Autac Inc Defines It’s Business as Boutique Manufacturer “We Want To Be Better Than Big”
“Many people don’t realize that the idea for Ford’s assembly line was born in a slaughterhouse in Chicago. Maybe it’s a great approach to dismember livestock but I’m not convinced that it should be applied to creating or constructing, well…, anything.” laughs CEO Marie-Louise Burkle. “I mean butchering and building are on 2 different ends of the spectrum. We create wire and cable that carries electricity. It has the capacity to kill if it’s not made with care, quality and consideration for safety. Look at how many homes burn down, how many lives are lost every December due to cheap, batch produced, poor quality decorative lights. I don’t want to compete with those big manufacturers. I want to be better than them. I want to sleep at night knowing my customers are safe.”
Since taking over the helm of Autac Inc in 1999 Ms. Burkle has been taking the company in the opposite direction of the industry at large but only recently was able to find a definition for her style of manufacturing; Boutique manufacturing. “As a woman who has loved fashion since shoulder pads were in style I drew a correlation between what I love and what I do. I want to be the Christian Louboutin of Coiled Cords not Payless.”
So what is Boutique Manufacturing??? Boutique Manufacturing is “a method for the custom production of certain products in limited quantities by hand or with limited automation and is generally selected for high class goods in upper price levels and only for single products or small batches” (Wikipedia).
“I just love that definition and it fits us almost perfectly. The exception is that we have the capacity to create large orders with high quality just as easily as small and custom orders. But since we make high class cords our niche is really with the customers who have needs that the big boys won’t meet.”
Boutique Manufacturing allows for a great deal of flexibility in the variety of products a company can offer. It also creates an environment where the company can act and react much more quickly than a standardized business therefore raising the level of customer service by providing almost immediate gratification.
“We’re a small business ourselves and all too familiar with the attitude many suppliers have that small customers are an annoyance or just aren’t worth any effort. Just last year we had massive quality issues with a certain material. We had been with this supplier for over a decade and they had 100% of our loyalty and our business. The owner straight up told me that Autac was too insignificant of an account to bother fixing the problem. I was astonished. I want to help my customers to be successful not only because there is more satisfaction in kindness than greed but also to keep my company in business. I believe it’s what called a no brainer.”
Autac Inc has been a premier manufacturer and distributor of retractile cords since 1947. They specialize in small quantity, custom, quality cords. Autac has NO minimum purchase even for custom cable. Autac manufactures 100% in the USA.
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If you’d like more information about Autac Inc please contact Marie-Louise Burkle at 1-800-243-3161 or email at marie@autacusa.com.
Autac, Inc.
25 Thompson Road
Branford, CT 06405
Phone: 203.481.3444
Toll-free: 800.243.3161
www.autacusa.com