Carpenter revamps U.S. distribution system.READING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 1995--Carpenter Technology Corp. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CRS CRS Course CRS Certified Residential Specialist (real estate certification) CRS Central Reservation System CRS Can't Remember Stuff (polite form) CRS Cost Reduction Strategy CRS Consumer Relations Specialist ) announced Tuesday that re-engineering of its U.S. distribution system will result in the re-configuring or closing of seven of its 20 U.S. sales and warehousing locations this year. Affected operations are in Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, New Jersey, Tennessee and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . "Systems and logistic developments have changed significantly in the past decade, so we can actually provide faster and more efficient service to customers with fewer service centers," said Richard G. Santoro, vice president, Sales and Marketing for Carpenter's Steel Division. "At one time, mill lead-times and reliability required local inventory. Communications deficiencies mandated that sales offices be affixed af·fix tr.v. af·fixed, af·fix·ing, af·fix·es 1. To secure to something; attach: affix a label to a package. 2. to warehouses. These deficiencies no longer exist." Today, Carpenter is moving to a dedicated logistic system that provides next-day service to most customers, and gives the company the capability to ship to more customers on its own fleet of trucks. "Fewer locations also means that we can build greater variety, flexibility and efficiency into our finished inventory. We can better train our sales employees, and provide greater depth of coverage for servicing our customers' incoming calls," Santoro said. Carpenter first tested its distribution ideas last February, when it consolidated two New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. service centers into one. The Boston center was closed, since it no longer was conveniently located. Warehousing operations in the Hartford, Conn., center began operating 24 hours a day. As a result, in New England most customer orders received by 5 p.m. and shipped from stock are now cost-effectively delivered the next day, Santoro said. Previously, some regional customers waited four to six days for deliveries from inventory. "We expect to see similar benefits from the changes being announced today," he says. These changes are as follows: o The Detroit office will be relocated from the current facility to accommodate a larger staff. A search for a new office in the Detroit area is currently underway. o Sales offices in the Rochester, N.Y. and Indianapolis service centers will close September 29, and these locations will become satellite centers for warehousing and distribution. Beginning October 2, calls to these locations will automatically go to Carpenter's Great Lakes Great Lakes, group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, creating a natural border between the United States and Canada and forming the largest body of freshwater in the world, with a combined surface area of c.95,000 sq mi (246,050 sq km). regional office (Detroit). o The South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. , Ind., warehouse and Milwaukee service center will close July 28. Beginning July 31, Milwaukee area customers' calls will automatically go to Carpenter's Melrose Park Melrose Park, village (1990 pop. 20,859), Cook co., NE Ill., an industrial suburb of Chicago; inc. 1893. It has large railroad yards and shops, steel mills, and factories that make a wide variety of products. , Ill. service center. Sales calls for South Bend already go to Carpenter's Detroit office; now inventory will be shipped from Detroit or Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, city (1990 pop. 189,126), seat of Kent co., SW central Mich., on the Grand River; inc. 1850. The second largest city in the state, it is a distribution, wholesale, and industrial center for an area that yields fruit, dairy products, farm produce, , Mich. o Sales offices in the Dallas, West Caldwell West Caldwell, borough (1990 pop. 10,422), Essex co., NE N.J., a residential suburb of Newark and New York City; inc. 1904. It has some light manufacturing. , N.J., and Memphis, Tenn. service centers will close July 28. These locations will become satellite operations dedicated to the warehousing and distribution of Carpenter products. Beginning July 31, customers' calls to these locations will automatically go, respectively, to Carpenter's service centers in Houston, Fort Washington, Pa., and Atlanta. About 40 employees -- mainly in clerical or inside sales positions -- will be offered transfers or severance packages as a result of the distribution system reconfiguration. Carpenter is a major producer of specialty steel long products and high-performance alloys for aerospace, automotive, electronics and other industries worldwide. In fiscal year 1994 (ended June 30, 1994), the company had sales of $628.8 million. CONTACT: Carpenter Technology Corp., Reading Katharine Marshall, 610/208-3034 |
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