Start the Year Right with Assortments

Another year has just begun, and before you know it, January will be over. While it’s still early in 2023, this is about the time that you might have given up on your new year’s resolutions.

If you made any resolutions for your shop this year, don’t give up on them yet! It’s not too late to take steps to achieve your resolution. You can set yourself up for success by taking steps now.

Maybe your resolution was to save your shop time and money. Perhaps your resolution was to be more organized. Whatever your resolution may be, most can be achieved with the help of assortments.

What are assortments?

Assortments are groups of products that are commonly used together and are typically combined in a variety of storage solutions.

How do assortments help?

Assortments can help just about shop. Kimball Midwest's assortments, takes the guess work out of which products to stock. That way, you can have all the products you may need in one organized space. 

Kimball Midwest’s assortments come with a label on the outside so you can easily find the exact product you are looking for without having to rummage through multiple drawers. Kimball Midwest’s assortments also come with a lid chart that indicates what products are in the assortment and where to find them. Charts also includes pictures of each product for easy identification and bar codes to make refill orders effortless.

Do assortments only help with organization?

While that is the main advantage of assortments, there are more benefits that come from having an organized shop. Superior organization helps increase shop efficiency and reduces downtime. When your shop is organized, it makes things easier to find. When things are easier to find, you can spend less time looking for them and more time doing other work.

Why is it important to reduce downtime in my shop?

It’s best to minimize downtime to maximize productivity. If shop employees are spending time going back and forth looking for parts and pieces, it means they have less time working on the job at hand. Therefore, downtime can lead to a loss of production, decreased profitability and process delays, among other things.

How do assortments save money?

First and foremost, assortments help you save time. In the maintenance, repair and operations industry, time equals money. The time spent in the shop looking for products adds up and costs money. This is in addition to the cost of labor you are already paying. For instance, if you pay a shop worker $20 an hour and they spend 10 minutes a day looking for something, that means you are losing $3.30. While $3.30 might not sound a lot, it can add up. For example, you could have a worker take more than 10 minutes throughout the day to look for products, or multiple workers could be spending their time searching for items. If you add up all of this and multiply it by days in the shop, it adds up to a lot of money.

What options do I have for assortments?

Kimball Midwest is proud to offer nearly 700 assortments to choose from that are perfect for just about any industry. There are a lot to choose from, so a Kimball Midwest sales rep can help you choose what assortments might work best for you and your specific shop needs.

If you want to take organization to the next level, Kimball Midwest has you covered. Depending on your organization needs, Maintenance Efficiency Centers (MEC) could be right for you. With MECs, you can choose any four of the nearly 700 drawer assortments Kimball Midwest offers for one low price. Each drawer fits on a rack that slides out to provide convenience and easy access. Additionally, when you purchase a four-drawer MEC configuration, you can get a stand to set it on for no additional cost. It’s a great way to keep drawers off the ground and out of dirt or grime, so your parts stay clean and ready to use.

If you need some more organization on top of your MEC or you have products that won’t fit or aren’t best stored in drawers, you also have the option of adding a 40-hole bin assortment, which includes a stand and labels.

Sometimes, shops need better storage solutions or more unified shop organization. That’s where Shop Setups can help. Shop Setups are a pre-selected group of assortments and items designed to hold the products you will need for a variety of tasks. They provide all the storage equipment you need and come with Kimball Midwest’s recommended curated product selections at a discounted price. Shop Setups are available in a variety of sizes, styles and product types to meet the needs of many shops.

No matter your organization needs, Kimball Midwest has a solution for you. If you are interested in assortments or MECs and Shop Setups, you can reach out to a Kimball Midwest sales rep. They can help you find the solution that works best for your shop and industry. If you don’t already have a rep, we can help you