Helping builders merchant customers

Construction output continues to be fragile, and competition for orders is as fierce as ever. It's as yet unclear whether recent changes in planning laws will result in increased house building, and whether RMI projects will give the industry a much needed boost thanks to initiatives such as the Green Deal. The one thing that is indisputable is that during these difficult times we have to support our builders merchant customers with the best possible service in order to help them to grow their business and remain ahead of the competition. And one of the key means of facilitating this growth is through the implementation of training which genuinely reflects the drivers in the industry.

Take the issue, for example, of making sure that customers are able to offer their clients the most cost-effective design solutions. This rests on our ability to ensure customers receive a design service par excellence. The difference between a truly first-rate design service and a 'me-too' offering can mean significant costsavings for our customers. Working closely with architects and builders it's possible to come up with intelligent design solutions that not only fulfil requirements, but which shave off cost where possible in ways they may not have otherwise considered. And in today's increasingly competitive market this can have such a big impact on customers' margins.

Good design touches all elements of the job, even having a positive impact on health and safety, because better design eliminates excess handling; for instance, where possible, designing out heavy steel, reducing loose material, and planning for safe loading and unloading with handling blocks used where required.

It's vital to hone the design process to align it more closely than ever with the production side of things to create a more streamlined approach. This means improved efficiencies, not just for us but for our customers too.

It isn't just training that's going to win out in this process. Communications also play a vital role. Talking to our customers is of course key, but really listening to what they are telling us so that we can offer the best possible technical advice is even more crucial. Listening is an art form in itself! After all, technical input on a project is only ever going to be as good as the level of
understanding of that job.

But sometimes it's not just about listening, it's about having the courage to take what a customer thinks he/she needs and converting it to what is really needed. This may mean taking a design concept and changing it quite substantially in order to optimise cost and manufacturing solutions.

At a time when the strength of supply chains is increasingly under the spotlight, mutual support appears to be the key to weathering the storm of the current difficult economic climate. And when the upturn does finally come - which it surely must - supply chain strength will be vital in helping to forge growth.