Case Study 1: B.B. Mangler
B.B. Mangler is a top U.S. business-to-business distributor of maintenance, repair, and service equipment, components, and supplies such as compressors, motors, signs, lighting and welding equipment, and hand and power tools. Its industry is typically referred to as MRO, which is an acronym for maintenance, repair, and supplies. MRO products are typically small, fairly inexpensive (light bulbs and washers), but often needed on short notice. It states its strategy as having the "capacity to offer an unmatched breadth of lowest total cost MRO solutions to business." Mangler's GOMRO sourcing center for indirect spot buys locates products through its database of 8,000 suppliers and 5 million products. Mangler has 388 physical branches in the U.S., including Puerto Rico (90% of sales), 184 in Canada, and 5 in Mexico, Customers include contractors, service and maintenance shops, manufacturers, hotels, govemments, and health care and educational facilities. Mangler also provides materials-management consulting services.