DISTRIBUTORS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IMMEDIATE STOCK E-VIRTUAL WAREHOUSE

Edge Marketing & Procurement Group, Houston, is adding manufacturer inventory to its Immediate Stock online virtual warehouse. The group is a member-owned organization of independent distributors and vendors representing the electronic, datacom, broadcast, security and CCTV industries.

In addition to the stock of its member distributors, Edge distributors will now have access to the available inventory of the organization's preferred suppliers, which include manufacturers such as Belden Electronics Division, Richmond, Ind., and Signamax Connectivity Systems, North Miami, Fla.

Belden's regional sales manager, Tim Fast, says the program benefits everybody involved. “From a vendor standpoint, Immediate Stock saves what would otherwise be a call to our customer service group by giving the distributor instant access to our available product,” Fast said. “The immediate availability of information allows distributors to check stock while their customers are on the phone.”

At the touch of a button, the Edge Immediate Stock program allows members to purchase or request for quote products electronically from the inventories of preferred suppliers and other members for immediate delivery.

According to Ted Ingber, national sales manager, Signamax Connectivity Systems, Edge's program is a win-win situation. “Signamax has seen a steady increase in business every month since we began participating in the Immediate Stock Program,” Ingber said. “We're always looking for ways to make doing business with us easier for Edge members. By putting our available inventory on the Web, it saves members an extra phone call, allows them to see what we have ready to ship, and they can place orders in complete confidence.”

Adding preferred supplier inventory to Immediate Stock is a natural evolution of an already thriving program according to Ron Meyers, co-founder and Chairman, Edge Marketing & Procurement. “When we first launched Immediate Stock, the aim was to establish a virtual warehouse of our member distributors' inventory across the United States and Canada that was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Meyers says. “The program has enjoyed overwhelming success over its existence and the recent addition of preferred supplier inventory is already taking that success to new levels.”

For more information, visit www.edge-group.com.

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