Improving Reputation by Offering Magnesium Chloride

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SupplyDen is a Jan/San distributor located near Detroit, MI. Since 2001, the company has provided Southeast Michigan businesses with quality janitorial, packaging, safety, and breakroom supplies and equipment while maintaining high standards in customer service.

Given the company’s location, ice melt is an important part of SupplyDen’s product line. Recently, one of SupplyDen’s largest customers was concerned about slippery entryways resulting from calcium chloride use and requested a magnesium chloride product. Oliver Denoff, president of SupplyDen, looked into magnesium chloride and liked what he saw.

“Like calcium chloride, magnesium chloride melts ice at very low temperatures,” said Denoff. “But the magnesium product doesn’t produce a slippery residue on flooring when applied properly. It’s also friendlier to surfaces and landscaping compared with other ice melt products and blends, so it offers several benefits to our customers.”

SupplyDen began offering magnesium chloride products from the Safe Step line of professional deicers from North American Salt Company. “North American Salt Company has always been a reliable vendor for product availability,” said Denoff.

Overall, customer reaction has been positive, and the products have performed well, without any problems with caking or irregular sized pellets that can cause issues in spreaders. Some of SupplyDen’s customers have applied magnesium chloride to walkways to protect entryway flooring and landscaping, while others have also used it on parking lots.

“Sometimes price can be a sticking point, as magnesium chloride products are a bit more expensive, but I tell my customers that magnesium chloride is cheap insurance,” said Denoff. “Slip-and-fall accidents can become quite expensive compared with paying a bit more for a non-slippery ice melt product that works at very low temperatures. Plus, customers also need to factor in the cost of re-landscaping. Magnesium chloride is friendlier to plants and vegetation, so spending a little more on a ‘green’ ice melt can prevent extra landscaping costs in the spring.”

Denoff has also noticed another improvement in his business since he began offering magnesium chloride: an improved reputation in the marketplace. “As a distributor, carrying quality products and presenting them as problem-solvers improves our reputation. Our customers appreciate the value we bring.”