Increasingly, it seems that there is near universal agreement that, for woodworking companies, sourcing quality components is good business. The old saying “time is money” probably has never rung truer as we continue to feel some inflationary pressures in the marketplace and wages remain at all-time highs. Against that backdrop, sourcing components makes a lot of sense. You can utilize the expertise and specialization of others to concentrate on the value-added efficiencies within your own business and deliver a cohesive final product to your customers. The question that most often remains is this: “How do I source materials that will meet my needs without spending all my time comparison shopping or compromising on quality?”
    
Luckily, there is an assortment of quality component suppliers for the most often utilized components in the industry. Broadly, there are some things that one should consider to ensure one's needs are met. 
    
Firstly, nothing is much worse than having jobs tied up because components are slow to arrive or behind schedule. If this matters to you in the same way that it seems to matter to others, investigating preferred suppliers with an eye on shipping speeds is probably a central consideration. 

A second consideration is material availability. Is a supplier able to offer the range of materials and wood species that are needed to support your business? This is very specific to your business, as you know your processes and needs. Some suppliers have limited options, and others have seemingly unending catalogs and choices. The reality is that the right component supplier is the supplier that can meet your business needs. 
    
The third and possibly the most critical consideration surrounds the possibility of your business being financially successful when using the component selected. There is a large variation in components in this respect. Some critically important components don’t provide enough value add to justify investing in higher prices. However, other types of components help drive the value for which a customer is willing to pay.

Understanding the budgetary pressures and applying that knowledge can certainly enhance the bottom line of any organization. One word of caution here: Amazon shopping has really impacted expectations related to cost categories. Higher list prices with free shipping options are just a different way to package the total fees. Therefore, one should really attempt to compare landed costs when making a purchase decision.

Source: Emily Dorsey Ramey is the Marketing Specialist at Osborne Wood Products. For information, call 800-849-8876 or visit OsborneWood.com.