Established in 1914 in Raleigh, NC, Dillon Supply has dedicated the past 102 years to the field of industrial distribution. With 20 locations, Dillon Supply takes pride in providing a comprehensive range of products, including steel, industrial, construction, safety and PPE supplies. Moreover, their team of experts specializing in storage, lifting and handling can create tailor-made solutions for various projects, such as racks, cranes, slings, in-plant offices, mezzanines, lockers, modular offices and more. These solutions are designed to optimize the utilization of an existing space.

Arnaud Le Chatelier holds the position of Director of Purchasing and Marketing at Dillon Supply, overseeing key responsibilities related to inventory management and vendor partnerships. His role focuses on maintaining optimal inventory levels and ensuring timely availability of the right products. Additionally, he plays a crucial role in shaping the company's marketing efforts, including branding strategies, market penetration, and targeting specific markets.

Member of AD

Le Chatelier says, "AD plays a significant role in our business. Being a part of this community is highly valuable to us. The networking opportunities we engage in throughout the year not only contribute to financial benefits through various rebate programs but also positively impact our bottom line, enabling us to continue investing in our business."

Rebates Drive Growth and Profitability

Dillon Supply has established a diverse range of rebate programs, with a significant emphasis on volume-based initiatives. By actively cultivating partnerships with vendors, the company aims to stimulate growth and, consequently, unlock greater rewards. In addition to volume-based rebates, Dillon Supply offers tailored rebate opportunities for specific customers, granting credits following their purchases. Nonetheless, the company remains dedicated to prioritizing growth-based rebates, as they remain steadfast in their pursuit of expanding their business operations.

Le Chatelier says, "We view rebates as a means to enhance the profitability of our business. They serve as a catalyst for continued investment and growth, allowing us to invest in our employees, facilities, and expand our market presence. Rebates play a significant role in driving profitability, and the more we can generate through these programs, the greater the benefits for our company."

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The Challenge

Vendor Consolidations and Partnerships

Dillon Supply face two primary challenges in regard to rebates. Firstly, some vendors are hesitant to provide rebates, particularly if they believe they already have a sufficient amount of business.  

Le Chatelier explains, “In such cases, it becomes our responsibility to carefully select vendors with whom we can foster growth and establish mutually beneficial partnerships. While rebates are important, our primary objective is to grow our business. Therefore, if we can achieve this growth by collaborating with suppliers who offer rebates, it presents a win-win situation for all parties involved.”

The second challenge Dillon Supply encounter involves vendor consolidations. Le Chatelier says, “We aim to streamline our supplier base by reducing the number of vendors we work with. This consolidation allows us to leverage our position and negotiate for more growth opportunities while also requesting rebates from our consolidated vendor partners.”

Spreadsheet Fatigue

At the time Dillon Supply began looking for a rebate solution, they were utilizing spreadsheets to manage their numerous programs, something that had become quite fatiguing for them.  

Le Chatelier tells us, "We attempted to monitor our numerous programs by inputting them into a spreadsheet, but the moment you enter the data, it becomes outdated. Determining who possesses the most up-to-date version of the spreadsheet became a huge challenge. While there are methods for collaborating on spreadsheets, they are inherently limited in their dynamism and lack comprehensiveness. Consequently, we decided to explore alternative solutions that could provide enhanced visibility and proactive management for that aspect of our business."

The Software

AD Recommended Enable

As a member of AD, Dillon Supply took the initiative to engage in discussions with different AD members and the AD team involved in the Enable partnership. Intrigued by the potential, they conducted thorough research, proactively reached out to Enable, and scheduled a demonstration. Following the demo, Dillon Supply confidently determined that Enable was the ideal solution to meet their specific rebate management requirements.

Increased Rebate Visibility

Le Chatelier says, “What truly matters to us is the ability to have a centralized platform that not only grants us visibility into our existing programs, but also sheds light on the areas we might have overlooked. It encompasses all the vendors and the significant expenditures we have, even those lacking current programs, and enables us to effectively manage them to transform them into potential rebate opportunities.”

Centralized and Comprehensive Platform

Having a centralized rebate management platform that provides real-time data and information directly from their ERP system is invaluable for Dillon Supply. Le Chatelier comments, “It enables everyone to access and review the same up-to-date information. This allows us to take decisive and effective measures to manage our rebate programs, ensuring accurate tracking and proactive management. Additionally, it empowers us to establish numerous new programs with vendors who are currently not part of our network. This comprehensive solution opens up opportunities for growth and expansion in our vendor relationships.”

More Dollars in the Bank

Implementing the Enable platform holds the potential for significant financial gains, resulting in increased dollars in the bank. Le Chatelier says

“The implementation of Enable promises to deliver a more coherent and well-defined vendor strategy, enabling us to identify the most suitable vendors for our business. Given the overwhelming number of over 2000 active suppliers we had last year, vendor consolidation is an essential priority. By leveraging the capabilities of the Enable platform, we can efficiently streamline and reduce the size of our vendor network, thereby transforming this consolidation effort into tangible rebate earnings. I have full confidence that the Enable platform will prove to be an invaluable asset in accomplishing this critical objective.”