The new battleground

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell wonders if a secure supply chain will be part of your next sales pitch.

Who has paid a little extra something just so they can get it sooner than from other suppliers? This can certainly be work-related, but I’m talking about your purchasing decisions right across the board.

Surely anyone who has an Amazon Prime account simply because the next-day delivery service is so enticing must think along those lines. Personally, I’ve recently taken up cycling, and I’ll pay a little bit extra to get a bike part quicker so I can return to the road sooner.

Being able to promise a quick turnaround certainly wins and keeps customers. However, the pandemic has shown that speed of delivery isn’t always the most important aspect of a purchasing decision, and that customers often prefer certainty over speed.

Over-promising and under-delivering can do far more harm to a reputation than an honest conversation that maps out a manageable schedule.

Go back 18 months and promises of a three-day turnaround seemed to be something of a Holy Grail. However, a ship stuck inelegantly across the Suez Canal has further illustrated the fragility of world trade. It seemed to be the icing on the cake following: the upheavals caused by the pandemic; port chaos as shipping containers were left in the wrong places; and (dare I say it) the complications caused by Brexit.

Eppa’s announcement this week that profile suppliers could be hit by a shortage of PVC resin is going to be another headache for fabricators who are tracking hardware from the far east, managing glass supply, and facing staff shortages, all while meeting the increased demand from a booming home renovation market.

‘Ducks in a row’ is an awful piece of office jargon, but being able to prove that to your customers may just be the winning sales pitch, even if it won’t win you Amazon Prime status.