1. Use the Internet to locate alternative suppliers for motorcycle fuel tanks. Identify 2 or 3 suppliers. Find out the amount of time and cost to ship a fuel tank (weighing about 5 pounds) via ground (surface delivery) from each supplier to Dirt Bikes in Carbondale, Colorado. Which supplier is most likely to take the shortest amount of time and least cost to ship the fuel tanks?
a. Cycle Stuff USA: Sells IMS Products fuel tanks for many motorcycle brands and models, and they come in eight colors. The price is $189.99 per unit, including sales tax and shipping (within the lower 48 states). The company claims they are designed and tested by the best drivers and have been proven for durability and reliability. They claim shipment within two days from their warehouse closest to the destination. Under no circumstances, they say, will it take 30 days to arrive. This company sells items for automobiles also, and they claim to sell only high quality products.
b. ATV Motorcycle Parts: ATV sells all kinds of parts for motorcycles. Their fuel tanks range in price from $89.50 to $169.50. Shipping for one tank to Carbondale, Colorado (zip code 81623) was $10.92. Shipping is by UPS ground and is their lowest priced method. Delivery time is not listed, but that type of delivery is usually three or four days. The gas tanks are plastic so that they will not rust again, although tanks from other companies are aluminum or other high-tech materials.
c. Harris European Model Accessories (EMA): This company offers a number of aluminum fuel tanks, but they are very expensive, ranging from $790 to $1,680. Moreover, the company does not allow anyone to place an order over the Internet. Instead, an individual must order by telephone or fax. Therefore, one cannot get shipping information over the Net.
d. Erospace Tech Inc.: This company claims that fiberglass tanks have generated thousands of bad reports, and their tanks are of high technology materials. They are guaranteed for a lifetime and claims they will not leak. The company also claims they are significantly lighter than other tanks. They are not painted so that the purchaser can paint it to any color he or she wishes. However, the Web site only offers a telephone number and address, so the student will be unable to learn more about price or shipping without a telephone call.
e. MotorcycleGuide.net: This is clearly the best site for finding information on fuel tanks because it offers links to other sites for motorcycle-related products. In the case of fuel tanks, it has links to 27 sites including sites already discussed above. Once having found this site, students can explore a number of sites relatively quickly to answer the assignment questions.
2. Dirt Bikes’s management would like to know if there is any supply chain management software for a small business that would be appropriate for Dirt Bikes. Use the Web to locate two supply chain management software providers for companies such as Dirt Bikes. Briefly describe the capabilities of the two pieces of software and indicate how they could help Dirt Bikes. Which supply chain management software product would be more appropriate for Dirt Bikes? Why?
Students will arrive at different answers, but some appropriate vendors to explore include Epicor, Core IMS, Accelos, Geneva Systems, and HighJump.