Running out of fixings or materials during a job can be frustrating, but it can also be expensive. If you cannot continue with a project until the correct parts arrive, you could potentially lose hours or even days of working time.
For smaller businesses in particular, this can make a big difference. If you have two or three people working on a job and they are unable to continue, the cost of the lost time can quickly be considerably more than the cost of the parts you are waiting for.
This is one of the reasons why we offer next working day delivery on our fixings when ordered before 12pm.
The Cost Of Stopping A Job
It is easy to look at the cost of screws, nails or other fixings without considering the cost if you don’t have them.
If a £20 box of fixings or £60 roll of membrane is needed to complete a job, not having it could potentially cost hundreds of pounds in lost working time.
You may also need to send someone out to find the parts locally. This can easily take an hour or more and there is no guarantee that a local supplier will have the particular fixing you need.
If the job has to be stopped completely, you then have the additional time involved in returning to site and fitting the work back into your schedule.
For a busy company, a relatively small missing part can therefore become quite an expensive problem.
Specialist Fixings Can Be Difficult To Find
Another issue is that many professional fixings are not necessarily products you can easily find from general retailers or online marketplaces.
If you regularly use a particular product, you often want to replace it like for like.
Another issues is quality. Many online marketplaces sell inferior quality fixings, cheaper and using far lower quality materials.
We only stock the original POLYTOPS® range of plastic top pins and nails, which are manufactured using A4 marine grade stainless steel and are commonly used when installing fascias, soffits and cladding.
We also supply the CON-SERT™ range of screws, including baypole screws, concrete screws, multi-purpose screws and timber deck screws.
These are specialist products, so finding the correct size or specification at short notice can sometimes be difficult.
Keep A Sensible Amount Of Stock
Obviously, the easiest way to avoid running out is to keep plenty of stock, but it isn’t always practical to keep large quantities of every fixing you might need.
The amount and type of fixings required can also change from one project to another.
It therefore makes sense to keep a reasonable stock of the products you use regularly and check quantities before starting a larger job.
If you notice you are getting low, ordering replacements before you actually run out can avoid the problem altogether.
With next working day delivery available on Fix Direct fixings ordered before 12pm, stock can be replaced relatively quickly without having to keep excessive quantities sitting on the shelf.
Don’t Forget Roofing Membrane
The same problem can occur with larger materials.
If you are working on a roofing project and run out of breathable roofing membrane, there may be a point where you simply cannot continue until another roll arrives.
This is particularly inconvenient when you have several people working on the same project or are trying to complete work before the weather changes.
Fix Direct stocks WRAPTOR breathable roofing membrane in 100gsm, 120gsm and 140gsm options. Free UK mainland delivery is available on roofing membrane, with individual orders normally delivered within approximately 1–2 working days.
It is always worth calculating how much membrane you require before starting a project and allowing a little extra where necessary.
Finally…Time Is Money!
For most trades and small businesses, labour is considerably more expensive than the fixings being used.
If several people are unable to work for a few hours because a particular part is missing, the cost soon adds up. There can also be knock-on effects if other jobs have to be rearranged as a result.
Keeping an eye on stock and using a supplier that can deliver quickly can help reduce the chance of this happening.
If you need to replenish your stock, you can browse our range of original POLYTOPS®, CON-SERT™ screws, professional fixings in the Fix Direct online shop >>
Or check out our range of Wraptor Roofing Membrane >>
Fixings ordered before 12pm are available for next working day delivery, with free delivery on fixings orders over £125.