Brandon Keafer of Phoenix International has learned to move fast to stay ahead. As the company's design validation engineer, Keafer oversees the last phase of design testing before the company's electronic control, sensor, and display products move to production. It's a critical step in the evolution of a product from concept to consumer, and the pressure to perform validation tasks quickly can be intense.

"In design validation, things generally have to be done two weeks ago," jokes Keafer. "It's the last chance to test a design right before a product goes to production. Obviously a lot of folks are interested in that process going as quickly and smoothly as possible."

"I turned to TestMart out of necessity, but found out that that they were every bit as effective (if not more so) at delivering a specialized product fast."
-- Brandon Keafer

Phoenix International's clients range from appliance manufacturers like Bunn-O-Matic Corporation to construction equipment manufacturers like John Deere, which recently bought Phoenix. Not surprisingly, many of the designs Keafer tests are unique, requiring specialized tests and equipment. As a result, Keafer can spend a significant amount of time shopping for the test equipment needed to get the job done.

Test Set Needed � Now!

While Keafer's test equipment needs could range from typical to arcane, he generally conducts equipment searches through a traditional approach: calling suppliers, resellers, and manufacturers as the need arose. But while performing a design validation job with a partner organization in California, Keafer found himself in a situation where neither time, nor proximity would allow an unhurried search by phone.

"I'd flown out to put together a test plan, and run into a very tight schedule," recalls Keafer. "We needed an RF Communication Test Set to complete our tests. But we knew that the particular set we needed was very specialized and that availability would be a concern. That can be a scary situation when you're holding up production schedules."

Working from a remote location, Keafer wasn't able to rely on many of his usual sources. But he recalled hearing about TestMart and decided to use the site's search capabilities to track down the test set. "We had a real 'rush-rush' situation on our hands," remembers Keafer. "So I decided I'd use four different sources and buy it from whoever could deliver the product first."

"The site's powerful comparison functionality provided the full range of available options and costs prior to purchase."
-- Brandon Keafer

TestMart Delivers Test Set . . . and More

Although Keafer had never used TestMart he emerged from his first search impressed that TestMart delivered the hard-to-find test set more quickly than competing sources. He also found that the site's powerful comparison functionality provided the full range of available options and costs prior to purchase. "In the past, I've had time to pursue quotes from a wide variety of sources," explains Keafer. "In this instance I turned to TestMart out of necessity, but found out that they were every bit as effective (if not more so) at delivering a specialized product fast, helping me determine what options I needed, and establishing a competitive price."