Readers of Building Products magazine will be see Burdens featured in the Specifiers Guide section of the well know publication over the coming months. Highlights from the March 2011 Specifiers Guide are as follows:
- Innovation In Concrete
- Smart Sponge
- Gabion Solutions
- Geotechnics- Managing Surface Water & Ground Engineering
Far from being just a seller of construction products, Burdens styles itself as a key link in the supply chain, offering its customers trusted advice on construction product applications, systems approaches and innovations, in addition to a huge range. In the March 2001 Specifier’s Guide, Burdens’ group head of marketing gives the inside story on customer service.
With over 18,000 product lines in its distribution armoury, the name Burdens is already familiar to many in the industry. However the nature of the business, both in terms of the construction products we provide and how Burdens sells to customers, may be less broadly known. For example Burdens has a far wider remit than its former positioning as a provider of civils-oriented infrastructure products, from 50 depots spanning the UK and Ireland. It’s the way Burdens does business that really sets us apart, according to group marketing director, Chris Briginshaw. With over 25 years service Chris intimately understands the workings of the business - how in terms of management as well as customer advice it goes beyond the normal call of duty to assist customers, from contractors to end-users.
Chris has a genuinely held belief that the firm’s mantra, of being “more than just a merchant” is borne out day to day. And this is not done from an altruistic desire to be seen to be ‘good,’ but rather the firm’s commitment to credibility and integrity. Says Briginshaw: “We have always tried to be a portal of innovation and change, to support the industry.” But there is a pragmatism
behind this; rather than compete on price, he says, Burdens differentiates itself by offering a much greater level of customer advice.
Chris gives the example of the firm’s new Innovations in Concrete document, informing customers clearly but also in-depth on the (often-related) innovative construction products coming to market to meet today’s needs.
“This is free, it’s communication. We will offer advice on a range of different suppliers’ products in order to provide alternatives.” This demonstrates how far Burdens is prepared to go to ensure it is “informing and inspiring” first, selling second. Briginshaw says Burdens wants to be a true “supply chain partner”- to offer a trusted link between customer and supplier, however advice on the linkages between products are also a benefit of Burdens’ expert overview of how products interact in a particular application. This expertise largely comes from the fact that Burdens has specialised in certain sectors (from drainage systems both above and below ground, to more recently, construction items such as hard landscaping, geotechnical, and gabion solutions. It in fact still styles itself as ‘the specialist’ while broadening its remit over the past 10 years. Chris Briginshaw sees a key role for the company, now its portfolio and profile are firmly above ground, as a “bridge,” between the past and the state-of-the-art solutions.
This might manifest itself in suggesting to a customer they use the latest ‘smart sponge’ or ‘smart filter’ with the gully pot they have specified, to minimise blockages from dirt in drainage. In short, make the customer aware of something useful they might not be aware of.
As Briginshaw simply summarises it: “bringing products together which might not be much on their own, but together, are a big deal.” In terms of a structural product such as the gabion walls, the firm can ‘add value’ for customers, providing a structural engineering service:
“They will help with design drawings, and we will indemnify the design.” In another example, geogrids are offered, says Briginshaw, which can reduce the amount of stone needed in projects by a third, a considerable bonus in the current market. The challenge is to maintain this high level of innovation and advice as the firm’s reach, in its various guises, becomes ever wider. An example being the fact its reputation has led to it undertaking logistics for Kingfisher, which means Burdens’ lorries will be a regular sight at B&Q outlets. Chris relishes these challenges, driven by his enthusiasm for the company’s modus operandi, but in a no-nonsense, down-to earth way that exemplifies his firm. “These aren’t platitudes, I absolutely believe in the way we do things,” says Chris. “Our key objective is to positively influence the market, as opposed to just existing in it.”
For more information follow the links below:
• Innovation In Concrete
• Smart Sponge
• Gabion Solutions
• Geotechnics - Managing Surface Water & Ground Engineering
