PlaceMakers ‘Supply, Fit & Install’ solution

PlaceMakers recently acquired majority shareholding in a successful Christchurch aluminium business and will continue to improve its popular ‘Supply, Fit & Install’ solution

PlaceMakers has always been committed to providing the best service possible for its customers and, in 1995, PlaceMakers Christchurch stores took their combined service to the next level by expanding its offering to a ‘Supply, Fit & Install’ (SFI) solution.

“In an effort to make builders’ lives easier, we wanted to try and take out the white noise that can occur when you have various subcontractors working on one build phase,” says longtime PlaceMakers Riccarton Owner-operator Grant Close.

“We’ve done this by putting together a service where our SFI team manages all aspects of four residential build phases: kitchen and roofing installations, window supply and delivery and foundation preparation, pouring and follow-up.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive and enquiries continue to increase – last year we installed more than 1,000 roofs. By having PlaceMakers SFI managing one or more of these build phases, the project managers avoid cashflow issues and downtime due to overlapping or changing build schedules.

They also know that they’re getting good prices and reputable product, and they don’t have to manage the subcontractors themselves.”

In order to offer this level of service, PlaceMakers contracts a number of LBPs to carry out the work while managing the product supply, delivery and timelines.

Continued improvement

“Time on site is money, so we do our best to ensure that it’s as productive as possible,” says Grant. “We also continue to look for ways to offer better prices on our most popular product, which is part of the reason PlaceMakers recently acquired the majority shareholding of local business Raylight Aluminium.”

Founded in 1967, Raylight is a manufacturer of Nulook aluminium doors and windows. It has been owned and operated by the same family since it began and specialises in architectural, general housing and commercial projects.

“Raylight Aluminium will continue to be managed by its current management team and will form an integral piece of the PlaceMakers Christchurch network,” says Grant. “This move will create opportunities to grow and leverage PlaceMakers SFI solution and position Raylight well for continued growth and expansion.”

One of PlaceMakers first moves is to relocate the business to a larger facility and improve the quality of its machinery.

“We anticipate that, over the next three years, we’ll increase our ability to serve the market and improve the quality of our machinery to ensure we’re offering the best pricing and the best service.”