Although KMC was a very finance-centric company, “The parts and accessory division had no financial metrics or processes to report out on the costs, ” he recalls. “As it was, you had people doing the same job for the past 30 years, ” he recalls, noting that the company sought to make sure these roles were needed and that people were in the right positions.īut the company added new roles, as well, including new vendor support, inventory and finance positions.
KMC also needed to re-evaluate its staff. “I came in and said, ╘Time out here, these are bloated contracts. “They just accepted the increases year in and year out, ” Leimkuhler recalls. He also met with the company ’s transportation carriers and discovered that KMC needed to renegotiate its contracts. “The first thing we did was we deployed a 3PL, ” he recalls. When Leimkuhler came to KMC, he performed an assessment and discovered that the company had managed to stay successful despite the fact that it lacked updated distribution and logistics processes. “Richard asked me if I would give a hand at Kawasaki and create dynamic processes, a new culture and take it to the next level, ” he recalls. When Kawasaki USA COO Richard Beattie approached Leimkuhler about joining KMC, the company ’s distribution and logistics group needed to evolve in its processes and technology. Previously, he worked for Subaru of America Inc., Mazda Motors America, Kia Motors America Inc. Leimkuhler joined KMC four years ago with the intention of organizing a supply chain turnaround. “It ’s closing in on our motorcycle division. The vehicles also have found a use in parks and recreation departments, as well as retirement homes. “Hunters and farmers in the middle states are really using them in their efforts, ” he says. The company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and today KMC employs 400 workers.Īlthough KMC is renowned for its motorcycles, its most up-and-coming business unit consists of its side X side vehicles. Santa Ana, Calif.-based KMC, which is part of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., serves the power sports sector with its motorcycles, ATVs, jet skis and side X side vehicles. “Even when the economy goes down, we still continue to maintain and hold our own. “The Kawasaki brand is known for quality and great engineering, ” Senior Director of Parts and Accessories Tom Leimkuhler says. KMC ’s supply chain turnaround has taken the company to ‘the next level.
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