For the new entrepreneur or even an experienced furniture supplier or retailer, sometimes the biggest problem isn’t finding a quality furniture-component manufacturer, but everything that comes after that—from inventory storage to delivery and billing.
Inventory
You’d think that holding a decent amount of inventory at all times would make life easier, but sadly this often isn’t the case. Holding inventory can give you a lot of headaches: Theft is always an issue, either from within or outside the company; Keeping track of a large inventory is difficult, too; some inventory that is initially tagged as “stolen” may turn up days, weeks or even months later in a badly managed warehouse. Yes, it was lost. Damage goes with the territory if you hold inventory. From dropped pallets to crushing incidents with a wayward forklift. And damaged inventory eats away at your profit margin.
Shipping
Although there are many carriers out there today, and they are all pretty good, mistakes can and do happen: Late delivery, delivery to the wrong address, damaged on delivery. Then there are the mistakes that happen at your end: Wrong items delivered, right items but wrong sizes, wrong color. The list goes on and on. Although you can try your utmost to ensure everything is accurate, mistakes do creep in from time to time. And sorting problems out can be time consuming to say the least. How many of you can remember one of those three-way email conversations of biblical proportions between you, the client and a carrier.
Billing
If you have your inventory and shipping under control, then you just need the billing to work and you’re home free. If only! Wrong items invoiced, promised price reductions omitted, late payment, part payment, credit for returned items—will it ever end? With billing, the honest answer is, no. Billing usually involves a whole bunch of back and forth between you and the client...every billing cycle.
A better option, one that will save you time and money, and allow you to get on with what you do best, would be to find a manufacturer that offers a range of fulfillment services, too.
At Newport Furniture Parts, you can get the best of both worlds. Not only do Newport Furniture Parts manufacture the highest quality indoor and outdoor wood-furniture components, but they can also keep your inventory in their warehouse, organize and monitor shipping, billing and accounts receivable. For more information, contact Newport Furniture Parts today.
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