Vendor Resources
From wsuwiki
One of the most frustrating and time consuming processes is finding vendors to provide you with timely products and services. This is compounded by the necessity of needing vendors lined up for each component before you submit your final design to your sponsor. No matter how amazing your design is, it will be meaningless if you cannot get the components for it by the time the course is over.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Designing and building parts yourself will be time consuming and expensive. It is almost always better to purchase pre-built products than building your own.
- Call your vendors, don't rely on e-mail. If several days go by without hearing back from a vendor, call them again. Continue calling them until they tell you they have what you're looking for, or can't provide you with anything.
- Vendors may be more responsive if you identify yourself as being affiliated to your sponsor company, rather than to WSU. You should try to assure the vendor company that you actually want to buy something, not just get information for a class project.
- Keep records of the companies you've talked to including: company name, contact name, contact phone number, website, prices, availability, and any information they give you.
If you are trying to find components that you are not very experienced with, it can be very helpful to speak with an application engineer or salesperson at the vendor company and ask their advice. Remember, these people are trying to sell you things, and it’s in their best interest for the product they sell you to be what you need. If your project is complicated it can facilitate the process if you have sketches or drawings scanned in and ready to e-mail the salesperson to describe what you need. Be sure to tell them all the requirements of what you're after in the first conversation. It can save a lot of back-and-forth time not needing to revisit or add attributes.
Take advantage of GlobalSpec. GlobalSpec is an automated search engine for manufacturers and distributers of industrial equipment of all types. Usage requires a login and password, which are free but requires an e-mail address where notifications will be sent. GlobalSpec sends you an alphanumeric password after you register to this e-mail account, so be sure its a real one that you have access to. Create a spam account if you feel you need to, but remember that GlobalSpec electronically contacts the companies you look at products for, and some vendors will send e-mails to you asking if you need help finding anything. You can search for categories of products and narrow them down based on their specifications. For instance, if you search for hydraulic cylinders it will display a list of all the vendors registered with GlobalSpec that sell or manufacture hydraulic cyllinders, with several options for narrowing your search, such as bore size, stroke length, operating pressures etc.
It is almost always best to call vendors rather than rely on e-mail or website information. Most websites for specialty components don't post prices anyway, and when you call you have an opportunity to hear if the company maybe has something better/cheaper that will do the job. Write down the name of the company, the name of the person you talked to, what they told you, and a phone number where you can reach them directly if it’s a large company (best to ask). Keep in mind that you will probably be under a time crunch, so availability of parts is critical. Make sure you ask how long it will be before delivery.
When you are ready to buy a product, fill out the PURCHASE REQUEST form, get it signed, then give it to Bob Ames or Jan in the Sloan office. Keep in mind that neither Bob nor Jan will have seen the product beforehand, so if you got it from a website make sure you include the full URL for the product. If you are ordering a product from a hard copy catalog, give Bob or Jan the catalog or photocopy of what you want to buy. This will save confusion and time, and will get the product to you faster.
Some good vendors to find ANYTHING are:
- 5706 E. Broadway Ave.
- Spokane Valley, WA 99212-0912
- Phone: (509) 535-9882
- Fax: (509) 535-9519
- Hours: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM M-F
- P.O. Box 54960
- Los Angeles, CA 90054-0960
- Phone: (562) 692-5911
- Fax: (562) 695-2323
- Hours: 7:00AM - 6:00PM M-F, 7:00AM - 3:30PM Sat
- 4701 Agassiz Crossing So.
- Fargo, ND 58104
- Phone: 701-893-3088
- Fax: 701-893-3099
- Hours: 8:00AM – 8:00PM M-F, 8:00AM – 6:00PM Sat, 12:00PM – 5:00PM Sun
- 2010 3rd Ave N
- Lewiston, ID 83501-1620
- Phone: (208) 746-2386
- Fax: (208) 746-1767
Keep an open mind because you can find some really cool and useful stuff in some really weird places. Don't rule out a vendor just because their products aren't usually used for your application. Be creative.