With four strategically placed locations, Alps can deliver products in two days or less to over 75% of their customers east of the Rockies.
“ANOTHER IMPORTANT STAYING POINT: THE DEDICATION OF THE COMPANY’S PERSONNEL. EVEN AMIDST THEIR IMPRESSIVE GROWTH, ALPS’ STAFF HAS REMAINED RELATIVELY SMALL. CURRENTLY, THEY BOAST 28 EMPLOYEES SPREAD ACROSS SALES, OPERATIONS, AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS. EACH TEAM MEMBER, HOWEVER, HAS UNMATCHED EXPERTISE IN WIRE ROPE PRODUCTS AND DEEP INSIGHT INTO THE COMPANIES AND MARKETS THAT ALPS SERVES. “
integration of new digital technologies into its core business—in particular, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a type of process management software that allows different facets of planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing to be enveloped into a single digital database—which has helped Alps open up communication with their clients. “We have a pretty robust ERP system that helps with the business accounting and management requirements,” he indicated. “Future development will be focused on giving our customers access to more information, and in easier formats, linking production and storage with our ERP system, and providing for personnel development within those areas of expertise.” Of course, the road ahead for the traditional
wire rope industry won’t be without major twists and turns. Synthetic materials have increasingly become a viable alternative to steel wire rope, which means suppliers, like Alps, will have to be nimble enough to pivot as demand changes. A host of other developments—from magnetic-drive systems to China’s
continued manufacturing growth—will keep the industry in flux for the foreseeable future. However, these changes don’t seem to worry Benner; in fact, his reaction is just the opposite. “Te thing that excites me about the future of Alps is that the industry is in transition,” he said. “Our goal is to see this through to the end, and perhaps develop some new expertise along the way.” According to the company’s president, Alps has been able to master every new development in the industry for half a century, and they’ll continue to do so for the next half-century. For Alps, the key will be sticking to their central mantra: to remain “the pinnacle of quality.” “Te challenges are that the variables change,”
Benner affirmed. “People come and go, markets go through cycles, mills change focus. However, the key mechanism we have employed is to have good people making good decisions. Tis activity forces us to learn new things, pursue new methodologies, and develop new disciplines. Forward movement directs our present and our future.” y
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2019 25
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