The Grass is Greener…
The Hustler and Big Dog in mowers
The grass was growing too fast
The greenest lawn on the block
Founded in 1960 and based in Hesston, Kansas, Excel Industries is a leading manufacturer of premium
commercial and residential lawn care equipment under the Hustler Turf Equipment and BigDog Mower
Company brands. Excel introduced the world’s first zero-turn mower in 1964 and currently has a global
distribution network of more than 2,200 U.S. dealers and 50 distributors worldwide.
Excel Industries saw the demand for their most popular zero-turn mowers skyrocket. This meant the
South-Central Kansas Company would need to expand to increase production while consolidating locations to
improve inventory management. They began looking for potential warehouse close to the Kansas City market.
Excel Industries sought a partner they could trust, had expertise in warehouse layout, daily warehouse
management and WMS capabilities. Their research directed them to Wagner Logistics, with 70 years of
experience.
Moving the finished goods out of a rural location to a better transportation and warehouse market helped bring
transportation rates down. Outsourcing eliminated the need for staging, finished goods were moved to an
improved storage environment, reduced inventories and removed bottle necks at the end of production lines.
Daily production continued to increase throughout the transition. The facility consolidation reduced duplicate
inventory in multiple locations resulting in fewer back orders. Part of the quality assurance was moved to the new
facility allowing Excel to handle rework offsite versus taking up manufacturing space at the plant.
Several of the components used in the production of the mowers are strategically being transferred to the Kansas
City area to free up more space at the main production site. The production facility carries 1-3 days of
components. Wagner runs 25-30 shuttles a day from the Kansas City area to the production facility to keep onsite
inventory level stocked.
Contact Wagner Logistics at 800-817-1264 or visit our website at www.wagnerlogistics.com
We look forward to working on future challenges and meeting your goals.
The groundskeeper blueprint
Wagner Logistics brought an experienced team with decades of knowledge and the latest technology
(IT-in-a-Box) to Excel Industries with a plan to outsource and streamline distribution. IT-in-a-Box was deployed to
accelerate the startup time in the new warehouse. IT-in-a-Box runs on a secured private network to provide
connectivity throughout the warehouse without having to wait for permanent lines and wiring to be installed.
Excel has recognized a 37 percent production growth during the transition, consolidated multiple DCs and moved
to a superior freight market using Wagner transportation. Excel has gained better visibility for raw materials and
finished goods while maintaining complete control.
