ITTOOLKIT [ IN PRACTICE ] Starborn Industries—its name reflects the era of the space race— has grown to become a national distributor and one of the largest importers of drywall screws in the country since its launch in 1961. It has also created its own fastener and product lines for the deck construction market.
Starborn Industries Fastens on Visibility and Automation Solutions
THE CUSTOMER Starborn Industries, Inc. started as a wood products company in the early 1960s. Over the past five decades, it has found its niche in oering fasteners and screws for the deck construction market to customers across the globe. THE PROVIDER Sage Group plc oers cloud-based ERP, accounting, financial, and other software solutions. Sage trades on the London Stock Exchange and its 13,000 employees serve millions of customers across 23 countries. by Karen Kroll
Since the late 1980s, the company has expanded its product line offerings while bringing to market its own fastener and related products, created for the deck construction market. The Heathcote, which Starborn launched in 2003, is a line of stainless-steel fasteners with color coated heads that match the colors of popular deck boards. Several years later, Starborn introduced Smart-Bit, a pre-drilling and countersinking tool designed to match speci c fasteners. Then in 2010, Starborn launched the Pro Plug System for Wood, which reduces the time it takes to install plugs by more than half, while also producing a cleaner result than is possible with traditional plugging methods. As Starborn’s product lines and customer base have grown, so has its need for reliable, transparent warehouse and supply chain functions. That has been particularly true over the past few years, when containers became nearly impossible to obtain for overseas shipping, and the lead times for many products multiplied. The additional supply chain information Starborn has
As Starborn has expanded, leadership wanted to make sure the company effectively managed its warehouse operations so that transactions continued to ow each day. So the company turned to Sage Group plc, a provider of supply chain, inventory management, accounting, and other solutions. “My focus was on improving processes and making everything as smooth as possible, including getting a better view into the supply chain and optimizing work order functionality,” says Nicolette Kavanagh, vice president of operations for Starborn. The company also is working toward a more automated warehouse, a goal that requires tight warehouse management. GROWING DEMAND AND PRODUCT LINES Over the past several decades, demand for Starborn’s products has grown within the United States and internationally. Kavanagh manages Starborn’s state-of- the art warehouse and distribution facility in Edison, New Jersey. The company also maintains distribution operations in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Australia.
July 2022 • Inbound Logistics 201
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