OneSource Distributors, an electrical distribution company based in Oceanside, California, recently received the Supply Chain Leader Award from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for its performance as a PG&E supplier. It was presented at the utility's awards event on December 4, 2007.

"OneSource successfully partnered with PG&E to launch a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) pilot for electrical contractors," said Steve Coleman, director of sourcing for PG&E. "OneSource has reduced inventory, enhanced customer service and increased order fill rates," according to Coleman.

PG&E's Supply Chain Leader Award recognizes proactive PG&E account management, consistently high levels of customer service and "above and beyond" support during emergencies. In addition, it recognizes suppliers who provide breakthrough technology or productivity that benefits PG&E and reduces the company's total cost of ownership. OneSource received the award because of its ability to provide all requested data and VMI practices in a consistent and timely manner, according to Coleman.

According to Michael Clark, general manager and vice president of the utility division at OneSource Distributors, OneSource provides PG&E with a warehouse in the Union City area that supplies PG&E's needs on an everyday basis. In addition, OneSource's Eclipse operating system helps OneSource order supplies in a timely manner based upon manufacturer's lead times.

"We were able to revamp some of their processes to reduce their overhead," according to Clark. "Since we're new to the Northern California area, this has established us as a true value add distributor and given us a very strong market presence."

According to Herman Vasconez, account manager for OneSource on the PG&E account, OneSource brings strong service skills to PG&E. "We know how to act fast, get their people answers, and stay very competitive. We have also emphasized diversity, adding diverse suppliers to the company's supplier base."
More recently, OneSource has come through for PG&E during emergencies, according to Vasconez. During the windstorms that hit Central California in January, OneSource provided the emergency services, opening up its warehouse 24 hours/day and making sure the utility received the parts it needed as numerous poles went down.

OneSource has built its utility division within the past five years. "Utilities are our largest, fastest-growing segment and also the most demanding," said OneSource Distributors President Robert Zamarripa. In early 2003 OneSource purchased Orange Coast Electric Supply Inc. in Irvine, California. This allowed OneSource to further grow geographically and provided an opportunity to enter the utility market since Orange Coast had a contract with a large publicly owned utility. Since then, OneSource has continued to work with industrial maintenance and repair operations (MRO), institutional and commercial MRO, electrical contractors, and original equipment manufacturers in addition to utility customers. OneSource Distributors' total sales in 2007 grew to $249 million.

About OneSource Distributors: OneSource Distributors is a privately owned distributor of electrical, utility and automation products based in Oceanside, California. OneSource has been headquartered in San Diego County for 25 years. It has 11 locations and currently employs 315 with locations in California, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California. The company is ISO 9001:2000 certified. ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems.

Thu Feb 14 15:18:00 CST 2008