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SAALFELD REDISTRIBUTION: HELPING DISTRIBUTORS GROW AND PROFIT
10/22/2007
ORLANDO, October 22, 2007—Saalfeld Redistribution is expanding its efforts to help U.S. distributors grow profitably.
Saalfeld is talking with distributors this week at ISSA INTERCLEAN in Orlando, Florida, Booth 3831, about ways they can broaden their product and service offering, enter new markets and tightly manage total costs. Saalfeld is a leading U.S. wholesaler with operations nationwide.
The company gives distributors personalized service and access to the top brands their customers want, including green cleaning and biodegradable food service items that are in high demand but can be hard to access in small quantities. Saalfeld also helps distributors with new business growth.
“We want to continue to help distributors of all sizes build their existing business without large new capital requirements,” said Carol Butler, vice president and general manager of Saalfeld Redistribution. “In addition to helping them be well-supplied and cost-efficient, we can also offer insight on entering profitable new business lines.”
Saalfeld offers all the major brands
—plus total “green” solutions for distributors
Over the past year, Saalfeld has significantly expanded its market reach, e-commerce offering and management and sales team. This has enabled the company to make its already-strong product and service offering even more robust.
Saalfeld offers 6,000 SKUs in the following categories: foodservice disposables; sanitary maintenance products; packaging/shipping supplies and office products. Manufacturers represented include Rubbermaid, JohnsonDiversey, Kimberly-Clark, SCA, Procter & Gamble, GOJO, Sweetheart/Solo, Dixie, Georgia-Pacific, Heritage Bag, Pactiv, 3M, Dart and many others.
Butler said Saalfeld is responding to growing demand for environmentally responsible products in all of its product categories. Saalfeld is also helping its customers make sense of the vast amount of information about green products, certifications, product attributes, benefits and costs.
One way the company does this is through the Saalfeld “Green Portfolio”—a program for distributors which combines an in-depth, yet simple-to-understand white paper on green cleaning with a comprehensive overview of green products and solutions available today.
“Green is an important business opportunity for distributors today,” said John Siegel director of marketing for Saalfeld. “We want to make sure distributors and their employees understand all that is behind the green movement and the available offerings so they can be the top ‘go-to’ source for their customers.”
Saalfeld: expanding in the U.S
Saalfeld has distribution centers covering all U.S. regions—from the West and Northwest to the Midwest and Northeast and to the Southeast.
And it’s continuing to grow. Most recently, Saalfeld established a 120,000-square foot location in Hanford, CA, south of Fresno, to better serve customers across the West.
The company reports strong customer growth in the Southeast market following the 2006 opening of its 200,000 square foot Atlanta-area distribution center. The center serves a region from the Carolinas to north-central Florida to eastern Louisiana.
A big part of the growth stems from distributors in the region positively responding to the Saalfeld mix of broad product offering and deeply dedicated sales and customer service representatives.
“We were able to assemble a team of managers and employees who really believe in Saalfeld and wanted it to succeed in the Southeast the way it had in our other locations,” said Gordon Eanes, vice president-Southeast and general manager of Saalfeld-Atlanta. “Their dedication to operational excellence eliminated many of the bumps commonly associated with new facility openings.”
The Saalfeld strategy is also continuing to deliver success for customers elsewhere across the U.S. “Our territories are expanding, customers are pleased with our depth of service and we continue to add personnel and product to help meet their needs,” said Butler.
The company’s central facility is in Hebron, Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati. Saalfeld also has distribution centers in Wilmington, Mass; Harrisburg, PA; Atlanta; Tampa; Houston; Olathe, KS; Los Angeles, Hanford, CA and Portland, OR.
Saalfeldonline.com: Making it Easier to Get the Products
Distributors Need—On Demand
All Saalfeld facilities are now able to support customers via e-commerce at saalfeldonline.com. Registered customers have access to “real-time” inventory checks and can order products online, get usage reports, access purchase histories and view their invoices online.
The company’s e-commerce site also supports all aspects of a customer’s day-to-day ordering requirements, from order placement to payment. Consistent with the company’s emphasis on customer care, it offers access to live representatives who can help customers with all their online needs. The site also provides detailed MSDS information for use by distributors and their customers.
About Saalfeld Redistribution
Saalfeld, a wholly owned business of International Paper, operates as a standalone company focused solely on redistribution. It was founded in 1919 as Saalfeld Paper.
Saalfeld offers 6,000 SKUs of premium and value-added brands, has 10 distribution centers, more than 2.7 million square feet of warehouse space and more than 200 delivery vehicles. Saalfeld distinguishes itself in the marketplace with its large operating presence, breadth of line, operational excellence and access to sales representatives who are experts in distribution, products and local markets. Saalfeld has more than 300 employees coast-to-coast.
Saalfeld maintains a 99% on-time record, a 98% order accuracy rate and a 97% availability rate. That translates into superior customer service—orders are delivered when promised, as promised and from readily available inventory.
For more information about Saalfeld, visit Booth 3831 at ISSA INTERCLEAN, or phone toll-free 877-482-5607 to locate your nearest representative. The company is on the web at saalfeldredistribution.com.###