David Fairbanks and Mike Anderson run a nuts-and-bolts company, literally.
But they couldn't do it without first-rate technology and a major online presence.
Fairbanks and Anderson are the co-owners of Sandy-based eReplacementParts.com, which offers parts for tools and outdoor equipment that enable customers to repair their belongings rather than buy new ones.
It's a simple idea that began during a plane-ride conversation between Fairbanks and Anderson, who are brothers-in-law. But that simple idea had plenty of complications when it came to implementing it in the real world.
First, Fairbanks and Anderson had to break into an industry that had been dominated for years by a few longtime businesses. Then, their goal of offering power tool and equipment parts at the deepest possible discount was impeded by the fact that, to get those discounts, businesses must be authorized service centers of the various power tool manufacturers.
The partners overcame that barrier in 2008 when they purchased A1 Industrial Tools and Service, a Salt Lake tool-service center and an authorized service center for major manufacturers.
There also was the complicated nature of shipping a large volume of small parts — in 2009, the company shipped more than 600,000 items. The key to making this happen effectively is the company's world-class technology, which tracks every part and provides a website that lets customers do the same from the time they order until parts are delivered.
Though customers pay for tool parts, eReplacementParts offers many online services for free, including tool-repair videos, how-to articles and an online forum in which company repair technicians and other experts help people fix their equipment. All of that content is open to everyone, whether they are eReplacementParts customers or not.