I spent years inside the manufacturing marketplace world before starting Hetzer and Associates. I watched the same pattern play out again and again:
A customer needs a supplier. They upload a print.
Seconds later — an instant quote lands in their inbox.
Feels efficient. Feels modern.
But here’s what’s usually missing from that “instant” number:
→ Was the supplier actually vetted for this part?
→ Do they hold the certification the program requires — AS9100D, ITAR, ISO 13485, others?
→ Is the material even available…or quietly heading toward end-of-life?
→ Has anyone confirmed they can actually deliver, on spec, on time?
Then the PO gets placed. That’s when it gets worse.
The AI algorithm has already moved on to the next quote request. What’s left is an auto-reply and a ticket number…silence, until something goes wrong.
That’s a gap I built Hetzer and Associates to close.
Our eclipse logo isn’t just a mark. It’s the idea: block out the noise of transactional sourcing, and what’s left is something better. We don’t run an instant quote tool. What you get instead:
✓ A hand-vetted supplier network…certifications confirmed before we ever make an introduction
✓ The option to run a BOM and Supply Chain Health Analysis on your opportunity…so material availability and end-of-life risk are revealed on day one, not after the PO is issued
✓ A real person who owns your RFQ with urgency, not a queue
✓ Follow-through after the PO, not just before it
✓ A relationship, not a transaction
Speed matters. But speed without vetting is just risk with a nicer interface.
Partnerships. Transparency. Consistency. That’s the H&A difference.
It’s Who You Know.
~ Lori
#Manufacturing #Aerospace #Defense #SupplyChain #WOSB #ManufacturersRep #ContractManufacturing