ABOUT US
American Laser Products (ALP) stands apart from its competition due to its unique relationship with you, the customer. Most manufacturers build product that goes straight to inventory and then attempt to sell it to you. These manufacturers only build whatever they want to sell or what they believe the customer will buy. This is called a push system or production because the manufacturer determines what will be produced and then pushes it on the customer. It is a guessing game at best and can never fully account for the actual wants and needs of the customer.
ALP's approach to manufacturing is much more personal and allows for 100% accuracy. This is possible because we allow our customers to fully dictate all of our production. We carry absolutely no packaged, premade inventory. All of our orders are processed one at a time as they are received. We only build what you order when you order it. This is called a pull system of production because the customer controls what is produced and pulls it from the manufacturer. In this way, you can always be assured that you will be able to get what you want when you want it.
The relationship between a pull and push system of production can be likened to that of a restaurant and a grocery store. In a push system, or grocery store, your choices are constrained to whatever is in stock. If the grocery store is out of apples, then you may have to wait a week until it is restocked. In a pull system, or restaurant, however, you can order anything that is on the menu and it is prepared for you right then and there. ALP is like a restaurant in that our cartridges are always freshly prepared, quickly and especially for you as soon as they are ordered.
At ALP, we have adopted the practice of Lean Manufacturing to help us achieve a successful pull system of production. Lean Manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement. It utilizes standardized building methods and assembly line production flow at all times. Without Lean Manufacturing, we would not be able to meet the demands of all of our customers.
What benefits does a pull system of production and Lean Manufacturing offer to you?
Speed
Production starts as soon as your order is received. One started, every cartridge built on a production line will be carried through to the end with no layovers. Each technician on the production line will only spend a few minutes with each cartridge before passing it over to the next person. This means that a cartridge can be taken apart, inspected, cleaned, reassembled, tested, and packaged all in less than 15 minutes from the time you ordered it.
Quality
While pull system production and Lean Manufacturing lend themselves well to efficiency and speed, they also have excellent quality control measures built into place. Every single cartridge built on a production line is fully inspected by each technician at each station. This means that as many as four different people may have inspected your cartridge before it was packaged. Also, because there is no boxed inventory, you never have to worry about receiving a cartridge that was sitting on a shelf for extended amounts of time and is no longer functioning to its highest potential. All of our cartridges have been built, tested, and packaged just days or even hours before you receive them.
Flexibility
ALP is extremely responsive to any changes our customers might make because each cartridge and each order is processed only after is is received. This gives us the ability to often handle sudden changes and last minute orders effectively. It has also given us the opportunity to become a leader in remanufactured color toner cartridges and keep us up to date with all the latest models and newest technologies in the industry.
Diversity
Because our customers directly control our production, we need to offer a diverse product line in order to meet their changing needs and demands. Unlike some remanufacturers, we try strive to offer many different types of cartridges, not limiting ourselves to the most popular or fastest selling brands and items. We currently offer nearly 200 different types of remanufactured toner cartridges and that number will only increase as time goes on.
