Canadian Packaging Machinery Market Research Report - PMMI

7. Purchasing Policies and Financial Arrangements:
Hiram Walker prefers to buy directly from manufacturers, but when it is not possible
to buy direct the company buys through local distributors. The company utilizes a
system of progress payments and penalties to ensure supplier and equipment
performance.
The company is moving away from the purchase of single pieces of equipment, and
moving towards the purchase of turnkey installations from organizations that are
system integrators.
8. Purchasing Issues:
The main purchasing issue that concerns Hiram Walker is the extended period of
time it takes to spec, to build, to install, and to fully commission a line. Other
purchasing issues include the lack of flexibility in most sophisticated systems, and
the need for integration services to program and synchronize all of the individual
elements of a system during the commissioning phase of a line installation.
9. Trade Show Attendance/Trade Publication Information:
Representatives of Hiram Walker regularly attend the PACK EXPO International. As
part of their extensive information gathering process, company representatives also
visit equipment manufacturers and sites where the machinery under consideration is
already operating.
The trade publications that are read on a regular basis include Packaging Digest and
Beverage Industry News.
10. Contact Information:
Company Name: Hiram Walker & Sons Limited
Contact: Martin Williams
Position: VP, Project Delivery
Address: 2072 Riverside Drive East
Windsor, Ontario
N8Y 4S5
Telephone: 1-800-447-2609
E-mail: martin.williams@adsw.com
SMG/Columbia Consulting Group Page 147