The Trick to Getting Name Brand Industrial Products on Schedule
Let me guess—you needed material for your project and due to material shortages or oversight, you struggled to complete the project on time. You had to aggressively throw money and resources at the end of the job to complete the project on time. Stress levels were high, feelings were hurt, and you vowed to never do this again.
If we’ve seen this situation once, we’ve seen it a thousand times. Projects coming to a screeching halt all because of preventable delays.
While it may seem like there’s nothing to be done about it, we’re here to tell you that’s not the case. If you follow the three-step strategy below, you’ll be well on your way to completing your project on time and on budget.
Step One: Wrangle & Align Your Teams
Industrial projects involve a lot of people—sometimes too many people. For a build to go smoothly, everyone needs to be on the same page. When it comes to getting material on time and staying on schedule, the engineering team, the contractor, and your procurement team in particular all need to be in sync regarding what material will be used in the build.
Make sure all relevant parties are involved in the pre-planning stage and that lines of communication stay open throughout all phases of the project. While it may feel like wrangling a herd, this will allow engineers to design the project that excludes any material that is not readily available or doesn’t have a typically robust supply chain inventory. This will make it easier for procurement to do their job, and give the contractor a deeper insight into potential project hurdles.
Related: Common Reasons for EPC Project Delays (And How to Avoid Them)
Step Two: Commit to Robust Pre-Planning
In other words, C.Y.A. During pre-planning, in addition to analyzing your project’s anticipated needs and planning for potential hurdles, be sure to do a material deep-dive. This means researching what material is currently available, which products are experiencing shortages, and checking to see if any of your planned materials are projected to experience a shortage soon. Develop contingency plans for all of the products and materials you need so that if they’re unavailable, you have a backup already chosen.
Why Including Engineering is Critical
It is critical Engineering is involved in communications regarding supply chain issues. This will prevent Engineering from specifying material that does not typically have a robust inventory supply. Also, unnecessary secondary processes like color coding of bolts and gaskets, excessive testing, or other processes that are outside of ASTM, API, ASME requirements only add a lot of additional time to an already strained supply chain and have very little impact on the project's success. A lot of times, Engineering is left out of the discussions relating to material availability and supply chain. By the time a contractor receives the drawings, it’s difficult and time consuming to get approvals for changes that will positively impact the job; without compromising integrity.
Always account for shipping time—plus a generous cushion. Over the past two years, global supply chain disruptions have led to major shipping delays, so you’ll need to order your materials as early as possible. Click here for six products EPCs can’t get fast enough.
Step Three: Work With an Experienced Material Distributor
The absolute best thing you can do to avoid project hiccups and schedule delays is to work with an experienced industrial materials distributor. Include them in critical planning meetings. Bring them in and educate them on your project’s operational tempo, scope of work, and let them know what products are going to be needed and in what logical sequence they will be needed. A trustworthy, experienced distributor will take good notes. Because you’ve communicated your expectations, they will be able to get you high-quality, name brand industrial products on or even ahead of schedule. Be sure to look for an industrial supplier that maintains a robust inventory related to your project's needs. When your material distributor stores all of their stock domestically and regionally, it helps to avoid being subject to the kinds of shipping delays that can come up with internationally sourced products.
Distributors are uniquely positioned to offer competitive pricing, fast shipping, and stellar service because of their established relationships with name brand material companies, manufacturers, and have multiple supply chain options to support your project. An industrial material distributor will have the high-quality parts you need already available in their warehouse with lightspeed shipping and affordable prices.
When You Need Solutions, Call in the Troops
As a Veteran-owned company with over 100 years of combined experience, we know how to get what you need, when you need it. More than that, we are proud to partner with you; EPC contractors, steel fabricators, industrial contractors, and MRO facilities across the nation to provide project pre-planning support. Unlike other materials distributors, we’re equally invested in the success of your project, and promise to be there on the front lines when you need us.
Our three warehouses in Texas and Louisiana are stocked with material from the best brands on the market. Our team is available 24/7, so contact us now. We’d love to discuss how we can help with your next industrial construction project.