Why do we still sacrifice quality for lower prices?

The headline says it all - and it particularly applies to the construction industry; especially when it comes to our small corner of it, the resin bound permeable paving market.

We are not afraid to tell you that we sometimes lose out to competitors quoting up to 20% cheaper than us. “What?” I hear you say “Some of your competitors are 20% cheaper than you and you are admitting it?”  Yes we are and for a very, very good reason…

All too often we hear from customers who, having previously bought a cheaper product, ask us to rectify problems associated with inferior resin bound paving.

Knowing that the basic requirement of every company is to make a profit, we can rule out companies doing too many jobs ‘out of the kindness of their heart' or free of charge. 

So, with only a limited number of ways to make one resin bound product cheaper than another, and ruling out profit as the major difference, the only other ways are:

Cheaper resins

Everyone in the industry knows that the resin used (very unsurprisingly) within resin bound paving is the single most crucial factor in determining whether your product is average or great.  Although the quality, cleanliness and consistency of the stone is vitally important, what really differentiates material suppliers is the quality of the resin binder used.

There are many ‘tunes' which can be played with the resin including using different types of vastly differing qualities and altering the formulation percentages to make products stronger or weaker.  

Obviously less resin equals cheaper, and I seriously doubt anyone would be surprised that cheaper equals weaker.

At SureSet we only use high quality resins, in the correct formulas, ensuring that the durability of our product is top of the agenda.

Poor mix design

Not investing in technical expertise is another way of reducing cost. Every blend we create at SureSet is tested using a process we have developed over 18 years.  We know that each type and size of individual aggregate has different characteristics, which means that some types of aggregate require different amounts of resin than others.

I have heard many companies say “just dump this 7kg resin on top of any 100kg of dry stone and away you go”, but the reality is producing high quality, long lasting products is a far more technical process than that.

This completely rules out the ‘one size fits all' theory, yet there are many well established companies who are still doing just that.

Hand in hand with good design is the need to manage quality so that the product produced is consistent and meets required standards.  Customers should look for suppliers who demonstrate this by achieving and maintaining national standards, such as ISO 9001 and Investors in People.

Total quantity of material used

There are some companies who, to keep the cost of a job low, will install the material at less than optimal depths, regardless of its end use. 

When buying resin bound paving you should make sure that each quote has the same specification; if one company is stating a 20mm depth, and the other a 16mm depth, ask both companies why.  The likelihood is that the company stating 20mm will have done so due to turning vehicles, large vehicles or heavier usage etc.  The 20mm material will last longer, and withstand its intended use. 

Let's not forget the company stating 20mm also wants to be as competitive as possible, so it does not make commercial sense to state a greater depth, and therefore increased cost, than is necessary.  If 16mm will do the job, then 16mm would have been quoted for.

Poor workmanship

Labour costs are also a significant factor when determining the selling point of resin bound paving, both in having the necessary skills, and having enough labour on site. Our experience allows us to precisely assess how many installers are needed to install a particular job and enables us to price accurately. 

A mistake commonly made is in thinking that three installers can do the job of five… In theory they probably could, but will the quality and attention to detail be the same if your surface were laid by five skilled installers? The simple answer is no. 

If we at SureSet took that approach, whilst our quote would be more competitive and our profit margin increase, the reality is that the installation would be rushed and shortcuts taken. We do everything in our power to avoid under-estimating the time needed for each installation - at the end of the day you are ‘only as good as your last job'.

In short there would be no time to walk that ‘extra mile' and deliver the high quality associated with SureSet. 

To summarise

Throughout the 18 years SureSet has been manufacturing, supplying and installing permeable resin bound paving, we have been called upon to rectify poor installations.

Some can be repaired, while others require complete replacement. Unfortunately for the customer, the original cheap price is no longer the bargain they originally thought it was.

When buying resin bound paving I urge you not to buy on price, but consider these points when making your decision:

Value – don't just consider the upfront cost, but the whole life investment into the quality of the product. Remember you can only make cheap resin bound paving by compromising the quality of the end product.

Quality– a product that has been well designed, researched and invested in will look better and last longer.

Reputation – read testimonials, ask to see installations near you or speak to customers before purchasing.  ‘Word of mouth' still goes a long way.

Guarantee – established companies offering long guarantees offer them for a reason. Likewise companies offering a short guarantee also do so for a reason.

Although we would love to, we don't expect to win every tender we submit - it is not feasible or conducive to a healthy market. However when we lose out to an inferior, cheaper product is frustrating because we know that at some point in the future the customer, who thought they were choosing between ‘like for like' products will be disappointed with their decision. 

Not only was this a loss to SureSet, but more worryingly it could be a loss to the resin bound paving market.  So as the title of my blog suggests:

Please, please don't purchase purely on price, purchase on value.

Author: Ben Shave, Sales Director, SureSet UK Ltd.

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