Donnelly Builds Powerful Strategic Relationships with OEMs

The Closer, the Better
Donnelly Builds Powerful Strategic Relationships with OEMs

Have you encountered the buzz phrase “customer intimacy” yet? According to Intelligent Enterprise.com, it can be defined as the ability to satisfy customer needs, often even before they may be aware of them.

The bigger question is: are you getting that kind of attention from your supplier? With challenges such as tighter lead times, Just-In-Time inventories and quick changeovers, OEMs need suppliers who can anticipate, rather than simply react, and who take ownership in their customers’ results.

At Donnelly Custom Manufacturing, that’s How Short Run Is Done. We overcome the challenges of short-run manufacturing by developing and deepening committed and strategic relationships with our customers and focusing on how to help them succeed

A Deeper Understanding, A More Valuable Partnership
Donnelly has that kind of relationship with Scotsman Ice Systems, a leading innovator of ice technology and recipient of Industry Week’s 2006 Best Plant of the Year Award. Donnelly is Scotsman’s sole source for injection molding—providing valuable support in all areas of business. The team recently traveled to China to collaborate on the development of 37 molds for a new project. Donnelly ensured the molds’ quality and compatibility with the process—key issues in overseas sourcing.

Donnelly is committed to evolving to meet customers’ changing needs. When longtime customer Diebold – a provider of self-service delivery and security systems to financial institutions, government agencies and retail – established a goal of maximizing vendor-managed inventories, Donnelly embraced the challenge. The program we supported has reduced lead times, handled sudden shifts in demand and greatly reduced working capital costs for Diebold.

Always Ready To Deliver
Perhaps the most important benefit of customer intimacy is that Donnelly knows and understands customers so well that, at a moment’s notice, we can jump in and meet their needs.

For instance, in an effort to meet year-end goals, Scotsman gave Donnelly one week’s notice to increase production by 30 to 40 percent. Because of our expertise in Scotsman’s short run molding needs, Donnelly was able to respond quickly and meet the delivery goals. Few other companies, if any, could have met this challenge, but at Donnelly, that’s How Short Run Is Done.