Choosing the right timber supplier is vital for the continued prosperity of your business. It does not matter whether you are a woodworker or a construction contractor, it’s necessary that you pick the right timber supplier who can offer you high-quality timber at realistic and reasonable rates.
However, finding the right hardwood timber supplier can be more of a challenge than you would expect. You have so many options and factors to consider, including the availability, quality, variety, and price of timber, etc.
So, to make your job a little easier, here we have a list of 7 factors that you need to consider when choosing hardwood timber suppliers for your booming wood business.
1. Timber Quality
The first and foremost factor to consider is the quality of your chosen timber supplier’s wood. Their product must be of the highest quality and standard. Hardwood timber is graded on a scale of acceptable industry standards. For each grade product, you can expect to get the corresponding quality of wood.
However, when a supplier processes timber off-grade or with other undesirable deficiencies, it directly impacts the quality of the wood that you receive. What this means is that you might get unfit or deficient woodcuts that won’t suit your intended purpose, which essentially means that all your money will go down the drain.
To ensure that the wood is nothing short of the best, try to find out its entire production and processing procedure from the supplier. Ensure that your supplier has ample experience in sawing and grading the wood. Also, make sure to enquire about the sorting and shipping process to ensure that the wood is handled carefully during shipping and delivery.
2. Timber Varieties
Another crucial factor that you simply cannot ignore is the variety of woods available with your chosen supplier. You need to ensure that your chosen supplier has the variety that you want, and if they don’t or they promise that they will get it for you on short notice, it’s better to look elsewhere.
3. Price
Although price should not be your only determinant when choosing timber, at the end of the day, money is what will keep your business afloat, so you can’t ignore the price completely. While many timber suppliers claim to have the best prices on wood, it always helps to do your own thorough research to ensure that you are getting the right price for your chosen product.
Also, when comparing a cross-laminated timber supplier with a glulam supplier, make sure to weigh how each supplier is determining the cost of their product. You need to know if it’s by quarter or by volume, as that can help you make the right decision. Also, make sure to keep a note of the timber quality of each supplier to help balance your decision.
4. Availability and Dependability
Unless you choose a local supplier, there’s a high likelihood that your chosen remote supplier will have their own rules about the delivery and availability of their timber varieties. Additionally, the specific kind of timber that you require might be season-bound.
So, before you choose your timber supplier, you need to have a clear idea of exactly what types of timber you are going to need, how much of it you are going to need and where it’s going to be readily available. Next, you need to ensure that your chosen timber company has that variety of timber and can deliver it whenever you want and in whatever quantity you want.
This is especially important since if your chosen supplier cannot supply you with the materials you need on time, then it could potentially disrupt your entire business. So, it’s vital that you make sure your chosen supplier is consistent with their stock and delivery before you sign up to do business with them. Also, make sure that they are dependable and have contingencies in place for potential wood shortages.
5. Honesty and Trustworthiness
In an industry that still runs largely on one’s word and handshakes that seal different deals, it’s crucial to conduct business with a supplier who is honest and known to stick to their word. Make sure that your chosen supplier does not make bold, throwaway, and unrealistic promises that they cannot fulfill down the line.
Honesty, along with the fairest treatment of customers, need to be high on your priority list for a potential supplier. Trust is also a critical factor that comes into play when choosing a timber supplier to suit your needs. You need to make sure that you can blindly trust your supplier to always send high-quality products your way.
Make sure to get in touch with established and old customers of your chosen supplier to ensure that they are entirely trustworthy and reliable. This way, you will be able to save a lot of your time, money, and effort that you’d have to otherwise spend running after an unreliable and untrustworthy supplier.
6. Access to Supply
There are a handful of suppliers circling the market who have their hands pretty deep into the wood inventory; they have great access to timber supply, which allows them to fulfill your needs even when there is a shortage in the general market. So, it’s best if you do your research and find a supplier who has constant and deep access to your chosen wood variety so that you don’t run the risk of ever running out of your supplies.
7. Creativity
Some suppliers out there might actually help you grow your business by offering their valuable input. Such suppliers help their clients by expediently removing all obstacles from their way and ensuring that their clients keep getting high-quality wood in a timely fashion.
They also offer unique tailor-made solutions for their clients based on their specific problems. They understand the needs of their clients and match their timber requirements to the T to yield more effective and fruitful results for them. So, make sure to get in business with a supplier that offers handy solutions and is willing to understand your requirements and concerns.
When choosing a timber supplier, make sure to take the above-mentioned factors into account. Also, make sure that the supplier understands your business’s needs and requirements and is equipped to fulfill them.
About Author: –
Simon is an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed jack of all trades. Simon has experience in the building and home renovation industry, and he knows what it takes to knock out a successful project whether it be commercial or residential. Currently, he works as a marketing consultant with ASH – a leading supplier of the best quality Australian Glulam timber. Another interest of Simon’s is travel and the outdoors, as well as sporting equipment and bikes. A big kid at heart – if it goes fast, bounces, slides or you can climb it, you can be sure that Simon has put it to the test.