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Ducting & Drainage Supply is Built on Relationships
When it comes to above ground or below ground ducting and drainage supply, long lead times aren’t always the real problem. Procurement teams know how to plan ahead, if they’re told something will take six weeks to arrive, they’ll place the order six weeks in advance.
The bigger issue is availability. Some manufacturers dominate the market with their popular products, making it difficult to get hold of stock at short notice. If a project needs to move quickly or if an unexpected area opens up, waiting weeks for materials isn’t an option.
That’s where supplier relationships make all the difference. While large manufacturers rely on national merchants to distribute their products, an independent supplier with strong industry connections can offer something much more valuable – flexibility.
Why Some Products Are Harder to Get
Popular product ranges are often controlled by a handful of manufacturers, which can make procurement more challenging. These manufacturers don’t always need a dedicated sales team because their products are already well-established and widely used. Instead, they rely on a network of national merchants to handle distribution.
While this system works for mass supply, it also means that when stock is short, there’s no direct support to help find a solution. Lead times stretch, availability becomes an issue and contractors are left waiting. A supplier with strong industry relationships can step in, find solutions and make things happen when the usual channels aren’t moving fast enough.
The Value of Supplier Relationships
Independent suppliers, like Plastech®, have spent years building relationships across the industry to achieve a level of flexibility that national distributors simply can’t match. A good supplier doesn’t just check stock levels, they work hard on your behalf speaking to manufacturers directly, understanding the way they work and finding ways to get materials faster and potentially cheaper.
Recently, we had a contractor who was facing a long delay on duct access chambers. Initially, the manufacturer had told them they didn’t have the stock. However, through our long-standing relationships with the manufacturer, they worked with us to rearrange current loads to ensure we could get this stock. This workaround required effort from the manufacturer, but they were happy to accommodate it because of the trust and partnership we had built over decades.
That kind of service isn’t something you can find on a price list. It’s about knowing the right people, understanding how the supply chain works and finding solutions that keep projects moving.
The Price of Industry Knowledge
The next thing your supplier should do is offer guidance on products in the market based on your individual project. If a specific product isn’t available, there’s often a similar approved alternative that meets the same site requirements. Knowing what those alternatives are, suppliers can often suggest a cost-effective alternative that meets the same specifications. On a large site order, these cost savings alone can be significant.
Open conversations about site drawings and material requirements allow for better planning and a smarter procurement process. If a supplier can suggest an approved alternative that saves money while keeping the project moving, that’s the kind of partnership worth having.
Why the Right Supplier Makes All the Difference
At the end of the day, the right supplier isn’t just a distributor, they’re a problem solver.
As an independent supplier of below ground ducting and drainage, Plastech® work with trusted manufacturers to provide reliable, high-quality solutions. Our team’s extensive product knowledge ensures that you have access to the best options available. And by staying up to date with the latest regulations, we help procurement teams avoid compliance issues and deliver projects that are both efficient and future proof.
