Case Study: Eppendorf

A streamlined online ordering system from Eppendorf, one of The Kids Research Institute Australia’s laboratory equipment and consumables Supply Partners, is proving to be a winner.

Emma Gillespie, the Institute’s Procurement and Contract Manager, said Eppendorf – which provided a range of items such as centrifuges, freezers, incubators and measuring equipment to the Institute - were selected as a Supply Partner on the basis of a proven capacity to provide high-quality products at significantly reduced costs, with the added benefits of free delivery and great customer service.

“One of the key benefits of our relationship with Eppendorf to date has been the development of a new online ordering portal that facilitates approvals of purchases, thereby resulting in an improved and more efficient ordering process,” Ms Gillespie said. “Avoiding purchase orders saves the Institute time and money and reduces the incidence of error, duplication and delays.”

Kimberly Dewar, Marketing and Customer Support Manager for Eppendorf, said the eShop was a more automated system which allowed Eppendorf to streamline the order entry process and pass on the savings to The Kids. This enabled the world-class medical research institute to invest more into improving the health and wellbeing of children.

“The system is flexible enough to allow us to incorporate their procedures in the authorisation of an order so they don’t need to change their systems too much and we can manage their orders coming in in such a way that it’s able to bring efficiencies to both businesses,” Mrs Dewar said.

The supply partnership – forged under a three-year agreement commencing in 2016 - was all about creating efficiencies and superior support.

“The Kids are looking to make their procurement process as efficient and effective as possible, while giving their researchers what they need,” Mrs Dewar said. “For us that model makes sense, because as a supplier we are also looking for efficiencies so we can pass those on through cost savings to our customers. By having a level of commitment from a customer, it makes that investment possible.

“The Institute has committed to us as a Supply Partner, therefore in return we position them as a unique customer who gets a superior level of support from us.”

This included discounts and unique price positioning, dedicated support staff, and fast turnaround times on orders.

“We weren’t just looking at establishing a ‘hope they buy more from us’ type relationship. We tried to understand exactly what they were trying to achieve and enhanced this from a customer support perspective,” Mrs Dewar said.

Ms Gillespie said its customer service delivery had been excellent. “Eppendorf really impressed the Institute from the outset as they took the time to listen and understand what issues we were facing and developed a tailor-made solution that has resulted in efficiencies for both parties,” she said.

“Eppendorf also expressed a strong connection to the Institute’s vision. We have been very pleased with their desire to collaborate with us on educational and staff development programs, events and seminars, corporate and community newsletters, scientific meetings and charitable events and programs aimed at improving research outcomes.”