Our Company History - 60 Years of Continuous Growth
United Electric Supply Co., Inc. was founded in 1965 as a general-line distributor of electrical supplies to local industrial, commercial and construction customers in Delaware. The founder and three employees opened the doors in an 8,000 sq ft former potato chip factory that had been converted from a barn. From those humble beginnings, United has gone on to experience 60 years of continuous growth and success.
Today, United Electric is a $200+ million operation with more than 300 employees at locations throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and New Jersey. In 1995, employees purchased the company from the former owner and became a 100% employee-owned company.
As a major electrical supplier for the commercial and industrial sectors, United had evolved in tandem to technological and marketplace developments. Today, it offers a full range of products and services with a concentration in seven major areas: industrial automation, lighting, wire/cable/conduit, gear and control, data communications, electro-mechanical, and energy solutions.
Through a trained staff of engineers and product specialists, the company provides value-added services that include one of the largest inventories of top-quality, state-of-the-art products on the East Coast, engineering expertise, hands-on product testing and training, lighting design and application capabilities, comprehensive automation solutions, on-site trailers, and the warehousing of customer inventory.
Corporate Vision
United Electric is dedicated to being the supplier of choice for electrical products, services, and solutions with a commitment to independent employee ownership.
Quality Mission
United Electric is dedicated to delivering exceptional service to our customers while maintaining the highest standards for courtesy, knowledge and ethics.
The foundation of Quality at United is built on our commitment to four principles that we're proud to incorporate into our daily work - these include a focus on outstanding Customer Service, Employee Involvement, Measured Performance, and Continuous Improvement.
Award Winning Quality
United Electric is a four-time recipient of the State of Delaware Quality Award in honor of W.L. (Bill) Gore, two-time winner of the Delaware Top Workplaces award, and the 1995 recipient of the Delaware State Chamber Superstars in Business. United applies the Baldrige National Quality Criteria for Performance Excellence as our benchmark for quality standards. As the recipient of these awards, we have been recognized for our approach and implementation of quality standards and improved customer satisfaction in such areas as Leadership, Valuing People, Operational Processes, Supplier Partnering, Community Impact, and Measured Results.
Customer Service
United’s goal has always been “To be the BEST in our industry by providing 100% error free service — every order shipped on time, every time, error free" — and this goal has never changed. Our quality efforts are always focused on achieving this goal. We want our customers to know that they can rely on United to deliver what they want, when they want it — the first time, every time! In other words, we're committed to exceeding our customers’ expectations and retaining them as valued, satisfied customers for the long-term.
Employee Involvement
The quality culture at United is premised on employee involvement and engagement. As employee-owners, we know the future of our company depends on every employee’s participation and dedication to the utmost in top quality and outstanding customer service. Every employee is trained and empowered to be the best in servicing customer needs.
Measured Performance
With the help of our Customer Advisory Team, our Real Performance Measures (RPMs) were developed to show our progress towards error-free customer service. This information, provided quarterly to our customers, is a report card on our service and the RPMs are critical indicators of the effectiveness of our quality efforts. The Real Performance Measures include On-Time Delivery, Fill Rates, Shipping Accuracy, Invoice Accuracy, Credit Memo Cycle Time, and Customer Satisfaction.
Continuous Improvement
We use an extensive information database, designed and developed in-house, to provide performance measures, illustrate results, and analyze our performance and best practices. This information is crucial in assessing and improving our service.
Continuous improvement of our customer service is the challenge and mission we’ve proudly incorporated into our day-to-day operation, and United Electric’s robust quality process provides the foundation to achieve this objective.