Case 1: Columbia Industries
case 1: Columbia industries
1.Who are the key members of the buying center at Columbia industries, and who will most likely have the most influence on the purchase decision.
It was Mr. West who was charged with the responsibility of searching for seven new lift trucks which were going to be best suited for the company. This process had to however pass through the purchasing agents who were required to examine all of the qualifications who finally settled on just five brands. The quotation to be considered was from Yale company one which had previously been liked by CI as they served them very well. Also considered were Komatsu and caterpillar, Inc proposals. These last two proposals were presented to Mr. West by the sales person who were eager to first of all find the features that the company was looking for. Besides also discussing the mechanism of action of the trucks that were most appropriate for CI, the sales person did also take the bother of sending some demonstration trucks to the CI drivers to test and learn on how to operate them.
2.Describe the important “needs” Columbia Industries has as they undertake the process to purchase seven new lift trucks.
Columbia Industries is a company that was founded back in 1948 and grew to become one of the leading manufactures of code-approved products. The first time that it came to their attention that there was a need for new lift trucks was when a complaint was submitted by the plant union leader about the performance and safety of the Hyster lift trucks. Of main concern here was the stability of the old lift trucks especially when they were fully loaded. There was also a fast increase in the rate of sales and this called for quick attention. The problem of not attending to the concerns associated with the old lift trucks did cost them extremely valuable customers.
3.What type of buying decision is this, and what impact does that have on how the forklifts should be marketed?
It was not an easy
1.Who are the key members of the buying center at Columbia industries, and who will most likely have the most influence on the purchase decision.
It was Mr. West who was charged with the responsibility of searching for seven new lift trucks which were going to be best suited for the company. This process had to however pass through the purchasing agents who were required to examine all of the qualifications who finally settled on just five brands. The quotation to be considered was from Yale company one which had previously been liked by CI as they served them very well. Also considered were Komatsu and caterpillar, Inc proposals. These last two proposals were presented to Mr. West by the sales person who were eager to first of all find the features that the company was looking for. Besides also discussing the mechanism of action of the trucks that were most appropriate for CI, the sales person did also take the bother of sending some demonstration trucks to the CI drivers to test and learn on how to operate them.
2.Describe the important “needs” Columbia Industries has as they undertake the process to purchase seven new lift trucks.
Columbia Industries is a company that was founded back in 1948 and grew to become one of the leading manufactures of code-approved products. The first time that it came to their attention that there was a need for new lift trucks was when a complaint was submitted by the plant union leader about the performance and safety of the Hyster lift trucks. Of main concern here was the stability of the old lift trucks especially when they were fully loaded. There was also a fast increase in the rate of sales and this called for quick attention. The problem of not attending to the concerns associated with the old lift trucks did cost them extremely valuable customers.
3.What type of buying decision is this, and what impact does that have on how the forklifts should be marketed?
It was not an easy