DISTRIBUTION AND MANUFACTURING, FINALIST
Instead of setting up a large sales force like many of his competitors, Amin Rahman turned to the Internet, utilizing the power of the Web before his competitors did. The CEO of BEL USA Inc., which does business as DiscountMugs.com, was able to build a presence on the Web by claiming stake to critical keywords and generating traffic to his website that would be very costly to reproduce today. He continues to be ahead of his competition with regard to Internet marketing. The success of DiscountMugs.com has primarily been based on Ramjee’s unrelenting determination to find better, more efficient means of production. He is driven by the challenge of overcoming obstacles and prides himself in producing products of equal quality at a lower cost.
One important success factor has been his ability to identify manufacturers and source directly from them. To maintain a low cost structure, he has built his company by purchasing used machinery from liquidating competitors or from factories in China, where he is able to acquire equipment at a fraction of the price of the equivalent machine in the U.S. market.
For more than 12 years, DiscountMugs.com has been one of the largest factory suppliers of drinkware in the United States. The company offers one of the largest selections of coffee mugs, travel mugs, sports bottles, martini glasses, wine glasses, champagne flutes and beer mugs in the country.
Ramjee does not intend to sell cutting-edge, innovative products. Rather he looks for promotional products with a broad and stable selling potential and focuses on finding ways to produce them cheaper. He has built BEL USA slowly but steadily, testing products with small orders and then ramping up production to meet demand. Today, the company has more than 500 employees who help facilitate every customized order that flows through the website.
HOW TO REACH: BEL USA Inc., www.DiscountMugs.com
