Dakota interview with Amtico: Ruthlyn Dawkins, Purchasing Manager

Dakota Integrated Solutions spoke with Ruthlyn Dawkins, Purchasing Manager at Amtico, to find out how Dakota has worked with her and her Team as Amtico’s incumbent label and printing consumables supplier.

A proud British manufacturer of a comprehensive range of flooring for both domestic and commercial use, which is distributed to its worldwide customer network, Amtico boasts over half a century of pioneering flooring innovation. Thanks to customer inspiration and a desire to achieve extensive creative ambitions, Amtico is an agile manufacturer with expert industry knowledge, underpinned with a progressive approach and the determination to continuously improve and innovate. 

1. What are your main areas of responsibility within Amtico?

My main responsibility is for the procurement activities and processes throughout the Amtico business. This includes all direct raw materials and services including consumable items such as labels. I also manage the contractual relationships with Suppliers in the UK, Europe and as far afield as the Far East, developing strategies to meet all our production and business requirements.

2. How long have you been a Dakota customer?

We have been a Dakota customer for around 11 years.

3. How did you first come into contact with Dakota?

We received a cold call from one of Dakota’s Printing Solution Supplies Specialists, Andrea Guest. At the time we were re-evaluating our labelling supplier, so we arranged for Andrea to come into our office and explain what she and the team at Dakota were able to offer us as a business. 

4. Which products are you currently using?

Dakota currently supplies us with bespoke thermal printed labels which we use within both our goods-in and finished goods departments. We also purchase labels that we use for our product samples. We print these ourselves using transfer label ribbons, which Dakota also supply to us.

5. How are the products used within your warehousing facility? 

The thermal printed labels which we place upon products when they enter our warehouse and on all finished goods are bespoke and feature tear-off sections. The labels help us to keep track of our stock levels and stock rotation schedules and also help us to identify the whereabouts of products within our warehouse. The labels which we purchase from Dakota are also used within our samples department. These labels are also bespoke, however we print these off ourselves using transfer label ribbons once we have added a product identifier to each sample label. Again, this helps us to keep a track of our samples and helps us to identify which products are proving most popular within our customer base.

6. What type of product were you using before you deployed your Dakota product solution?

Before our relationship with Dakota began, we were using an alternative label supplier however due to our company growing and expanding and new printing hardware being purchased, we realised that it was necessary to consider an alternative supplier, and that’s when Dakota came on board.

7. What have been the main business benefits you have experienced/achieved as a result of your Dakota product solution?

One of the main benefits we have realised as a business since working with Dakota is that we never run out of labels! We get regular calls from Andrea to ensure that we always have enough stock. The labels themselves also help us to achieve accurate inventory and stock control as products move throughout the factory and the warehouse. 

8. Why did you choose to work with Dakota?

From the start of our relationship with Dakota, we have received excellent levels of customer service. Aside from the products being competitively priced, we felt that Dakota could fill the gaps that our previous supplier could not. Dakota have always taken the time to understand our requirements and what we wanted to achieve from a labelling perspective, so it was quite an easy choice for us to make the move and appoint Dakota as our incumbent supplier.

9. What are Dakota’s specific USPs?

Dakota is such a proactive and responsive company to work with. Hypothetically speaking, they always seem to ‘catch the balls’ which we may drop on occasion. They are always watching our backs and making sure that we have enough label supplies at any given time. Whenever new products are available which Andrea feels may be of use or interest to us, she will always give us a call; and likewise, when we need something new or different from a labelling perspective, Andrea is always happy to help and willing to help us achieve our goals. 

10. Do you have any plans to extend your Dakota solution further or do you have any new applications which you are currently considering?

We contact Dakota every time that we have a new product roll out or as our needs change as our business continues to grow and expand. We have every intention of continuing to work with Dakota and see them as an integral part of our business moving forward.

11. How would you rate your experience with Dakota?

Our experience so far with Dakota has been exceptional. They are clearly a very customer-focused and customer-orientated company. They have continually stepped up to the mark and have never once let us down. They could not have been more supportive during last year when our label requirements were constantly changing and have in the past always pulled out all the stops to make sure that we have the labels that we need in order to keep our production processes running. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.