Steven Shennum, national sales manager, Steelhead Fasteners
STAFDA Distributors know that within the several thousands of products they carry, a mere handful may actually "make or break" their reputation. Among those are the collated fastener brands they promote. Your company can become associated with the fastener brand you sell. So much so, that an outside salesperson can see a box of "Brand X" framing nails on a jobsite and most likely know who supplied them.
We all know of contractors solely driven to find the lowest cost fasteners. And when these nails perform poorly, causing jams and producing excess waste, they are the loudest complainers.
Your reputation can balance on a fine line between price and quality. A distributor benefits from the extra time taken to explain the advantage of buying quality. The collated fastener you supply, even if it costs a few more cents per thousand more than "Brand X," can more than pay for itself by eliminating excessive downtime and product waste.
Seeing advantages
End users are becoming better educated to the advantage of paying extra for a collated fastener that will meet or exceed the high demands of today's building products. More and more roofing contractors and remodelers, for example, are requesting hotdipped galvanized roofing nails for jobs involving 40-year, 50-year and "Lifetime" roofing products. They realize a roofing manufacturer could void a warranty if "fastener corrosion" is associated with a roofing failure. As little as a 1.0 percent average increase in cost is a small price to pay.
Climatic differences
In coastal areas, for example, where the air is filled with corrosive elements, a fastener distributor should suggest stainless steel ring shank roofing nails. Sometimes, influences beyond the distributor, contractor or end user create additional cost. A master planned community in Issaquah, WA recently dictated that no galvanized building material be used on a new school. The Washington State Department of Transportation now requires stainless steel fasteners on all projects, not only to assure the longevity of the structure, but as an environmental enhancement.
More and more "Building Envelope" consultants specify a higher standard for fasteners on their projects. We regularly receive requests for detailed specification sheets for every fastener in our offering. We think that's a good thing.
Distributors who promote quality are aware of changes in high-demand building materials, and take the time to recommend the right fastener for the job. They are the ones whose reputation will not be compromised. As suppliers, we have an obligation to assist distributors by continuously testing our fasteners through independent labs as well as investing in hand-held technology that can authenticate nail contents and/or hot dipped galvanized coating weight, before it reaches the customer. The importance of recommending the right fastener for a specific job will be the true factor in creating customer satisfaction and retention.