“LET’S FACE IT, MEDIUM TO LARGE USERS OF RIGGING EQUIPMENT ARE NOT GOING TO ORDER THEIR RIGGING PRODUCTS ONLINE—THEY WILL OVERWHELMINGLY BUY FROM RIGGING SHOPS BECAUSE THEY CAN UTILIZE THEIR STAFF’S EXPERTISE, AND ALSO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RUSH OR SAME-DAY DELIVERY—TWO THINGS THAT ONLINE SELLERS… JUST CAN’T COMPETE WITH.”
Te discounts may not be significant for single-items, but they can add up if you’re looking to purchase rigging equipment in bulk. Te shops that are going to offer the most significant discount to their customers will be the brick-and-mortar rigging shops. Tey can, and will, offer substantial discounts for a large-quantity order, or for their high- volume customers. Let’s face it, medium to large users of rigging equipment are not going to order their rigging products online—they will overwhelmingly buy from rigging shops because they can utilize their staff’s expertise, and also take advantage of rush or same-day delivery—two things that online sellers of rigging equipment and industrial equipment just can’t compete with.
What is Your Timeline for Delivery? If you’ve ever worked in a retail or service-based environment, you already know the typical customer response to the question, “when do you need it by?” Te answer is often, “yesterday!” or “as soon as you can get it to me….today.” No matter what the answer is, the theme in the lifting and rigging industry is usually, “I need it now.” So, now the pressure is on the seller to deliver the
product within their customer’s time frame, or else risk losing the business. One thing that many people don’t understand is that it costs a company more money to structure itself to handle rush orders, same or next-day deliveries, and emergency repair or replacement for rigging equipment. Some of these added expenses include:
• Maintaining a large and diverse inventory to ensure product is in stock and available for fulfillment
• Larger internal warehousing staff to handle rush orders
• Extended hours for sales or customer support staff to handle early morning or after-hour requests
• On-staff drivers or agreements with courier companies for same-day or emergency deliveries
30 SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2017 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
Tese extra expenses to the seller may present themselves in the form of an additional fee for rush delivery and fulfillment on your order, or you may see it as a higher cost in freight. And you know what? You may be okay paying a few extra dollars for a sling from a local rigging shop if you know that they’re equipped to deliver an emergency replacement if your equipment were to break or fail.
Bottom line, rush orders increase the cost of
your rigging products. However, if you have smaller quantities, know what you want and can wait a few days to receive your equipment, then the online rigging stores and catalog and supply houses are still a very viable option for you.
WRAPPING IT UP Te least expensive option isn’t always the smartest buy. Research, due diligence, and working with industry experts will lead you to the best product for your application and ultimately, the best bang for your buck in the long run. Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in
knowledge pays the best interest.” Where you buy, what you buy, how much you buy, and how quickly you need it, all have a major determination on the price that you’ll pay for lifting and rigging gear. Te time that you spend determining how these factors can get you the most value for your rigging dollar will be well spent. y
Tis article was originally published on the Mazzella Companies Blog. Tis blog is a great resource for information on a broad range of lifting and rigging, and can be found at
www.mazzellacompanies.com/Resources/Blog. Mazzella Companies provides complete lifting solutions – offering all styles of lifting slings, rigging hardware, wire rope, overhead cranes and hoists, and engineered lifting devices. Tey operate 28 fully stocked locations spanning the east coast, Midwest and southern United States.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
