MSC Industrial Supply Co. receives patent for technology that tracks cost savings

MSC Industrial Supply Co., a distributor of MRO products and services to industrial customers in North America, has received a patent covering a technology system and business process to help its customers document various inventory and operational cost savings achieved through use of MSC's services.

The system and process involve a computer-based data warehouse. When a manufacturing customer uses one of MSC's ControlPoint® inventory management systems, such as vending, customer-managed inventory, or vendor-managed inventory, the system helps identify the actual savings achieved against specific cost-reduction metrics selected by the customer.