In our previous blog article, we told you about MBI Global’s activities in Peru. We are well established in the country, which has allowed us to develop a highly organized and fine-tuned inventory management system that can meet current needs. This three-part system involves proven methods that have become a core part of its success in South America.

Here is the second part of that article.

Tried and true

MBI Global is active around the world, both through its multiple offices in Canada and through its international distributors on several continents. Its products are used at home and abroad.

Naturally, operations of this scale require a lot of organization and coordination in order to control activities throughout the sales and distribution chain.

The production cycle

Every country has a different cycle for mining activities of all kinds. For instance, in Peru, January and February are considered the bidding period.

Activities then begin in March and pick up speed through April, reaching their full capacity from May to August.

Things start to slow down again in September, and by Christmas (or even as early as December 15), most activity has stopped for the year.

Considerations and time constraints

In order to keep enough stock, we need to plan at least six months ahead. That accounts for lead times, which can take a month or two. It also gives us enough time to ship products, which can take another few months.

Transport is further complicated because we need to calculate how many containers of product we can ship on a single boat, and how that relates to the production capacity. As a result, orders are often split over several shipments, which means that delivery can take several months.

Ocean conditions and bad weather at sea can also affect delivery times. We need to consider all of these factors in our planning. As a last resort, we can send products by plane if they’re needed urgently.

Areas we serve

We primarily serve customers in Peru, but we also have customers in Colombia and Ecuador, as well as a new customer in Panama. We also have offices in Chile to serve Panama and occasionally Argentina.

Optimizing and improving processes

Given the current global pandemic, we’ve needed to make a number of adjustments to account for longer-than-normal deadlines. We used to plan six months in advance, but now we need to plan and order at least eight months in advance to give us enough flexibility.

It’s also absolutely essential to have a physical location and keep items on site in Lima so that we can keep meeting demand. Customers aren’t going to order items from Canada and pay to have them delivered by boat from there! It’s up to us to take care of those logistics so that we can continue to provide outstanding service to our Peruvian customers.

We usually order consumables and best-sellers in advance so that we can keep them on hand, since we can be almost certain that they’ll be sold fairly quickly. After all, we have a reputation to uphold, and we’re known for having products in stock when they’re needed! Our customers in Peru very much appreciate our delivery times and customer service, which shows that our system is efficient.

We also can’t underestimate the importance of replacement parts. When we sell a drill head, we need to make sure that its replacement parts are available as soon as they’re needed. If a client is left hanging, without a solution, they’ll have to turn to other suppliers to resume production. That comes with significant losses of time and money.

Strong solutions and services

We pride ourselves on our outstanding customer service; it’s what’s earned us our reputation and success in Latin America and around the world. Our customers know that they can count on us to provide excellent products and personalized service no matter what. We offer more than just simple products—we offer complete solutions, and that includes excellent service at all times.

Learn more about our solutions and services: http://www.mbiglobal.ca/en/customer-support/

Sources :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_industry_of_Peru
https://www.ccifrance-international.org/le-kiosque/notes-sectorielles/n/le-secteur-minier-au-perou.html
http://www.mbiglobal.ca/en/