Catching up with ASC’s Bob Duke

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Beaulieu: How did you choose the suppliers? 

Duke: We have an extensive qualification process in place at ASC Global Sourcing. We start with a thorough search for the commodity or the product we are looking for and compile a list of candidate suppliers. Next, they are all sent a market basket to quote so that we can validate their competitiveness. Then a quality survey is sent out for each of them to complete. We ask for customer references, verify industry certificates, obtain financial data, and research public information. An audit of their factory is a must. We begin our audit in sales where the order starts off and we visit the engineering department, tour the manufacturing floor, quality department and finally shipping. 

Those that pass our high standards are added to our approved supplier matrix and are given qualification orders so that we can further validate quality, service, and on-time delivery. One of the most important elements of the approval process is having a relationship with the top management or the owner of the company. We want to be able to elevate an issue in the event something goes wrong. As we all know, even the best supplier can have an issue, and being able to resolve it quickly is critically important in the supply chain business. ?????

Beaulieu: How do you make sure you are providing the very best products???

Duke: Having qualified suppliers is key, and having good documentation is critical. We make sure that if information is missing from a drawing, we get those issues cleared up in advance of placing an order. Products that are delivered on time and meet or exceed the customers' drawings and specifications are a good start. 

Beaulieu: Aren’t other companies doing this as well??????

Duke: There are other supply chain companies out there. But what differentiates us from the others is that we focus on low-volume, high-mix and high-volume and we support an array of value-added services such as demand forecasting, stocking programs and local warehousing.  

Beaulieu: What makes your company outstanding?  

Duke: ?Our people and our hands on approach to providing our customers with a solution to a sourcing challenge when what they've been doing isn't working any longer. Take advantage of our experience and leave it to us to help save you money and help you reduce the inventory in your warehouse. 

Beaulieu: What would your customers say about ASC and this new offering? 

Duke: Sourcing printed circuit boards overseas is not new to American Standard Circuits as they have numerous satisfied customers taking advantage of this service for many years. The new Global Souring Division will allow our existing and new customers the option of sourcing other custom products they may need with the same level of service they've come to expect from ASC. We also offer the advantage of having the product shipped from our warehouse in West Chicago when the product is needed.?

Beaulieu: Do you plan on extending your product lines????

Duke:??At the present time I believe we cover a fairly broad spectrum of products aimed mainly at supporting our customer base in the electronic industry. However, we are open to adding additional product categories if the opportunity presents itself.  

Beaulieu: What do you see as the timeline for rolling this out? 

Duke: We are in the process of setting up our marketing program for this new division which will include a press release announcing ASC Global Sourcing Division in addition to digital advertising, website, and literature. Educating our sale organization is also very important. They need to know everything about this new division and be able to communicate our capabilities to the customer base. After the training has been completed, we will be rolling it out to customers that have a need for these services. It's important to make sure the rollout is smooth and well organized. ?

Beaulieu: Where do you see the division in a year?????

Duke: I'm confident that we will see significant interest in the Global Sourcing Division, which translates to orders and the need to hire additional people to help manage the growth I'm expecting in the first 12 months.

Beaulieu: What about in five years????

Duke:?I believe a new office and warehouse will be in order by that time. 

Beaulieu: Let’s talk about the electronics market. How do you see the market today?? 

Duke: While backlog with electronics companies remains strong, the chip shortage is still a significant issue for most companies. Shipments may not be as robust as they could be, but our customers are still shipping product. Companies still need to save money to remain competitive in the global market, which is where ASC Global sourcing comes in. We can help in this area and the customer can focus their efforts on finding the electronic components they need for their products. ?

Beaulieu: Good luck on this new venture, I’ll make sure to come back next year and check in on how things are going. 

Duke: That’s be great Dan. I look forward to it.??

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