's always pressure on prices."

To drive transaction costs down and keep profit margins stable, while ensuring end-users get the best prices, Selecta Switch joined Activant Trading Partner Connect. Trading Partner Connect streamlines the commerce process between distributors and their suppliers -- like Selecta Switch -- resulting in increased sales and improved customer service.

Building a Business

Selecta Switch has built its business on selling items that are not on the typical distributor's top 10 list. "We offer a variety of inconvenient items," says John Kenyon, president of the company. "Every distributor needs the products we sell. But, they don't buy them in enough volume to go straight to the manufacturer."

Selecta Switch offers distributors thousands of these inconvenient items, ranging from batteries to chemicals to motor control products. And, of course, the company sells an assortment of switches.

Kenyon explains why it makes sense for small and mid-sized distributors to purchase items from Selecta Switch through Trading Partner Connect: "Many manufacturers don't want to take orders that total less than a few hundred thousand dollars," he says. "But, how many distributors buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of batteries at a time?"

For many small and mid-size distributors, Selecta Switch acts as the channel to larger manufacturers they might not normally be able to access. And now, through Trading Partner Connect, distributors can send Selecta Switch orders more efficiently by doing so electronically, ensuring greater accuracy as well as speedier delivery. "Plus, it's very convenient," adds Kenyon.

All of Selecta Switch's products are available to distributors through Activant Trading Partner Connect. For more information about Selecta Switch and its offerings, please visit the company's Web site at www.selectaswitch.com.

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