Changing your profile system is probably one of the hardest decisions you will make during the course of running your business – but it could also be one the most significant in terms of whether or not your business will go onto great things, or whether it will potter along making no great waves.
The sheer physical complexities of changing your profile are what makes it so difficult. If you could literally stop manufacturing one evening, then start your machine up the next day, putting through a different product altogether then we would all probably be working in a different kind of market place. The way it stands today encourages a good deal of commitment and loyalty from both the fabricator and the systems supplier, if the relationship is going to be beneficial.
But life is not that simple, and there are times when you know you are going to have to make some changes.
Reasons for changing
There are several reasons why you may want to change your profile supplier:
1). The levels of service you are experiencing are actually detrimental to the success of your business. Late and incorrect deliveries are probably the most commonplace complaints we hear when called in by fabricators who want to talk to us about changing to Status.
2). An overall feeling that the supplier does not care about the fabricator. Your systems supplier spends more time looking after its top ten customers, so your 150 or so windows a week are not high up enough on its list of priorities.
3). You may be looking to break into a different market sector. Traditionally some brands are stronger in retail, while others may be better positioned commercially. Or there may be a regional preference for one brand over another.
4). You will probably want to grow your business. Perhaps you have been happily ticking over at 50 windows a week for the last few years, but now feel ready to step up a gear – only your profile supplier just does not have the resources, or the capability, to help you take that next step.
1st Class case study
John Claxton of 1st Class Frames in Kings Lynn set up his window manufacturing business in 2000, with big ambitions for growth. But his plans experienced several setbacks, as the constant unreliability of his profile suppliers (and he went through several before coming to Status) were constantly thwarting his desire to move forward.
After three failed attempts to find a suitable supplier, he came upon Status and decided to give it one last try. John has never looked back. Since moving to Status over six months ago he has been able to more than double his turnover, and the growth continues. Production rates currently stand at 350 frames a week.
'We would reach 100 windows a week, then would be assailed by problems in supply and quality,' he said. 'At times we were waiting up to six weeks for some product lines, which meant that our own customers were going elsewhere for their windows. I believe that as a smaller fabricator there was limited interest in us when there were much larger fabricator fishes to fry elsewhere. Status, however, gave us the reassurance that the smaller fabricator turning out a couple of 100 windows a week was as important to them as the 1000 plus fabricators.'
Flexible, local service
John Claxton was pleased to have found a supplier that understood how efficiency and profit optimisation within the context of a flexible local service was more important than pushing for greater and greater production values. He was finding that more and more installers were contacting him, disgruntled with the restricted and impersonal service offered by some of the large nationwide suppliers.
'Our installer customers are extremely busy and cannot afford to be let down by their suppliers. Consequently I need to have that same confidence in my own suppliers. Thankfully with Status we have found that supply line that operates smoothly.'
In fact, sales have been growing so quickly that 1st Class has recently invested in a new welding machine to double capacity.
Source
Glass Age
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