Logistics Company Prepares for Growth with New Ethernet Solution to Bolster Inventory Management System
Headquartered in Ashland, Ohio, Lippert Enterprises was exploring upgrading to a high-speed fiber network connection in early 2016. The company’s existing connection did not offer the scalability required for future expansion and growth.
“We also were looking to increase our remote and work-from-home options for employees, which includes additional bandwidth requirements to be successful,” said Vern Osborne, IT Project Manager, Lippert Enterprises. “We began looking at providers that could deliver a fiber connection, and an Everstream sales representative showed up at our door on a cold-call.”
Across industries, business successes often hinge on access to critical applications, files and information. Osborne and his team recognized that a secure infrastructure was imperative to meet multiple business and technical requirements, from remote team members to company-wide data replication.
SERVING A NICHE MARKET
For more than 40 years, Lippert has been successfully filling a gap in a niche manufacturing marketplace by recognizing the inherent value in extending the life of a product.
Company founder Larry Lippert first began buying obsolete and slow-moving inventory from on-highway truck and heavy equipment manufacturers in 1976. Through its partner-optimized inventory management system, Lippert extends the life of its customers’ inventory by delivering flexible solutions to its partner networks.
“An OEM may flag a part as no longer available, but that doesn’t eliminate the need for it,” said Jeff Sawicki, Chief Operating Officer, Lippert Enterprises. “By keeping these parts in the supply chain, we are able to service an end user who needs a tractor part, for example, and deliver value to that buyer.”
Lippert offers a menu of services to best meet its customers’ needs. The company:
- purchases and manages excess inventory, including new OEM obsolete and slow-moving products;
- extends brand loyalty by serving a critical step in the supply chain;
- handles third-party logistics by processing dealer returns, pre-packaging and repackaging inventory to deliver to end customers, and more.
“Our processes rely heavily on IT, network speed and various information systems to ensure we are operating efficiently and effectively for the company, our partners and our customers,” Sawicki explained. “Upgrading our network to a fiber connection was a key piece of the puzzle to ensure we could scale the business.”
SHARED VALUES
Individually, Lippert and Everstream share similar corporate values, including collaboration, flexibility, integrity and transparency to name a few.
For its part, Lippert was quick to recognize the similarities in culture.
“Everstream’s sales representatives seemed to care a little bit more — both when we first signed our contract and again during the renewal process — and that was beneficial,” Osborne noted.
By offering flexible solutions to its partner networks, Lippert strives to create a sustainable future for its customers, employees, community and shareholders through collaboration, active leadership, continuous improvement and the highest standards of integrity.
Everstream prides itself on disrupting the big telecom status quo — focusing on delivering best-in-class network solutions while providing an unrivaled commitment to customer service before, during and after the sale.
Notably, Everstream offers the flexibility of no-charge, on-demand bandwidth bursting, a standard, value-added service that allows customers the opportunity to burst — or temporarily exceed their bandwidth to accommodate a spike in inbound traffic — when needed.
This bursting capability has proven to be a key differentiator for Lippert.
“No one else offers bursting in this way,” Osborne said. “The flexibility is there when we need it, and that’s reassuring.”
Today, Everstream provides Lippert with a Point-to-Point Ethernet connection between two of the company’s facilities for seamless employee access, data transfer and backup replication needs as well as 500-Mbps dedicated internet access for routine business operations. With Everstream’s business-only fiber network, Lippert has access to a secure, high-speed fiber connection capable of meeting the company’s changing expectations.
Everstream has designed its network to be solely focused on delivering connectivity to organizations with complex network requirements. With more than 11,000 route miles of fiber and speeds up to 100 Gbps, Everstream’s enterprise-grade network delivers the speed, reliability, scale and performance that today’s enterprises demand.