In January 2018, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) surrogate sourcing company that has contracts with the United States government contacted MPS to discuss the direct purchase of material for the re-build effort in Puerto Rico. The sourcing company instructed that one-hundred percent of their purchases be routed to the USACE for the re-build of the power grid in Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lead Civil/Emergency Management Planner stated in February that the number one SKU preventing the grid from being fully re-furbished was the 38kV Horizontal Line Post Insulator. No manufacturer or distributor had this special design insulator in stock and quoted lead times of nearly 5 to 6 months.
Through ingenious planning and material expedites, the York and Alabaster plants offered a 2 to 3 month lead time. USACE identified MPS as having the most attractive lead time by a large margin. In a time of crisis, time is the most valuable commodity. In March, USACE instructed their purchasing arm to award the business to the sourcing company that in turn placed an order with MPS Alabaster for 38kV Horizontal Line Post Insulators. Delivery was scheduled throughout the month of May to USACE’s consolidation warehouse.
The York and Alabaster supply chain and production teams executed orders with precision and timeliness. Both the sourcing company and USACE were extremely pleased with the quick production lead times and ease of doing business with MPS. The project manager said this about working with MPS:
“When we were asked to source and procure hundreds of parts to help rebuild the electrical grid in Puerto Rico, we relied on the product knowledge, superior customer service, and unwavering commitment to the mission from the team at MacLean Power Systems. Several of their employees were available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support and timely and valuable updates we needed to provide our Government customers regarding product specs, manufacturing, and logistics. I cannot thank the team at MacLean enough for their assistance during this very important project.”
Operations Director, Supply and Logistics, Surrogate Sourcing Company
The customer’s satisfaction is testament to the fact that working as a team makes us a strong organization able to successfully tackle challenges.