Work smarter not harder as our filler is what gives us the edge over everyone else and we buy every kilogram they have for sale.
Last year in August /September we took over the supplying of punch bags to the South African market and this week we got the go ahead to supply the third brand. This has taken time to be confirmed as this was expected back in December already. The main thing is it has finally come through and now are being put under pressure asking how many we can produce daily.
This is always the case as our client wants them like yesterday and there is no planning involved or any warning. Luckily we are up to date with all the other orders and volume numbers is never a problem if you are fully prepared.
A few weeks ago we took delivery of 10 tons of stuffing material and now I have to make sure this is used correctly because the staff could finish this within a few weeks. This specialized material is a rare commodity and what gives us the upper hand over our competitors. There is only one supplier left in the country and I do believe there days are numbered as they cannot compete against what we have going on.
Our business has already bee certified by 4 different quality control companies and each time have come out smelling like roses. If you are hands on which you have to be then very little is left up to chance. Over the last 15 years this industry has seen suppliers come and go with no one lasting due to not taking the business seriously. The trick is finding and sourcing the correct fillers which there are 3 different variants and not just one which is what everyone was using before we took on the challenge.
The trick is to maintain the quality and numbers required then the final supplier will eventually fold due to shrinking numbers. The 3 brands we service have never had a consistent supply which has allowed other brands to survive due to them being the only choice with out of stocks being a regular occurrence. That is no longer the case and we are finally getting an idea of what the expected numbers are monthly. There has bee no data to fall back on and it is more about taking each month as it comes being ready not knowing what to expect.
The additional third brand coming on board adds extra pressure with an estimated demand of 750 - 1000 bags per month so we have our work cut out for us and need to get ahead wherever possible. The trick is to flood them with more than they require so they have stock to continually top up which then takes the heat of our production line. I would personally rather be supplying smaller orders weekly than 1 big order monthly.
It is amazing what can be achieved if you have an open mind and just take what is thrown at you. The beginning few months was a rough time as we were all learning and mistakes were made which ended up creating double work and many evenings and weekends of over time. Overtime is seen as wasted profits and the less we do the more profitable the business becomes.
What as made this business work so well was the time taken to research and find the resources needed to make this work. The 6 months leading up to the start of this business is what has made a difference and why the competitors have no chance because is was thought through and planned properly. The costings is where the business profits are made and we have had no need to raise our prices.
The bags are heavier than what was being supplied and we have taken them back to the original weights removing the shrinkflation that took place over the last 5 years. This was purely my decision and kind of screws any competitor at the same time as it is literally costing them 10% more to compete. This is another reason why I believe within the next 4 months marking our 1 year anniversary we will have 100% of the market share.
Posted Using INLEO
