For Cat dealers, hydraulic hose assemblies are a high-volume, high-stakes game. When a customer’s machine is down, they don't just need a hose—they need it now, and they need it built right. To meet this demand, dealers often create regional hose build centers in larger stores, equipped and staff to handle a high volume of hose builds accurately, and then route their hose assembly orders to the nearest properly equipped store.
However, these processes are frequent neither "automatic" nor "intelligent," resulting in a set of tedious manual processes. Even if the routing of hose build orders can be made more efficient, without the right guardrails, DBS/DBSi might try to piecemeal a single hose from three different branches, leading to what we call the Small Section Problem. By pairing two powerful applications from FDC Solutions—Force Hose Assembly to Alternate Stores and Parts Unit of Measure—Cat dealers can move from chaotic fulfillment to a streamlined, logical workflow.
Step 1: Directing the Build to the Right Experts
The first hurdle is ensuring the order goes where the talent is. The Force Hose Assembly to Alternate Stores application doesn't just look at inventory; it directs hose build orders to stores specifically equipped and staffed to handle hydraulic builds.
This ensures that an order isn't dropped into the lap of a branch that lacks the tooling or properly trained team members to get the job done quickly and accurately.
Step 2: The Communication Loop (Exceptions vs. Backorders)
Once the order reaches the designated hose-building store, the applications provide two clear paths if one or more needed components are missing.
Shipping Exception Functionality. If the building store realizes they lack the necessary materials, they can instantly notify the ordering store using the existing Shipping Exception functionality in DBS/DBSi. This real-time visibility prevents orders from sitting in "limbo" while a customer waits on a machine-down part.
Intelligent Backordering. If the store chooses to proceed, they can backorder the missing components. This is where the magic happens—and where the "Small Section Problem" goes to die.
Solving the "Small Section Problem"
In DBS/DBSi, a request for 60cm of hose might trigger three different transfers: 10cm from Store A, 20cm from Store B, and 30cm from Store C. The reality, though, is that you can't use three scraps of hose to build one assembly. It’s a waste of freight, a packaging nightmare, and a structural impossibility for a single build.
By integrating logic from the Parts Unit of Measure (UOM) application, the system gains "Section Integrity."
Entire Sections Only. If a hose requires 60cm, the application will only look for a store that can provide the entire 60cm section. It will never try to "frankenstein" a build by ordering tiny fragments from multiple locations.
The Caterpillar Fail-Safe. If no store in your entire network has a single 60cm section available, the application doesn't give up. It automatically places an order to Caterpillar for a sufficient quantity necessary to build the hose.
Workflow Comparison: Managing the "Small Section Problem"
Here is a breakdown of how your operations transform when you move from standard automated routing to the integrated logic of Force Hose Assembly to Alternate Stores and Parts Unit of Measure.
| Feature | Standard Automated Routing | Integrated FDC Solutions Workflow |
| Order Routing | Sends builds to the nearest store with inventory, regardless of shop capacity. | Intelligent Routing: Specifically directs orders to stores equipped and staffed for hose builds. |
| Sourcing Logic | "Fill the total quantity." If you need 60cm, it might take 10cm from Store A and 50cm from Store B. | Section Integrity: If you need 60cm, the system only sources a continuous 60cm section from a single location. |
| The "Small Section Problem" | High. Generates "scrap" orders (2-inch pieces) that are costly to ship and impossible to assemble. | Eliminated. Prevents "Frankenstein" builds by requiring full-length sections for every order. |
| Missing Materials | Orders sit in "waiting" or "backorder" status with little visibility for the ordering branch. | Shipping Exceptions: The building store can instantly notify the ordering store if they lack materials to fulfill the build. |
| Network Fail-Safes | Manual intervention is required if no store has the full length in stock. | Caterpillar Direct: If no store in the network has the full section, it automatically triggers a targeted order to CAT. |
| Logistics & Labor | Wasteful. High freight costs and labor spent picking/packing micro-parts. | Lean. Maximum efficiency by shipping only usable, full-length components. |
Why This Matters for Your Bottom Line
When these two applications work in tandem, your parts department stops fighting the system and starts scaling it.
Freight Savings. You stop wasting effort to ship 2-inch "scraps" across the state.
Warehouse Sanity. Your teams spend time building and shipping units that matter, rather than picking and bagging micro-parts.
Customer Trust. You provide accurate ETAs because you aren’t waiting on three different packages to arrive for one simple hose.
Stop shipping scraps. By marrying the routing power of Force Hose Assembly with the mathematical precision of Parts Unit of Measure, you ensure your hose assembly business is as high-performance as the machines you service.