by Natalie Edwards

Rotorua Steel Structures, Rotorua - Success Story

 

‘I love the QUICKSTOCK system, the guys like the QUICKSTOCK system, admin loves the QUICKSTOCK system.'

 

After having QUICKSTOCK for over a year, we talk to Shane and Natalia from Rotorua Steel Structures about how it's made a difference in their workshop.

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Tell us a bit about Rotorua Steel Structures…

 

We purchased Rotorua Steel Structures in 2018, although I'd [Shane] worked for the company for a number of years before then and Rotorua Steel Structures actually originated in the 1950's.

 

Since then the company's specialised in structural steel mainly but also in later years has also been heavily involved in seismic strengthening as well as sawmill steel work and also have a lot to do with the power stations around the Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas.

 

We have a small, hardworking team of 11. That consists of admin, fabricators, site installers and a protective coatings painter. On top of that we also have 4 little ones that keep us busy at home so work-life balance is important to us. Overall including the team here at RSS we all consider ourselves a big family.

How did you manage consumable inventory before QUICKSTOCK?

 

Before QUICKSTOCK we used to buy all our consumables in bulk to get that better rate from our suppliers. However, that was spread over multiple different suppliers. Looking back at it now, we would have to store all those consumables which we don't have much storage here. My office was filled with them. This office was filled with them, and we had to maintain the stock levels ourselves. Literally we had consumables coming out of our ears.

Why did you decide to use QUICKSTOCK?

 

What lead us to exploring other options was realising how time consuming it was to manage those stock levels. At first we weren't really managing those levels very well, and so the boys kind of had free reign to consumables, and they were just flying out the door.

 

But then QUICKSTOCK came. And changed it completely.

 

What made us decide to give the QUICKSTOCK solution a go was because of Julian from Euromarc. He would pop in with brochures, and at first I thought it's too good to be true. This is probably going to cost an arm and a leg. However that wasn't the case. It was quite cheap, and we were also blessed with Victoria who comes and replenishes our cabinets. And that was something that we were doing ourselves, so not only has it saved us time, it's saved us money and overall it's just convenient.

How does the QUICKSTOCK system work with your operations?

 

Our QUICKSTOCK cabinets are in the office, which are nice and fully stocked. Anything that I [Amelia] take out of the cabinet I'm going to mark off on our check-off sheet which has got everything that we hold in the cabinets.

 

That stock is taken to top up the boy's workshop cabinet that stores everything that they need for their daily tasks. They will then also sign the products out and assign it to a job so that we are able to keep track of the costings and how much materials they're using on that specific job.

What were some of the costs involved in ordering before QUICKSTOCK?

 

Before QUICKSTOCK the biggest cost would be time wasting. So every time we ran out of gloves, or a cut-off disc wasn't there, a sanding disc or glasses or whatever, the list goes on. Every time it's not there and someone has to run down to the shop, that's half an hour gone. And welders don't get paid a dollar an hour so it's not a cheap exercise when you're doing it 2 or 3 times a day. It's actually quite a time-consuming thing trying to manage your own consumables where QUICKSTOCK sort of takes that away.

 

So we haven't had any issues with it. Every time we've gone to the cupboard it's been there, and I think the guys really appreciate that too. It's not like they have to put down their tools and go and get their bits that we should really have in stock every time they need it.

Have you experienced any hurdles with the QUICKSTOCK system?

 

I wouldn't say there's been any hurdles in getting used to QUICKSTOCK. The only thing that you need to sort of govern individually for yourself, or specifically for your company is what stock levels you need to hold. After that's done then she's pretty straightforward and easy to run.

 

Would you say QUICKSTOCK has improved your business?

 

I would say QUICKSTOCK has improved our business hugely. I love the QUICKSTOCK system, the guys like the QUICKSTOCK system, admin loves the QUICKSTOCK system. And might I add...the free biscuits - are the best part.

Would you recommend the QUICKSTOCK Solution to other engineering companies?

 

I would definitely recommend the QUICKSTOCK solution to all engineering companies. It's such a time-saver, it's so efficient, and it's just convenient.

 

It just takes the stress out of it so it's another thing that we don't need to worry about.