Sportsman Boats shortens their last mile by bringing supplies
​in-house

April 1, 2021
By Blue Print Editorial Team

Summerville, South Carolina

BUILDING A BETTER BOAT
Producing high-quality boats takes time, skill, and space. Lots of space. Sportsman Boats range from 20-35 feet in length and to keep up with demand, the company expanded from a 20,000 sq. ft. leased building to a campus with almost 100,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space.

In less than a decade, Sportsman has ramped up production, shipped boats globally, and worked to become completely powered by green energy. An expansion in 2017 provides room for upholstery, welding, and the fabrication of small parts.
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“Our goal is to be a world-class, family-friendly fishing boat, a platform where people can share some of the same memories that I’ve shared with my family,” said Tommy Hancock, president of Sportsman Boats. “The craftsmanship and time that goes into all of our boats is truly what makes Sportsman special.”
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Q&A WITH ADAM CURTIS
Purchasing Manager, Sportsman Boats

What issues led you to explore vending?
“We had no inventory control and very poor reporting. Our last supplier would add substitutes without notifying us and would pack our cabinets full of inventory we did not need.”

Why did you decide to partner with Fastenal?
“It was great timing. We were looking for new ideas and a Fastenal employee dropped off a brochure with the vending machines. After speaking with a few employees at Sportsman that have used Fastenal vending before we felt like it was worth looking into.”

How is the service provided by the local Fastenal team?
“Fastenal is on-site with us. They are responsive in getting us quotes and answering any questions. It’s nice to have Fastenal employees on-site and to know they are here to serve us primarily.”

How have the vending machines helped your employees?
“We have everything from drill bits, sandpaper, and suits in the machines. We have multiple locations in our facility and the product in each area pertains to the job being done in that location. Employees like that we are not running out of product. It makes everyone’s job that much easier when you don’t have to worry about the small things.”

What business improvements are you seeing as a result of the partnership?
“The biggest factor in Fastenal being in our facility is we don’t have to go rush and find the consumables that were back-ordered from our supplier. Also, the service has just been a huge help. We can rely on Fastenal to solve issues, and to find ways for us to be more efficient.” 

How long did it take to see results?
“From day one, it did not cost us any more to switch over to Fastenal. After a couple months running, everything seemed to start falling into place.”

What has it meant for your business to partner with Fastenal?
“Overall, we are very pleased with having Fastenal in our facility. We feel like Fastenal supports us very well not only in serving us but also in trying to find ways to save us money. With the little data that was given to Fastenal for the implementation, they did a great job in keeping us going early on.”
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