TopSource, AmeriQuest Form Business Partnership
TopSource LLC, a sourcing company for retailers and wholesalers, has joined forces with AmeriQuest Transportation Services, a provider of distribution and transportation solutions for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, to combine buying leverage to provide additional savings opportunities to their respective customers. Since AmeriQuest offers several programs in the same niche business areas as TopSource, the companies decided to form a strategic business partnership to expand each of their program offerings. The partnership will enable the companies to compete more effectively within the commercial trucking industry, logistics and distribution areas.
According to Lance Mortensen, maintenance purchasing director of Norfolk, Neb.-based Affiliated Foods Midwest, one of TopSource’s major wholesale customers: “I have worked with both TopSource and AmeriQuest in different areas. They have both provided savings opportunities, but now as a cohesive business partnership, the savings potential is much greater.”
One of the first TopSource programs offered was through AmeriQuest’s Material Handling Services division. Explains Susan McNamara, TopSource’s senior sourcing manager-logistics & distribution: “Through our partnership with AmeriQuest, we are able to offer greater savings to our customers in a variety of areas, including material handling equipment (MHE) replacement parts, plus oil and lubricants. Our participating customers have realized savings of 15 percent to over 40 percent. Additionally, AmeriQuest customers will benefit from the programs TopSource is able to provide.”
By teaming up, both TopSource and AmeriQuest can deliver savings, expertise and opportunities in selective program areas. The partnership benefits many TopSource retailers and more than 1,000 AmeriQuest private fleet and truckload carrier members.
“AmeriQuest’s material handling core strength is parts procurement, and provides ‘inside the warehouse’ services,” noted Scott Grushoff, VP of Cherry Hill, N.J.-based AmeriQuest. “Our program will substantially reduce TopSource customers’ parts costs, by removing the layers of markups of OEMs and dealers. Drawing from over 4 million part numbers, AmeriQuest uses their huge purchasing power to further reduce the cost of replacement parts for TopSource customers.”
TopSource LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skokie, Ill.-based Topco Associates LLC, the largest cooperative buying organization in retail food. By applying a structured sourcing process and through spend aggregation, TopSource assists more than 55 grocery, retail and wholesale companies realize considerable savings in areas of not-for-resale (NFR), also known as indirect spend. Additionally, TopSource has saved its customers an average of 15 percent to 20 percent annually in business areas such as store equipment, office products/services, packaging, IT/telecom, construction, fuel, logistics and distribution, marketing, health care, utilities and hired services.