Kent, Washington

Description of Customers Challenge: Case Parts is a distributor of specialized parts for all major commercial refrigeration manufacturers with branches in Los Angeles, CA, St. Louis, MO and Seattle, WA. A new building was purchased, in Kent, WA, by Case Parts for the Seattle Branch. By the time the required building remodeling and improvements where finished, the complete facility move was forced into a very tight time frame schedule.

Solutions Explored: Ownership decided that the best way to meet the deadline, but still be able to render proper service to their customers, was to leave all existing storage shelving and rack at their original facility in Renton, WA. This would allow them to remain open during the week, eliminating any “business day” down time, while they moved the entire branch, during a weekend. As a result, Case Parts would not incur any lost revenue due to down time and would also be capable of keeping their excellent customer service reputation intact with their customer base. This would mean however, that they would have to order and have installed, new storage shelving for the new facility within 3 weeks. Kent, WA is a seismic zone 3 region that requires special engineering calculations and drawings. The permitting process for local authorities can also take an uncontrollable, and possibly an interminable amount of time.

Resolution & Benefits fro Solution: The new distribution facility was inspected and approved Friday afternoon of the weekend of the move. All shelving was manufactured within an unusually short window and the installation crews worked extra hours to meet the deadline.