Machines & Maintenance finished product as well as everything required to build and support it.”
Even though the organization is not a traditional dealership, Beagle Technology’ s approach to storage is closely tied to how it manages inventory. Rather than maintaining a large dealerstyle inventory of finished machines, the company builds and deploys around customer demand.
Carrying Inventory
“ We don ' t want to build ten machines simply because we have room for ten machines,” Fang said.“ Finished equipment ties up capital, takes up space, and may still need configuration based on the customer ' s crop and operation.”
Instead, Beagle Technology aligns production with deployment pipelines and expected customer demand, retaining flexibility at the component level so it can respond quickly when a deployment is confirmed without having expensive finished machines sitting idle.
That same balance applies to parts inventory. For Thunderstruck Ag, some of the biggest storage challenges come from parts coming in from overseas. Long lead times mean the company has to order larger quantities to make sure it has what it needs on hand.
“ The type of equipment that creates the biggest storage challenges for us is parts that are coming in from overseas,” Matuszewski noted.“ So parts from Australia, parts from Brazil, that we have to order large quantities to be able to keep in stock means that it takes more space and it takes more time to move larger quantities. And we have to order large quantities because it takes 60 days to get here.”
Freight Costs
Transportation can add another layer to the inventory picture, and freight and fuel costs have been on the rise.
“ For us, that means we have to be much more intentional about when and how we move equipment,” Fang noted.“ Our supply chain involves components coming from different locations, and we are also shipping complete machines internationally. Instead of shipping every component as soon as it is ready, we look at whether we can consolidate multiple components or machines into the same shipment. We also try to plan further ahead so we are not forced into an expensive last-minute shipment during a high-demand period.”
“ The tradeoff is always timing versus cost,” Fang continued.“ We don ' t want to delay a customer deployment just to save on freight, but if several items can move together without affecting the deployment schedule, consolidating them can make a meaningful difference.”
“ We are having to be more meticulous when managing our inventory with the freight and transportation costs going up,” Matuszewski said.“ For example, the cost to bring in a container of typhoons from Australia is split across 90 units, and you ' d
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