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Sales Process Generates Attainable Key Metric Goals
With the help of: Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (MEP of LA)
About
The KEEN brand of ovens is manufactured and distributed exclusively by Henkel Enterprises, LLC in Hammond, Louisiana. Owned by the Freedman family, Henkel Enterprises, LLC is one of the largest manufacturers of welding consumable storage ovens in the USA and proudly serves the welding industry worldwide. The company began as a general sheet metal business in 1923, and in the following 75+ years there were many changes. In 1972, a distributor in New Orleans contacted the company in urgent need to supply an electrode storage oven to a job site that had been shut down by a welding inspector. Henkel Enterprises quickly designed an oven to satisfy the requirement and thus began the expansion of their welding consumable oven division.
Soon after, the KEEN brand name was born, which the company gradually began manufacturing as an extensive line of welding flux and welding electrode storage ovens to serve growing market needs in the New Orleans area. Today, Henkel Enterprise’s welding ovens are used in many different markets such as aerospace, construction, oil, nuclear and marine industries.
The Challenge
We reached out to MEPOL for some fresh ideas to grow our manufacturing business and are very pleased with the results. The industrial sector is very competitive for a variety of reasons, but mainly it is imported products that are hurting our bottom line. After strategizing with Dan Stumper at MEPOL, we invested in a new ERP system, internet search engine marketing, email marketing and website development to bring in leads. We also reached out to current customers to grow existing sales. The outcome has been very positive and we appreciate the dedication of Dan Stumper and MEPOL to manufacturers in Louisiana.
MEP's Role
With Stumper on board as a guide, a sales process project was started in 2019, focusing on optimizing the production environment and other business processes such as digital marketing strategies, sales, and accounting. By initiating a business sales and marketing assessment review for Henkel Enterprises, Stumper was able to review their business as a whole while paying special attention to the sales and marketing processes at the company. Henkel Enterprises was also able to attain factory order control through the implementation of an ERP System.
As a result, Stumper was able to identify inefficiencies in the sales and marketing process and communicated recommendations for improvements to the company owners. The sales process training conducted by MEPOL ultimately led the company to focus on a key metric they were anxious to achieve -- a winning quote percentage!