How Online Supply Chain Management Software Can Streamline Your Building Process

Literally thousands of individual products, crew members and resources, sourced from dozens of Suppliers, go into building a home. To bring a residential project in on time and on budget, every step of this process has to proceed efficiently, with as little friction as possible and Builders and Suppliers consistently on the same page. As a Trade or Supplier, how can you streamline and optimize your part of the process? 

What is Supply Chain Management?

Supply chain management is the sum of the planning, coordination and supervisory tasks that ensure the right information, resources and materials successfully reach their destination as they are needed.

In Home Building, supply chain management is the essential process of getting all the needed materials and workers to the right places in the right quantities at the right time. Because orders can be issued throughout all stages of a project, not just at the beginning, and changes happen frequently, residential construction supply chains can be especially challenging to manage. 

However, done well, an effective supply chain procurement process can:

• Improve long-term project planning
• Improve critical coordination between you and your Builders
• Boost productivity with better planning and forecasting
• Improve Builder satisfaction and lead to more jobs
• Enhance your reputation, and 
• Lower your costs and raise profitability

How Supply Chain Management Can Streamline The Building Process

When Trades, Subcontractors and Suppliers aren’t using the same supply chain management tool as their Home Builders, it’s hard for everyone to collaborate, communicate and stay on schedule. The biggest benefit of supply chain management software is that it can unite Builders and Suppliers on one platform.

Here are five practical ways online supply chain management software can help your team. 

1. Provide a two-sided network connecting Suppliers with Builders 

A two-side network can ensure that Builders and Suppliers are working with one tool that streamlines residential construction projects by offering direct, real-time communication and a single source of truth. You don’t need to worry that your manually input orders don’t match the original, that something has been forgotten or left out or that you’re relying on the wrong version of plans or specifications. And, when project changes or issues arise, you can communicate quickly and easily with other stakeholders to find solutions.

2. Automate and increase productivity in a range of tasks 

As a Supplier, you can use supply chain management software to record schedules, orders, updates, and messages, which helps keep processes running efficiently. When you automate scheduling and communications, you eliminate tedious manual tasks and save hundreds, even thousands, of hours of staff effort annually.

3. Improve your chances of winning bids

A special bidding feature within supply chain management software can give you instant access to Builder bid requests. It can also enable them to find you. Builders can get the best Suppliers for their jobs and Suppliers can bid efficiently on jobs. You no longer have to wade through stacks of paper to generate bid package responses. Find the right bids for your business, reduce manpower costs and erase human error for a positive impact on your bottom line and business growth.   

4. Manage documents more easily

Software tools for supply chain management enable you to keep all your project-related orders, notes, reports, receipts, plans, etc. in one place, minimizing time searching for the right documents from many different sources. You can easily share documents with your Builders and employees through a single portal. No more misplaced paperwork, overlooked change orders or approvals sitting unprocessed on someone’s desk. 

5. Eliminate installation and update headaches with a cloud-based system

Cloud-based supply chain management software is accessible online on any platform in a secure environment. All technical product updates occur instantly and automatically, so your software is always up to date. 

Streamline Your Building Process with Hyphen SupplyPro

SupplyPro is an integrated construction management software system from Hyphen Solutions that is designed specifically for Suppliers, Contractors and Trades. In addition to providing you with the range of targeted features you need to optimize and build your residential construction business, its two-sided network connects you to the BuildPro network of home builders, which includes 21 of the top 26 Home Builders in North America. 

SupplyPro is supply chain management software that can improve your team’s efficiency and output. To learn more, schedule a demo today.