 IESA takes store to provide Pilkington with a clear advantage
Integrated Engineering Stores Associates (IESA),
one of the UK’s leading suppliers of maintenance, repair and
overhaul (MRO) and stores management solutions, has delivered significant
cost savings and improvements in management information for glass
specialist Pilkington after taking responsibility for stores and
procurement management within the company’s Architectural
division.
Pilkington is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of
glass and glazing products for the building and architectural markets.
Manufacturing facilities at Pilkington Architectural have been developed
over the years to keep the company at the leading edge of glass
manufacturing technology. IESA’s initial discussions with
Pilkington Architectural addressed the need to bring specialist
stores management knowledge, skills and experience to support facilities
at St Helens, Merseyside. These requirements were subsequently expanded
to encompass the procurement of materials and maintenance spares.
John Chapman, Chief Accountant at Pilkington Architectural,
explains the thinking behind the company’s decision to outsource
its engineering stores management. He said: “We had little
management capability in this area and needed to introduce a structured
framework. We also wanted to minimise the cost of running the stores
and the time and expense associated with efficient buying and administration.
IESA offered a solution that addressed all of these requirements.
“IESA is now responsible for our procurement and management
of all ‘routine’ items, basically anything for which
Pilkington does not hold recognised supplier agreements.
“IESA has delivered everything that it promised at the outset,
including a cost saving net of their management fees on the items
that they are purchasing for us. And the benefits are not just financial.
We now receive one monthly invoice from IESA where we used to receive
many from individual suppliers. We also receive a detailed monthly
report that highlights the savings that IESA is delivering to us.
There has been a vast improvement in the scope and quality of the
management information we receive in relation to our stores operations.”
 IESA
Chief Executive, Ben Caldwell said: “We were delighted to
take on the responsibility for stores and procurement management
for Pilkington Architectural, particularly as it followed a recommendation
from Pilkington themselves.”
Three years earlier, Pilkington had appointed IESA to centralise
the stores services at three of its sites, tackling the cataloguing
and organisation of some £5 million worth of inventory across
7,000 product lines and 150,000 sq foot of storage facilities. Pilkington
needed an external solution that would guarantee them proven skills
and experience in stores management and lead to better organisation
across all stores.
“Our stores operations have developed over a long period
of time and IESA has helped us to address legacy issues in the management
of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) stock and the consolidation
of product classification across our three manufacturing sites”,
said Dave Gilmore, UK Head of Procurement for Pilkington UK.
“Historically, we were able to establish an accurate valuation
of MRO stock, but had no real control over it. IESA has provided
this.”
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