EMC Purchasing Co-operative picks IDI as preferred MRO supplier
April 18, 2011
By Plant Engineering and Maintenance staff
Canada’s first co-operative buying group for manufacturers – the EMC Purchasing Co-operative Ltd. – has announced that their first “Preferred Supplier” had been selected by the co-op’s member-owners.
The EMC Purchasing Co-operative was officially launched by the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) in December 2010, and this selection continues the process of enabling industry to leverage their combined purchasing power and to receive better prices and terms on the common products they buy. The co-operative is wholly owned by its member manufacturers.
The co-operative’s selection as “Preferred Supplier” for the MRO products category (maintenance, repair and operational) is IDI Independent Distributors Ltd., Canada’s largest network of Canadian distributors specializing in bearings, fluid power products, industrial supplies, janitorial supplies, power transmission products and safety supplies.
The member-owners participating on the selection committee were impressed by the overall IDI National Accounts program, with its network of industrial distributors and more than 250 branch locations. This will mean most EMC Purchasing Co-operative members will have multiple IDI suppliers to choose from within their local area. IDI is also structured as a purchasing co-operative, with its members pooling their purchasing power to compete effectively with the large multi-national players in the MRO sector.
“We get what the EMC Purchasing Co-op is doing and fully support it,” said Scott Bebenek, president of IDI Independent Distributors. “We came to the table with the knowledge that by working together we can all win. The purchasing co-op model works well. We need to look no further than what IDI has accomplished as proof.” He went on to say: “We are confident that this initial three-year deal will turn into a much longer lasting relationship that all will benefit from for many years to come.”
“We are pleased with the outcome of the Preferred Supplier Selection Committee,” said Ian Gray, executive director of the EMC Purchasing Co-operative. “The member-owners on the committee listened to all of the presentations from the major suppliers for the MRO category, asked great questions and then came to a unanimous decision to recommend IDI as the Preferred Supplier for the MRO category.”
The EMC Purchasing Co-operative is currently in the process of selecting/negotiating with preferred suppliers for additional group categories, covering other areas of business for its members.
