The PDA difference, explained by PDA founder, George Strobel, and PDA members
George Strobel:
PDA has really evolved into a solutions organization. We try our very best to bring the best possible solution to our customers.
Chip Reavley:
They key thing that PDA offers is an alternative to the traditional norm that so many end users and customers in our business have gotten used to and that is a very price driven commodity driven type of solution.
Where as at PDA, certainly we’re tasked with finding the best product at the best price for our end users, there’s so much more to it than that.
Derrick Murdock:
We really go down below the water level and really look at the total cost to operate with our customer. Can we provide them just in time inventory? Are they handling the package 7 times; can we eliminate the process down to 3? Can we increase their work flow? Can we reduce labor? Can we look at the safety?
Unit price does mean something but we look below the water line and really go after that. And that’s true savings year over year. And that is one of the primary reasons customers do business with PDA.
Kelly Bonnell:
What makes Packaging distributors of America different really is our people. Our people have the experience and the knowledge that a lot of other business don’t have.
Andrew Dannewitz:
You’re working with people who have a lot of experience in dealing with national accounts and multi-location facilities.
Robert Jakub:
You’re looking for a company to come in and really evaluate your operations and try to really take a role of showing them possibly more efficient, more cost effective ways of doing things, and more cost effective materials, that’s what we like to do. That’s what were really good at. And we think we can save a lot of money for a lot of companies that way.
Bettie Cagle:
We assess the entire situation. We assess the staff hours. We assess the products that are being used. We assess the equipment and the quality of all of those and how they work together and really work as a partner with our customers versus a supplier.
Robin Goheen:
We come together as a team between members and suppliers to help the customer overall have a great solution, great price, great service.
George Strobel:
We don’t have a large management tier system so we don’t have to go through endless proposals. When we recognize something that needs to be done it happens quickly and effectively.
Dave Lewis:
To give you an idea, we had a situation with an existing strategic account where in Philadelphia they were completely out of boxes. I got a call on Friday afternoon; we stayed late on Friday, loaded our boxes, drove them through the night, and our customer had boxes by Saturday morning. That’s the PDA difference.
Dave Varsano:
I believe we are highly competent highly expert companies. By being glued together I see PDA being the go to company for large organizations across north America who are looking for the best solution not just a solution. People who are looking for business optimization not just product deliver, and through lean processes, product engineering, financial insight, and economy of scale, I believe that PDA will be the leader in the market.
