Industry comment


www.heatingandventilating.net


Does a sustainable supply chain need to cost the earth?


Jeremy Douglas, specifi cations director, Brymec, examines how to increase real-life, cost-eff ective supply chain sustainability


S


even out of 10 manufacturers in a recent study indicated that they feel achieving a sustainable supply chain is “restricted”


due to cost pressures An all-too-common visual perception in our industry, and probably every other industry too, is that a main measure of sustainability and environmental friendliness is the way materials are packaged.


Whilst sustainable construction must involve making sure that we are using renewable resources and recyclable materials, there are some simpler points to consider when selecting a product as part of a leaner and environmentally friendlier supply chain. Two key principles of Sustainability are Waste


Reduction and Lean Supply Chain Practice. There will always be some things out of our


control, but how about the elements of our operations that we can control?


Labour waste reduction


Labour is the most valuable resource which is vital for the success of every project – yet a proportion of this can be too readily accepted. The less efficient and effective the use of our often-scarce labour resource is, the greater the cost burden and the consumption of energy resulting in an unavoidable impact on our carbon footprint. Avoidable labour waste is caused by repeat


deliveries due to shortages from suppliers and inaccurate deliveries. Multiple times unloading, extra material handling and extra hoist journeys to meet a delivery all waste energy and time and often add up to mean more man days on site.


Lean supply chain practice


UK-based manufacturing contributing to the building services construction sector is extremely limited. Very few components are actually manufactured close to the site they are installed on, with many travelling thousands of


14 January 2023 This method of supply means that Brymec


products are manufactured by our partner factory and delivered in bulk to our national distribution centre. Products are then delivered direct to site. This differs from the traditional method


miles and involving huge numbers of people in the production journey. Copper, plastic and steel are core ingredients, yet do we often stop to think about where they have come from? From mine to factory, factory to shipper, across the oceans to an importer, from an importer to a wholesaler, wholesaler to merchant, merchant to contractor, contractor to site – it is a long and convoluted journey!


So what can manufacturers and suppliers do to improve this? How can we improve supply chain efficiency?


Looking for the answer to this meant that Brymec committed considerable resource in identifying what we can do to improve this efficiency. We have worked with industry experts and key clients in the mechanical services sector to fine tune our production and operations aiming at the best possible practices. The result is a new supply chain model.


where there are generally a minimum of 5 steps between manufacturing and point of delivery, so there are real benefits with this three step model. ¡ Reduction in transportation, energy, and carbon footprint ¡ Ability to optimise packaging in methods and materials ¡ Gain in accuracy of stockholding These would be easily recognised. There are also very significant gains which may not be so obvious. ¡ Product quality – manufacturing to the highest standards will provide longer lifespans and reduce wastage on projects ¡ Product delivery – Our In-stock Guarantee on our top 1,500 Products, and a consistent Order Fulfilment running at over 99% does reduce Labour Waste on site ¡ Product support – the three step approach puts you in direct contact with the manufacturer thereby greatly streamlining support before, during and after construction. ¡ Production control – control of production, optimising recycled material and combining with great demand forecasting enables us to have the right inventory right through from the production process to our warehouse Huge investment in product specification,


design, vast stockholding and state-of-the-art product storage and handling has resulted in best practice efficiency which greatly assists the industry effort to reduce waste in material and time.


These important steps are vital in increasing


Three step approach to environmentally friendly project delivery


the real-life sustainability of our projects through product selection that utilises supply chain efficiency - an important element of the construction journey to sustainability.


DOWNLOAD THE HVR APP NOW


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