Does Your Current Supplier Have A Proven Plan B?

Recently I was preparing to travel to Florida for a VIBM (“very important” business meeting) when all of a sudden a huge snow storm hit Pennsylvania, resulting in the cancellation of all flights. Upon learning my original flight was canceled due to the pending major Nor’easter, I normally would go into panic mode, but fortunately for me I had a Plan B – a relationship with a trusted travel agent. I immediately called my agent who moved up my original reservation up a day, to not only get me out of town a day earlier before the major brunt of the storm was due to hit, but more importantly get me to my meeting in Florida on time.

As I pondered upon how easily my Plan B fell into place (with the help of my agent), I wondered how many laundry operators today have a Plan B in the event of an emergency or disaster. When we work with our laundry partners we make sure that they know we ALWAYS have a Plan B in place in the event it might be needed. Are your current vendors ready and prepared with a Plan B to continually meet your needs without a hitch?

As competitive as our industry is today, laundries should align themselves with supplier partners that have contingency plans in place to make sure goods are ready to ship and be delivered in a pinch should the need ever occur. Not only if the laundries have a disaster, but what if a major catastrophe should happen wherever the product is manufactured, like an earthquake, hurricane or major fire? Without these trusted relationships in place, just one hiccup can cause a major disruption in the flow of one’s business, resulting in major heartburn and stress.

Sure price, quality and delivery are important, but if a back-up plan is not there when needed, the rest is all moot. Whether you are a direct seller or a rental laundry, making sure that your key suppliers have a well-defined plan to take care of emergencies is important to the continued success of your business. As we found out when the cotton crisis hit several years ago, you cannot assume that other suppliers of the same product can step in at a moment’s notice. Without Plan B, even the best laid plans and well-oiled operations can fall apart!

Scott Delin, Vice President of Sales
Fashion Seal Healthcare®, a signature brand of Superior Uniform Group®
Contact Scott at (610) 442-0880 or
sdelin(at)FashionSealHealthcare(dot)com