Managing materials represents a major opportunity for contractors to gain efficiencies and boost bottom lines. In a recent webinar, Tough Leaf and Ply offered invaluable insights into tackling the intricacies of materials management.
Ply co-founders Dave Wigder and Darion Miller laid out best practices across key areas like purchasing, inventory audits, reconciling data, and optimizing internal processes. Throughout several detailed examples and case studies, they emphasized starting small with incremental progress as the key to implementing lasting improvements.
Dave and Darion stressed that today’s technology solutions can help simplify the manual, disjointed tasks associated with materials procurement and tracking. They noted, however, that software alone isn’t the answer; getting buy-in from staff and incentivizing changes to engrained habits are key to success.
Key highlights from Ply’s recommendations:
Audit the Current State of Your Inventory
Conducting an initial audit establishes visibility into what materials you actually have. Catalog all inventory and zone storage areas, even if they are disorganized. Doing so enables item searchability down the road.
Set Actionable Goals
Outline small, measurable goals around materials management based on pain points, but make them realistic. For example, strive for 10% better week-over-week when launching changes.
Involve Staff
Secure team buy-in by appointing project leaders and super users. Make it about efficiency gains that give back time. Celebrate small wins that demonstrate dividends to inspire adoption.
Standardize and Centralize
Minimize miscues by creating sourcing templates for communicating with suppliers and centralizing purchase records. Use consistent naming conventions and organization.
Leverage Technology
Today’s tools like Ply enable systematic materials tracking, purchasing, monitoring usage, and setting smart stock targets. Start small by focusing on your most troublesome areas when evaluating software. That way your team will immediately recognize improvements and become supporters of your new system.
Ply’s insightful presentation made it apparent that getting a handle on materials doesn’t necessitate an overnight miracle makeover. Rather, it requires addressing problems methodically through attainable targets that put contractors on the path to procurement mastery over time.
If you’d like to learn more about getting your materials management under control, reach out to Ply.