The management at PartsSource knew the company was on the fast track to growth and that needed to make changes to accommodate that growth, but the process was filled with ups and downs.
The company quickly outgrew its first office, which was located adjacent to its warehouse, so it moved office operations to a larger site while maintaining its current warehouse. However, the arrangement presented logistical challenges, and it began looking for a new site almost immediately.
PartsSource, a multi-manufacturer alternative parts supplier, found another location. But as it was gearing up for the move, the property purchase fell through in the final stage of the location inspection.
It was running out of office and warehouse space, so management launched a new search. It finally found a new site and succeeded in moving all of its parts and office materials to the new location without disrupting customer service.
However, PartsSource outgrew its new facility within 60 days. After setbacks with zoning approvals, it finally received the go-ahead and will break ground soon on its fourth building project on land adjacent to its current location.
With the setbacks in construction, PartsSource feared its growth would be stifled as the staff it had added would be unable to perform without space. As a solution, it hired outside sales staff to work in its largest markets. Although it was meant as a solution to a temporary problem, the company experienced more growth by using this sales strategy. PartsSource kept these outside sales representatives and created a new internal position to oversee outside employees and sales.
While the company quickly and continuously adapted to its rapid growth, its technology did not. The information technology staff realized it would need a new database to keep up with the increased volume, so it began upgrading and planning a transition. Just two weeks before the company planned to implement the new database and convert its records, the database began experiencing problem, sometimes erasing just recent orders, sometimes erasing an entire day’s worth of orders.
The staff began to do orders manually in order to keep up with the timeliness customers expected, and the company now has manual back-ups for all online functionality.
After persevering through many challenges and successes, PartSource is now more prepared to handle rapid growth and move forward.
How to reach: PartsSource, www.mypartssource.com
