The most engrossing presentation I witnessed at last September's Network '05 joint ASA/PHCC convention in Orlando was a panel discussion sponsored by ASA's Industrial Piping Division. “The Voice of the Customer: The Key to Mutual Profitability” featured three prominent mechanical contractors talking about their expectations of distributors, and their frustrations. The audience consisted mostly of industrial PVF wholesalers.
According to Mike Anderson of J.F. Ahern Inc. (Fond du Lac, Wis.), some of their jobs are being awarded even without the design finalized. “The response time continues to shrink while the supply side is not keeping up,” he scolded. “Distributors must understand the velocity of our business. We might not have a bill of materials, just square footage to go by. I realize you can't have everything we need on the shelf, but you must find a way to execute faster.”