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Manufacturing Innovation Blog
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Walsh Door & Security Receives Inventory Management Support
Walsh Door & Security, founded in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1930, is the Midwest’s leading provider of premium commercial door, frame, hardware and electronic security products and services. Walsh is one of an estimated dozen U.S. companies that provide both physical doors and the electronic control systems that go with them as part of modern security operations. The family-owned company serves the commercial, industrial and institutional construction markets, as well as schools, universities, hospitals, clinics, data centers and other end users, including small businesses. Walsh Door & Security employs 90 people.
It saves time on our hardware guys because they don’t have to put it away. It was a great project!
— Brady Warrick, Vice President of Operations
Dave Hunt, hardware inventory control manager for Walsh Door & Security, said the company needed help with the different ways to calculate inventory, such as the value of the inventory on the shelf, the cost of it sitting on the shelf, or how many times the inventory turned. Hunt turned to classes offered by CIRAS, part of the MEP National Network™, for assistance.
Hunt attended a CIRAS Inventory Management 101 class taught by CIRAS Project Manager Marc Schneider in 2017. Schneider later worked individually with Hunt and his team to help Walsh Door & Security understand how to calculate the minimum amount of stock required and set appropriate targets. Walsh went from carrying roughly $600,000 worth of locksets at its Des Moines warehouse to roughly $430,000.
Results
- $4,000,000 in increased or retained sales
- 15 created or retained jobs
- $70,000 in new investment
- $75,000 in cost savings
- $25,000 in improved productivity
Could your company benefit from assistance with managing inventory? Connect with your local MEP Center for more information.
The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Iowa. The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers generate business results and thrive in today’s technology-driven economy. The MEP National Network comprises the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
