One of the traits of my family is that we are pretty competitive. When my son was in grade school, he decided to invent a game as we sat around the table after dinner that involved asking my wife and I questions, then scoring the answers. The rules were not defined and he made them up as he went along. He was astounded, though, how quickly my wife and I began competing to win and the fierceness of the competition scared him a little. The game ended quickly in a disagreement over a rules interpretation. I raise this anecdote to point out that competition can exist even in collaborative environments.
The metal construction industry is so interconnected that one segments success will benefit the whole industry.
The metal construction industry is a collection of different services and products along a supply chain that ultimately produces metal building components or metal building systems for the construction market. At any point in that supply line, there can be fierce competition. Metal roofing manufacturers certainly want to increase market share and improve their businesses, and they do so by bettering the other metal roofing manufacturers. The same is true with coatings companies, metal suppliers, distributors, steel suppliers, engineers, general contractors, trade contractors, architects and others in the industry.
That seems obvious and simple. Free enterprise is the bedrock upon which competition is built, and it drives creativity and innovation.
We also have to recognize, though, that when any one company improves a product or service that increases its use and acceptance, that affects all of us. A company that successfully grows the market does so for everyone up and down the chain. A rising tide lifts all boats.
The same is true not just with one company, but also with a segment of the supply chain: insulation company, coating company, metal wall fabricator. Each of these segments has a connection and a reliance on the others. If one segment is flailing, it affects the entire market. But when one is on the rise, when one segment is growing, all the other segments see improvement.
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association, Metal Construction Association, Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association, Associated General Contractors of America, American Subcontractors Association and other trade associations provide the framework for growth of the industry. If your firm is involved in one of them, it betters all of us.
Also, if you are promoting your firm and growing your business through innovation, strong marketing efforts and aggressive selling, you are growing the industry for all of us. However, if you’re quiet, you’re leaving the heavy lifting for others.
As we move into a new year—one we hope and trust will be better than the last—now is the time for all of us to do what we can to raise the tide. Sitting on the sidelines isn’t an option.
