Landscaping Project

...

The landscaping project requires the removal of existing turf prior to the installation of the deck, and then the foundation of the ground will follow. This will allow enough work space around the deck area to be utilized for working and building. Once the deck is installed, regrading, sodding, drainage, irrigation, paver installation, concrete subslab installation, installation of benches, statues, boulders and river rock, rubble wall restoration, installation of pedestrial control safety fencing, lighting and small trees, planting of flowers will all be completed.

Bill’s usual suppliers are all very busy at this time also and require longer notice to have materials delivered to the store or customer’s locations early or on time. One problem Bill always seems to run into at this time of year is not being able to have enough stock on hand for all his customers. Since there are multiple sales associates coordinating multiple projects and customers coming in and out of the store buying materials in bulk at any given time, Bill is having to turn to other local suppliers in which to get commodity materials in on time so that his tier one suppliers can manufacture products on time to meet his customers timelines.

For this particular scenario, Bill is now looking for a local cedar wood manufacturer who can provide Bill with enough heat treated cedar build a large enough deck for his customer as his usual supplier’s lead time is 6 weeks – too long for Bill’s customer’s timeline. The problem with these local, smaller suppliers is that Bill is not able to track when shipment can arrive thus making it difficult to schedule the delivery of other materials and installers. Time is money for Bill and his customers. Bill’s installers are also very busy and require 4-5 days’ notice in order to start any project. Bill has to coordinate delivery of necessary materials, schedule the appropriate installers to complete the project using a phased out approach. Just in Time delivery is necessary for sensitive products such as trees, grass, flowers… Ordering and storing these too early in advance can cause damage resulting in a waste of costs.

To better assist Bill, I think an ERP system or some sort of replenished inventory can help him ensure that there are always stock available to him for his customer. Also, if Home Depot had a RFID system which can allow him the visibility of where his stock is at all times, then he may not have to resort to local suppliers which can cause duplicate purchases, longer lead times, higher costs and not properly coordinated installation.