Construction Industry has Built Confidence in WDS' Products, Delivery and Technical Support
The construction industry is one of the foundation stones of the UK economy; directly or indirectly employing about 3,000,000 people, or 9 percent of the workforce. In order to be efficient and productive it needs suppliers who understand the driving forces and operational procedures that are shaping the development of our built environment. John Marshall explains how WDS Component Parts Ltd. provides timely support for an industry where requirements can change in an instant.
Most businesses achieve success by removing as much uncertainty from their operations as possible, replacing it with consistency, predictability and accurate scheduling. We can look at manufacturing to see an example of this: by working indoors weather delays are taken out of the equation almost completely; products are designed to a standard format so that they can be made in volume; efficient production lines are set up to enable continuous operation; and workload is scheduled so that output is synchronised with predictable fluctuations in market demand.
Construction is a different world. It is outdoors, so affected by the vagaries of the weather - both locally on-site and nationally with materials delivery. Buildings are often to a truly one-off design and last-minute changes are a regular occurrence. These points reflect through to the supply of materials and components: on-site storage is usually limited due to lack of space and security, yet deliveries can often be late because of unpredictable traffic delays.
However, construction is subject to the same commercial and natural objectives as other industries, namely the needs to manage costs and complete projects on time. It’s for this reason that operational managers are increasingly turning to sophisticated supply companies like WDS to help them keep their building sites operating as productively and efficiently as possible.
WDS first encountered the construction world through builders of mobile plant like diggers, dumpers, cranes and bulldozers, supplying their production lines with all the components you would expect to find in a complex vehicle. These include simple nuts, bolts, locating pins, knobs and levers and more specialist parts such as universal joints, anti-vibration mounts, clamps, locks and latches.
With all these parts being built into machines that were going to operate in demanding environments, it was inevitable that operators would start ordering spares for delivery to building sites. This in turn lead to lead to the building workers scrolling through the WDS website with requests to meet other demands.
A common first order from a company in the construction world is lifting eyes, so that mobile plant and static machines like cement mixers can be craned into position. As they delve deeper into our online catalogue they begin to see that we supply many useful items – most of which can be ordered for overnight delivery. We now regularly order for parts that will be used in the actual buildings themselves. These include handles and hinges for doors and cupboards, levelling feet and all manner of fasteners and fixings, particularly for the fitting out of building interiors.
WDS also supplies the construction sector via its OEM support companies. For instance, we have worked with manufacturers of fire-safety doors and windows to integrate our gas struts into automatic opening and closing mechanisms. We have also helped security firms to develop powered gates, lifting barriers, CCTV mounts and operator stations. Building services engineers can even turn to WDS when they develop heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
WDS supplies a truly comprehensive range of parts and components, most of which can be ordered for overnight delivery in the UK. Overseas orders are also dispatched same day, to proven logistics partners with efficient delivery channels all over the world. Technical support is also available by phone or via the website where there are data sheets, guidance notes and even ‘How To’ videos.
