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Panduit's world headquarters in
Tinley Park, Illinois.

HOW PANDUIT MANAGES FOR EXCELLENCE

Panduit is a world-class manufacturer committed to innovation and excellence. We have continually lived up to that commitment with the help of superior people, the latest equipment and future-oriented management. Today, Panduit is recognised as a leading manufacturer of high-quality products for wiring and communications applications. We are also known for innovative products that offer maximum reliability at the lowest total installed cost. This reputation gives us a powerful advantage in today’s competitive world-wide marketplace.



Principals

 

HOW PANDUIT MANAGES FOR EXCELLENCE

Panduit is a world-class manufacturer committed to innovation and excellence. We have continually lived up to that commitment with the help of superior people, the latest equipment and future-oriented management. Today, Panduit is recognised as a leading manufacturer of high-quality products for wiring and communications applications. We are also known for innovative products that offer maximum reliability at the lowest total installed cost. This reputation gives us a powerful advantage in today’s competitive world-wide marketplace.

History of Growth

Through the years, Panduit has grown steadily, becoming an industry leader with 1997 sales approaching $400 million, 3,500 employees and more than two million square feet of facilities. Panduit has grown from its initial headquarters facility in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, IL, to multiple US locations, as well as plants and sales subsidiaries throughout the world.

Organised for Customer Service

Panduit is a decentralised organisation operating under strong centralised control. We are structured into product divisions, each with a complete staff, that designs and manufactures Panduit products. As a result, customers’ needs and applications are quickly identified, understood and addressed.

PANDUIT-- AT THE LEADING EDGE

CIM... JIT... CAD/CAM... the list goes on. At Panduit, these acronyms symbolise the "living systems" used to design and manufacture high quality, innovative products at the lowest possible cost.

CIM Increases Efficiency

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is the key to making Panduit Manufacturing Technology work, providing the highest quality products and services to our customers. While CIM makes Panduit more efficient, Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing techniques help reduce our customers’ inventories and lead times by providing Panduit products "just-in-time" to meet their requirements.

Another vital element is Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM). This computer system reduces new product lead time by converting product designs to machine tool instructions, directing the production of moulds and dies with unprecedented accuracy.

Computerising for Excellence

To further ensure efficiency and product quality, Panduit maintains leading-edge computer procedures throughout the company and routinely upgrades high-technology equipment to maximise performance in all divisions and subsidiaries. However, we know that no matter how modern machines and systems may be, people remain the key to efficient operation. So, we continually train our employees to do the job right the first time.

QUALITY -- "First Among Equal" at Panduit

TQA is a Top Level Concern

Total Quality Assurance (TQA) has the highest priority at Panduit: division managers are members of the Panduit Quality Council, which implements our "Excellence Through Quality" (ETQ) program. Under this program, all employees receive training in quality and are empowered to continually improve products and services in their work area. There is no mistaking that quality is a state of mind at Panduit.

In addition, Panduit engineering and manufacturing work closely together from the beginning to design quality into both the product and the manufacturing process.

People--the Key to Excellence

Although Panduit continues to invest heavily in testing and other equipment to support TQA activities, people remain the key to achieving excellence. For example, under the "owner-operator" concept, individual employees, using continuous process testing, are responsible for the quality produced in their area of manufacturing or service.

ISO 9001

Virtually all Panduit world-wide manufacturing facilities have received ISO registration. This recognition indicates that we meet the most comprehensive international standards in design, purchasing, manufacturing, testing, documentation, shipping and service. As a result, Panduit’s high-quality products and services are helping customers meet ISO 9000 quality requirements while reducing their transaction and inspection costs.

In addition to ISO certification, Panduit provides additional quality requirements to meet the needs of specific industries.

A World of Panduit Products for Expanding World Markets

Panduit produces an ever-growing variety of wiring and communication products and systems that are used throughout the world.

Major products include network cabling systems, cable ties, wiring accessories, surface raceway and wiring duct, terminals, power connectors, installation tooling, identification products, heat shrink products and communication connectors.

Products for Many Applications

Panduit products are sold in many markets - telecommunications, original equipment manufacturers, construction, utilities, maintenance and repair operations and office/factory automation.

Our leadership position is maintained by an aggressive new product introduction program - the result of an annual investment of 8-9% of sales in research and development.

Panduit’s Sales and Distribution Network Encompasses the World

The Panduit sales specialists represent the company to distributors and end users far and wide and are thoroughly trained to provide correct product applications and the latest technical information.
Our world-wide network of electrical, electronic and communication distributors ensures local availability of the complete line of PANDUIT® wiring and communication products, allowing customers to meet their just-in-time requirements.

Panduit distributors receive special training which includes computer based, video and hands-on presentations of product features, specifications and application data. Distributors are supported with an extensive merchandising program and factory inventories that are ready for immediate shipment.

 

Customer Service... Going Beyond the Ordinary

When you look beyond a company’s products, what do you find? The real heart and soul of what drives it. It is no wonder then, that beyond our high-quality products, lies a customer service group dedicated to our distributors and determined to help them become even more successful.

Take Panduit’s Centralised Customer Service, for instance. Our distributors receive:
  • Immediate, personal response from certified customer service representatives
  • No recorded messages
  • Knowledgeable assistance 12 1/2 hours a day
  • "One Call Does It All" service on order and shipment tracking, stock checks, competitive cross-references, claims assistance, literature and samples
  • Central warehousing which provides the ability of one shipment and one invoice per customer order
  • Industry leading shipping performance (98% of A and B parts ship complete in first shipment in 2 days or less) and personalised distribution "Report Cards" to measure it
  • Complete dock-to-stock order processing
  • EDI/VMI and other advanced electronic commerce programs
  • World Class Performance with error rates below 50 ppm (that’s less than 5 errors out of 100,000 line items) and striving for zero

We go out of our way to make sure our distributors receive the best service available. As a result, Panduit Distributors are the best in the industry...and we are going to extraordinary measures to keep it that way.

A Pioneer in Electronic Commerce

Panduit has been a pioneer in the design and implementation of electronic commerce in the electrical industry having helped develop the EDI standards which are used throughout the industry. We also have the most advanced Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program which provides a fully automatic, computer-to-computer inventory management system for our distributors. We will remain out in front utilising current technologies in industry standard formats and helping to formulate new ones to reduce our distributors’ operating costs, increase service levels and improve productivity now and in the future.

PANDUIT . . . A WORLD-CLASS COMPANY

To meet the challenging requirements of expanding electrical and electronic markets world-wide, Panduit's facilities have been extended throughout many nations.

Panduit Global Manufacturing

In addition to seven manufacturing plants in the US, Panduit has established plants in Germany, Singapore, Italy, Mexico and Costa Rica to bring sources of production closer to our international customers, providing them with fast delivery and outstanding service.

Panduit’s international network of plants and sales offices is linked together via a high speed communications network that provides all locations with up-to-the-minute information. This includes: e-mail, forecasting, sales, shipping, engineering, manufacturing and quality assurance data.

Our distributors are provided real-time access to orders, including entry and catalogue information via existing networks. A distributor can access this data by human interface or with a program-to-program interface, i.e. their order entry system can look directly into our system to check inventory availability or order status.

Anyone in the world with access to the Internet can secure information on Panduit’s: products, guides for technical support, directions in electronic commerce, or upcoming events. They can also order samples of our products and send e-mail messages to anyone in Panduit.

An International Marketing Organisation

Panduit’s international marketing is handled by Panduit subsidiaries and distributors. Each sales subsidiary has a product management, sales force and administrative staff. These facilities are staffed with nationals of the countries being served... thoroughly trained local specialists who understand the language, customs and markets.

Panduit’s overseas distributors are selected by our subsidiaries on the basis of their knowledge of electrical, electronic, communication and safety markets in their native countries and their ability to provide excellent service. They are familiar with the needs of end users and can provide all the training and information their customers need to derive the most value from PANDUIT® products.

UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FUTURE

The fast-paced growth of the electrical, communication and electronic industries offers unlimited potential for Panduit. We are taking part in this growth by developing both existing and new markets throughout the world and broadening our product lines to meet the expanding requirements of our customers.

And to achieve these objectives, Panduit:

  • Encourages the highest quality performance with continuous improvement in our employees.
  • Is intensifying the relationships with distributors and end-use customers in all markets.
  • Has adopted the strongest, most promising manufacturing technologies while expanding CAD/CAM and CIM/JIT engineering, tool and die and production capabilities.
Progressive Research and Development

Panduit also anticipates the demands of future markets with progressive research and development. Economic forces are at work every day modifying the markets for electrical, communication and electronic products. Panduit continuously monitors and interprets industry trends, and uses state-of-the-art R&D methods to introduce innovative new products which meet the needs of these rapidly changing markets. Our research and development program is forward looking - integrating well-trained technicians, engineers and scientists, future-oriented management and the most sophisticated equipment and systems available.

Panduit’s achievements in the future, like those of the past and present, will be based on the work of dedicated people, supported by the most modern technologies.