|
Industry Profile
The Facilitators
B & B Inc. identifies product trends, then
introduces machinery
to keep customers ahead of the curve.
D&WC: Please give a detailed
description of your company and its history.
Joyce Becherini, vice president, marketing
and sales: B & B was founded in 1980 by Albert Becherini
and me. We have a staff of eight people and a 12,000-square-foot
plant located in Milwaukee, WI.
Initially, a local fabricator contacted us to address his need to
efficiently produce fabric and aluminum vertical blinds. We produced
basic dies to accomplish his purpose. Through word of mouth, we
started selling an occasional die. Many of our customers started
small and we provided them with increasing levels of productivity
as their needs for higher-volume fabrication occurred. Eventually,
our product line expanded into a full range of tools and machinery,
including fully automatic slat processing and sewing systems.
|
Illustration 1
Cascade Styles
|
Today, we manufacture equipment to produce a variety of horizontal-blind
wood and composite-fabrication equipment including slatting machines,
laddering machines, headrail dies and in-line headrail fabrication
machines. This year we are proud to introduce our all-new fully
automatic Fast-Trac Headrail machine.
In more recent years, we have also been developing an expanding
line of wood and composite shutter manufacturing equipment that
includes stapling, drilling and clamping machines, as well as our
new line of mortise-and-tenon joint joining machines.
D&WC: Give a percentage breakdown
of your products. What one product or line stands out above the
rest?
Becherini: Our business is currently
divided into 40 percent horizontal blind equipment and 60 percent
shutter machines. Currently, we are seeing an increase in interest
in our shutter program. Our emphasis is in the development of automation
systems for this category.
D&WC: Is your business computerized?
Do you have a company Web site, and how is it used to communicate
with customers?
Becherini: Our computer system
is fully networked. We are currently implementing a fully integrated
job costing and manufacturing system that will work with our accounting
system and provide more accurate and efficient costing, quoting
and purchasing systems, thus permitting us to better utilize JIT
(just-in-time) processing and ordering methods. The ultimate goal
is to streamline our operation so that we can better serve our customer
base.
We increasingly see inquiries generated via our Web site, and correspondence
occurs via e-mail. We generate orders from all over the world. Frequently,
we provide quotes, literature and follow-up via e-mail. Our Web
site can be found at www.teambb.com.
D&WC: How has your segment of
the industry changed since you first began?
Becherini: Our customers’
product cycles are moving faster with lower cost/margined products
entering the market at an ever-increasing pace. As such, our business
must respond by providing them with machinery that will help them
distinguish their products and set them apart from their competitors.
|
Illustration 2
Cascade Proportion
|
We offer equipment that will increase productivity and efficiency,
as well as processes that will permit our customers to offer marketable
value-added characteristics. For example, we now offer a new category
of mortise-and-tenon machines for shutter manufacturers that provide
a significant improvement in efficiency while simultaneously permitting
them to sell a shutter panel that is stronger and of better quality.
D&WC: What best describes your
niche in the marketplace?
Becherini: We see ourselves as
facilitators. It is our responsibility to identify product trends
and introduce machines that permit our customers to stay ahead of
the market within each product category. Our goal is to provide
versatile machinery that will accommodate a wide variety of products
with minimal adaptations or adjustments.
As opposed to a cookie-cutter approach, we will outfit a machine
to meet our customers’ specific needs with a variety of options
and features.
D&WC: What are some of
the key factors involved in your growth and success?
Becherini: We’ve developed
a reputation for providing reliable, efficient and cost-effective
equipment that allows our customers to grow their businesses profitably.
We are known for our innovation, quality and integrity. We back
up our equipment with excellent customer service and the ability
to address problems quickly and efficiently.
D&WC: What are your strengths
in the marketplace?
Becherini: Our strength comes
from our versatility and quality orientation. We are able to do
the design work in-house and then manufacture parts to our exact
specifications. This benefits our customers in two ways. First,
we are able to quickly respond to changes in the marketplace and,
second, we control the manufacturing processes entirely from our
plant. This enables us to maintain high-quality standards and adapt
quickly.
In addition, we are able to produce replacements parts to support
our machinery over the long course.
D&WC: What distinguishes you
from the competition?
Becherini: As I previously mentioned,
we are an integrated full-service shop. We have state-of-the-art
CNC machinery that allows us to produce and duplicate our parts
with very tight tolerances and with a quick turnaround. This assures
our customers that we have the ability to support their machines
for years to come. In addition, this also allows us to custom-configure
machines to meet our customers’ exact requirements, thus giving
them a competitive edge.
D&WC: Do you work through distributors
or sell direct to the retailer?
Becherini: We primarily sell
directly to the fabricators though we have worked with agents and
distributors periodically. At the same time, we do work closely
with a number of the product manufacturers when it comes time for
their new product introductions. These successful collaborations
offer seamless product launches that ultimately benefit the fabricator.
B & B, Inc,
11920 W. Carmen Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53225
(414) 358-4620
(888) 804-8986
fax: (414) 358-4626
e-mail: teambb@teambb.com
www.teambb.com
|
