"The partnership between Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Diamond Phoenix was the key to the successful implementation of this project."

Jason King
Director of Facilities & Engineering
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

The Secret to Success in Your Next Material Handling Project

By Larry Strayhorn, CEO, Diamond Phoenix

Think about your last DC project, whether it was purchasing a piece of equipment or designing an entirely new material handling system. Were your expectations met? Was the project completed on time and on budget? Do you trust that your vendor will provide you with the customer service and support that you’ll need down the road?

If not, you may have overlooked a critical factor in the vendor selection process. More than simply finding the least expensive option or which company can get the job done the fastest, vendor selection has a great deal to do with the approach to the relationship.

Think of the customer/vendor relationship like a scale, with the customer on one side and the vendor on the other. Each must benefit equally in order to achieve a successful outcome on a project. Too often, our relationships with vendors start off on the wrong foot, with one company trying to get ahead at the other’s expense. This causes tremendous problems; because the two companies do not have confidence in one another, needs are not completely satisfied and the relationship suffers.

If, instead, you and your vendor approach the project as a partnership, you both win. Confidence and trust are gained, needs are satisfied, both companies emerge healthy and successful, and you know that you have someone to turn to in the event of future challenges or issues.

Take the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters project as an example. The specialty coffee distributor was growing rapidly, with the goal of producing 50 million pounds of coffee annually. As the company began to grow, efficiencies and customer service were suffering because its distribution center could not handle the increased load. Green Mountain immediately recognized the need for assistance.

With a corporate culture that fosters collaboration, openness, and strong relationships, Green Mountain wanted more than a vendor that simply had the experience and capabilities to do the project. They needed a partner – a company that would be completely open in sharing information, would take the time to learn the details of the coffee business, and would educate them about material handling issues. They expected complete transparency between the two companies.

Diamond Phoenix was selected to design and integrate the entire system because we saw Green Mountain as a business partner. We viewed the project as a joint effort, a back and forth dialogue that would ultimately result in success on both sides. As with any project, stumbling blocks popped up along the way; but the two companies worked closely together to overcome them. In the end, both Diamond Phoenix and Green Mountain shared in the success of the project and each actively promotes the other.

We’d love to tell you that every project goes smoothly, is on time and within budget, works exactly as expected, is completed without any problems and achieves the expected return on investment. But that wouldn’t be true. Every project, regardless of the vendor or the customer, will have its difficulties; it’s part of the process.

With that understanding, we believe that a true partnership with our customers is absolutely vital. We know that in order to provide you with the very best solution for your business, we must understand your values, your goals, and your everyday operations. Communication is also a critical piece of the puzzle; we must work together to develop creative solutions.

It’s an attitude that we carry from the very beginning of a relationship on through the service and support stage. Although a project may be “finished,” you may have questions or need assistance in maintaining and supporting your system down the road.

Our customers are reassured, knowing that issues will be addressed in a timely fashion by a helpful and knowledgeable service person. If the person you speak with does not have the answer, you can be certain that he/she is working tirelessly with our other internal departments to find the answers you need. Because of our strong relationships with our customers, we try to always place ourselves in your shoes and ask, “If I were the customer, what would be my expectations for resolving the issue and how would I like to be treated?” We feel the same urgency that you do in resolving an issue. As our partner, we want you to feel supported and respected, and that we are working together to reach a common goal.

When you’re on the verge of your next big project, sit down with your team and make a list of traits that are important to you when working with another company and talk about how you’ll approach your relationship with that vendor. It’s also important to do your homework. When considering vendors, be sure to ask questions about their style in dealing with customers and request references. Ask these references to describe their relationship with the vendor – this will be a telltale sign of things to come. The attitude and approach of both parties will make a significant difference in the outcome of your project.