When it comes to large construction projects, working with an experienced material distributor is imperative to the successful completion of the project. The partnership you establish with your distributor has the power to be the make-or-break difference between your build going smoothly and on schedule, or your project suffering major delays and accruing extensive unplanned expenses. More than that, working with a seasoned material distributor brings many benefits to your project, including reliable network connections, access to high-quality stock, project planning guidance, and around-the-clock service. Continue reading to dig deeper into the four major benefits of partnering with a material supplier.
1. A Reliable Network of Partnerships
An experienced distributor has an established network of manufacturing, shipping, and fulfillment partners in place. They’ve worked in the industry and have built trust with other professionals and companies thanks to mutual positive performance on past jobs. When you work with an experienced distributor as opposed to a new-to-the-industry distributor, you can rest assured that their partners and processes have been thoroughly vetted and tested. This means you can count on the quality of the material they source for you as well as the speed with which they’ll be able to get those materials to your job site.
2. High-Quality Stock
As we already began to touch on, when you work with a well-established material distributor, they’re able to offer you quality, name-brand products that are recognized and approved for installation in accordance with strict Approved Manufacturers Lists (AML). They will have developed long-term relationships with key manufacturers with a robust inventory for the products you need. An experienced distributor will also ask for important information that ensures you are receiving the right products, from the right manufacturers, and following country of origin requirements if applicable. They will have a mature documentation control program that ensures you are receiving required benefits like name brand AML products, often at better rates than their less-established competitors sell for, because their experience and order volume allow them to negotiate lower prices. Ultimately, this means that working with an experienced material distributor will get you higher quality material for a better price and at a faster speed.
3. Project Planning Insights and Guidance
Experienced distributors will have an established portfolio of projects they have performed on. This experience can make a significant, positive impact; especially during the pre-planning and planning stages. They can look at your project’s scope and product specifications, give valuable input on what products may have a long lead time, what products require special storage, and offer material management or storage options. A mature and experienced supplier should be proactively advising you of these things and be able to offer options, they have experience with, that will contribute to an improved schedule, and increase your profitability. If your material distributor is not providing guidance and suggesting solutions, that is a good sign you are dealing with a group that is not experienced and will unintentionally allow you to spend extra time and resources that were not covered in your estimate.
4. 24/7 Service
Working with an experienced material distributor offers the immense benefit of having a material supplier with an established staff. As an industry-veteran distributor, they’ll have figured out effective support processes, built up a larger staff, and trained everyone on those customer support procedures. When you call them with a question, concern, or request, they’ll always have someone available to help address your needs.
Since 1999, Troop Industrial has been a premier building material distributor working with clients on civil, industrial, EPC, commercial, and capital projects. Not only is Troop Industrial an industry veteran material distributor with over 20 years of experience, it’s also a combat veteran-owned and operated business. If you’d like to partner with Troop, contact us today.
