Before the assembly floor can even turn a single screw, connect a wire harness, or plumb a pneumatic line, all the necessary parts for that work order must be gathered from several separate locations in inventory, pulled together into a bin with the BOM (bill of materials needed for that job), and sent to the correct assembly station.

The steps that encompass kitting can often be labor-intensive, and prone to error. For example, the picker can mistake a part number for a very similar-looking one or could pull the wrong revision if the work order requires a specific revision level part. The costs incurred by kitting operations and the interruptions in production flow that can result from a mistake, push many OEM’s to outsource their kitting operations to companies like RiverSide Integrated Solutions.

Partnering with an outside company that can provide warehousing as well as kitting services makes a lot of sense for companies planning to, or already is outsourcing their warehousing, since kitting must occur where the inventory actually resides. For OEM’s that already rely on a contract manufacturer, pushing kitting to them is a natural step since kitting is the immediate upstream operation from the assembly. Even if an OEM decides to keep production in-house, there are major advantages to outsourcing all the upstream logistics: procurement, inventory management of parts and raw material, warehousing, the actual picking, packaging of the kit for transport, and shipping the kit to a required destination. In this article, we’ll discuss five of the benefits companies will see when they partner with RiverSide Integrated Solutions.

RiverSide Integrated Solutions’ lean processes and deep experience with inventory, assembly, and kitting ensure high accuracy and quality in all inventory operations. This means OEMs can trust RiverSide Integrated Solutions with their kitting processes and start enjoying the cost savings that stem from not having to invest in this time-consuming activity that also uses up limited floor space for kit assembly and storage of assembled kits. Instead, floor space can be devoted to more productive operations like engineering, customer service, or sales and marketing.

Due to being centrally located in Winona, Minnesota, RiverSide Integrated Solutions is able to provide our customers with quick, cost-effective delivery throughout the United States. As a result, your assemblers spend more time assembling and a lot less time waiting for their parts to arrive.

The economies of scale that we provide to all of our customers, means that RiverSide Integrated Solutions processes incoming parts in bulk, rather than individually as each order arrives. This greatly streamlines the whole kitting process, while keeping time spent on processing the inventory low. Similarly, because of our high shipping volume, we are also able to secure better shipping rates for your kits that not only keep overall shipping costs low but can often take some of the financial burdens out of expedited delivery costs.

Once a kit is packaged, we at RiverSide Integrated Solutions procure our own packaging and print our own labels, removing that burden from our customers. We document detailed information from our customers like shipping methods, ship-to addresses, kit contents, and any other supplemental notes about the shipment, ensuring smooth, accurate delivery.

Just as we provide on-demand production capacity, we deliver rapidly scalable on-demand kitting, giving maximum flexibility for our OEM partners. We perform all kitting services in our spacious, clean facility that can accommodate company sizes from small startups to large enterprises.

Another reason why RiverSide Integrated Solutions is flexible enough to grow with our customers: our large, centrally located kitting facility is ideal for feeding several manufacturing and/or distributor service shop locations. Whether an assembler needs a part to make a new unit or a repair tech needs a replacement part for a warranty repair, our centralized location translates into quicker turnaround times.

Our kitting services provide more efficient and economical packaging. For instance, we can reduce the size, weight, and shipping costs of popular kits by using custom-sized boxes instead of standard sizes. Smaller sized boxes result in less consumption of packaging, driving further efficiencies, and helping our customers meet their sustainability goals.

Packaging is another area where our economies of scale deliver dividends for our partners. By ordering supplies such as boxes, pallets, crates, bins, and bags in bulk, we can drive down those costs and pass the savings along to our customers.

Our customers enjoy substantial and tangible benefits when they turn to RiverSide Integrated Solutions for warehoused kitting services. We’d love the opportunity to partner with you and show you how we can help decrease your costs, overhead, space, and lead times. Contact us to learn about our kitting solutions