Latest News: Our money-saving tips!
From post-Brexit supply chain disruption to the massive material challenges presented by the war in Ukraine, the financial landscape has left all of us feeling the financial pinch. With material costs rising significantly across the board, we are sharing some money-saving tips to help mechanical & electrical contractors save money during these trying times. Read the full blog below and protect your wallet from the pain!
It’s true: prices are rising across virtually all sectors of industry. A disrupted energy supply and its consequential price rises have led to increased delivery costs. Meanwhile, shortages of metals and other materials have led to a marked increase in fixtures, fittings and general support solutions.
Whilst we’ve done everything we can to protect our customers from these new changes, Armaflo has had no choice but to adjust our prices to match new inflation figures. However, don’t panic too much: we expect these prices to come down eventually, and customers can still count on us for that amazing customer service we’re so frequently chosen for.
With all of these reasons combined, it’s no wonder that contractors are looking to their suppliers for tips on saving money. Luckily, we’re sharing some of our cost-saving tips for you to try.
Feeling the Pinch? Don’t Give Up!
You asked, and we listened. Whilst costs are skyrocketing, there are a few steps that contractors can take to protect their wallets from being totally emptied. Don’t give in to fear and frustration: take some simple steps to cut costs and you’ll soon reap the benefits. Keep reading to learn more!
① Find a Trusted Supplier and Stick With It
We get it: in order to find the best price, you’ll want to shop around for the best possible price. However, this doesn’t mean you need to invest significant amounts of your costly time phoning and around suppliers to compare costs.
To save some money straight off the bat, shop online. The best suppliers of fixtures and fittings will display their prices on-site, and many offer cash-saving incentives when you order online.
Once you make a decision around your choice of supplier, try your best to stick with it. Many suppliers will offer loyalty incentives and return customer discounts, helping you make savings before the job has even started!
② Choose the Right Product at the First Instance
When it comes to saving on costs, this is a big one. In many cases, we’ve dealt with contracts who have made a rushed decision around their choice of support solution. More often than not, this leads to a situation where the contractor has to ‘undo’ lots of the work they’ve done, investing a serious amount of time and effort into completing remedial work.
Who needs the hassle, and who has the money to be investing in unnecessary work? Navigate that risk completely by speaking directly to a sales representative before you place your order. Your wallet and your patience levels will both thank you for it!
③ Buy Materials in Bulk
Like virtually all sectors of industry, customers purchasing in the fixings & general support solutions market can benefit significantly from placing an order in bulk.
Consider this scenario: you’re working on a large construction project that requires hundreds of metres of cable ladder. Rather than buying more as you need them, placing a large order in one-go can help you make BIG savings.
Here at Armaflo, we’re pleased to offer reduced rates on larger product orders. For more details on how this relates to your specific choice of product, contact us.
④ Invest in Quality Products
It can be tempting to cut costs by cutting corners on product quality. Take our advice: by cutting corners on quality, you’ll eventually have to pay up.
The fact is that fixings and general support solutions must be of high quality to withstand heavy loads and heavy usage. Aside from this, your product must meet certain industry standards around health and safety, including CE markings and Declarations of Conformity (depending on the product you’re using).
If you invest in a substandard product – whether that’s the tools you’re using or the fixings you’re using – you risk eventual product breakdown. This can lead to costly remedial work, as well as a real health and safety risk.
Always follow our mantra: the quality of your tools should be just as good as the materials you’re using. Ensure your product is covered with a strong warranty – to ignore this step is to throw away your cash!
⑤ Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Did you really have to replace that stud cutter? Was it really necessary to discard all those pieces of threaded rod? Couldn’t you have found a use for those fixings you threw away?
As a cost-conscious contractor, these are exactly the kinds of questions you need to be asking yourself. By reducing how many products you use, reusing products when they’re done and by recycling them at the end of their life span, you can make BIG savings on things like waste disposal costs.
Choose products that are contained in less packaging, or those that come in bulk containers. This will bring the added benefit of reducing your waste disposal costs, whilst also reducing construction costs by helping your colleagues to unpack and use the materials quicker.
