4 Potential Window Treatment Freight Hiccups Before Installation
There are typically two times during the life cycle of a project where there is a “flurry” of communication between the Drapery Manufacturer’s Project Manager and the customer (purchasing agent or owner representative). The first is during the measurement & digestion of measures process. This portion involves setting up the measurement trip and then checking accuracy and possibly adjusting how the specifications match the reality on site. The second flurry comes as the production process finishes and installation begins.
This second flurry is crucial as it encompasses everything coming together. We know that this is an especially hectic time for you, our customers, as drapery is not the only trade you are attempting to schedule and manage but, it is the only trade which typically is installed by the manufacturer. We absolutely understand this and seek to make the process as easy as possible. In this post we’ve got some tips and suggestions for you as the purchasing agent or owner representative, especially regarding freight and delivery of product to the hotel site.
1. What should I expect?
The short answer is, Freight is expensive, so plan ahead. We recently wrote about the decision between Third Party Freight & Best Way (check it out!). In that post we discussed that Freight is a complicated process, as it is a mixture of both art and science. To cut down on expense in shipping product, you have one clear cut rule of thumb: ship as much product as you can and as few times as you can over the course of a project. This is not always possible, so we have to consider the limiting factors. First think through the fact that the amount of product must match the amount of storage and staging room onsite. Clearly articulating where product should be staged and stored by installers at the site is crucial to making sure nothing is damaged, walks off and if done well it may allow you to ship more product, in fewer shipments which will save money on Freight.
2. Is product being delivered and stored at a warehouse offsite before being brought over to the property for installation?
We shouldn’t call this a “trend” necessarily, as it fully rests on whether or not this is even available, but especially with large properties we see the use of an offsite warehouse increasing. When this is used, the drapery manufacturer must know who is routing product from the warehouse to the property, and how to schedule those deliveries to coincide with our installation teams. Make sure to arm your Window Treatment PM with as much detail as possible.
3. Where are we delivering, exactly?
If we are delivering to the hotel property, where on the property are we delivering? Is there a loading dock, or are we going to conduct a parking lot delivery? Access to a loading dock makes a delivery simple. All we need to know is where to stage and store product once we take it off the dock. A spare room or something of the sort usually works out great. If there isn’t a loading dock and you are shipping a large amount of product, a lift gate may be needed on the delivery vehicle. This needs to be noted out in advance as shipping terminals may only have 1 or 2 lift gate trucks. You don’t want delivery AND installation to be delayed simply because a lift gate truck wasn’t available.
4. Does the property have any special requirements for accepting deliveries?
Although a rare occurrence, some properties may have special requirements for accepting deliveries, such as a delivery appointment being needed or the hotel is in a busy city center, or the freight elevator is not working. Any oddities like this can cause major delays and frustration to installation teams. Knowing this information upfront can help us staff and prepare prior to coming onsite to accept delivery and install, rather than having to improvise on the fly.
The basic gist of this post is rather simple; communicate, communicate and over communicate. Any information that you share with your project manager can help us make more informed decisions and alleviate unneeded pressure to a busy and often stressful final push towards a projects completion.
We hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any questions!
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