Keller Ladders, Inc.

BUSINESS CONSULTANTS
Keller Ladders, Inc.
Client Profile:
Keller Ladders, Inc. is a premier manufacturer of wood, aluminum and fiberglass climbing equipment with five factories strategically located throughout the United States.
The Company maintains the Keller brand of climbing equipment for the retail market
segment and Columbia Ladders for the professional market segment.
Challenge:
Founded in 1968, Keller Ladders had reached a measure of success by the early 1980’s
with sales approaching 17 million annually. However, with a myriad of other
manufacturers in the marketplace, future growth would be far more difficult as the
market had become extremely fragmented and margins pushed to their lowest levels.
Engagement/Results:
After extensive review of Keller’s situation, productline review and market analysis, J.
Dennis Gordon developed a strategic plan to overcome the Company’s tremendous
negative exposure to continued profitability and growth.
The key element of the plan called for an agressive expansion of the company’s product
line and consolidated shipments of the most popular types and sizes of ladders. While
the market demanded aluminum, wood and fiberglass ladders, no single source,
including Keller Ladders, was able to offer customers a consolidated mix of these three
very different ladder types in one shipment. The plan developed by J. Dennis Gordon
called for an expansion of the Keller Ladder products to include these three types of
ladders in the most popular sizes and to allow customers to place orders and to receive
them in a single shipment. Once implemented, the research and plan proved correct as
there was a trememdous demand for consolidated shipments of mixed products.
Overnight, customers were enjoying consolidated shipments of wood, aluminum and
fiberglass ladders for the first time.
As awareness of the program grew, Keller Ladders exoerienced a tremendous surge in
business and enjoyed better margins than ever before. Customers were not only able to
have better control over their inventory levels in this commodity category, with some
reducing their inventories by over 60%, but they would be able to reduce out of stock
issues and product turns as well. Keller Ladders was not only able to break-away from
the pack but become branded as an innovator and an important source to the entire
industry.
The end result was that Keller Ladders grew to become one of America’s most
recognized ladder brands. Keller became the largest supplier in the nation of ladders
and climbing equipment to America’s retailers and the number two source to the
industrial trade.
CASE STUDY - KELLER LADDERS, INC.