When purchasing materials for a job site, you want to trust your supplier. But how do you establish trust? Should you just take the company’s word that they’re best at what they do? (Hint: Not a strong strategy). Your better bet is to do a little online research, seek recommendations from colleagues and evaluate a supplier on the holy trinity of price, service and quality.
Of the three, quality matters most. That may appear self-serving as–confession time—we’re not the cheapest brand on the market. But we’ve never tried to be. Cheap is good—until something goes wrong. And something almost always go wrong with cheap.
Let’s take a look at one of Strong Man’s current clients and see why they chose quality over price.
PROJECT: Pulaski Skyway
The Pulaski Skyway is a landmark 3.502-mile structure in northeastern New Jersey that sees 40,000 motorists travel its two northbound lanes (toward Jersey City) each day. The northbound lanes of the 82-year-old bridge were shut down on April 12, 2014 for an almost half-a-billion dollar bridge deck replacement. Our Strongman SBN-22 vertical debris netting (the same netting used on the new World Trade Center) is being utilized on the job site.
So why did Pulaski choose Strong Man? It came down to the quality of Strong Man products:
Single Installation: Pay once, not twice. Cheap netting falls apart and the real cost on a job site is labor required to reinstall cheap netting after it fails.
Safety: Mistakes cost lives. Our trained reps with field experience are industry-savvy. They know how to get the customer not only what they want but what they actually need, ensuring the right safety netting is present for the job.
Size Matters: Our orange and blue netting being used on the Pulaski Skyway is 10’6” x 150’. In this case, wider material = less rolls needed = less seams, which means less chance for ripping and need for reinstallation.
Consistency Contains Cost: All Strong Man netting is consistent. We use “machine weight” versus “roll weight.” Machine weight means the netting is a consistent weight throughout. Roll weight means the hem is heavier and the middle is lighter, leading to rips and tears.
Testing: All Strong Man debris netting is third-party tested for being fire retardant.
There’s always going to be someone trying to sell the cheaper product. That’s a given. But are you willing to risk safety, security and quality for something that could cost you more in the long term? We aren’t. Which is why you know in Strong Man, you’ve found a supplier you can trust.