Reducing Electrical Material Loss: 5 Wholesaler Strategies

Loss of electrical materials at a job site isn’t just the contractor’s problem. If electrical wholesalers don’t package or prepare orders adequately, these products are more vulnerable to damage and theft. With enough lost product, electrical contractors may start looking for a new supplier.

But there’s an opportunity for distributors here, too. Electrical wholesalers who find innovative ways to protect products long after they’re delivered end up with happy customers. That leads to long-term partnerships, positive brand associations, and word-of-mouth marketing that provide bottom-line benefits.

But what can electrical wholesalers do to prevent material damage after the order’s delivered? Here are five ways wholesalers can help electricians succeed by minimizing product loss at the jobsite.

1. Offer secure storage options.

The best way to prevent theft and vandalism is to lock up power tools, electrical materials, and other high-value targets at the job site. As part of your storage and material handling collections, offer electricians secure storage solutions like Heavy Duty High Value Carts, lockable steel workstations, and Building Information Modeling Carts that protect job-site computers between shifts.

2. Install parcel lockers for overnight deliveries.

Electricians won’t always be at the job site when an order arrives — and ensuring someone is present to receive materials can lead to costly delays. Provide secure storage for overnight deliveries by installing parcel lockers built to handle electrical materials. The Will Call Dropbox from BHS, Inc. contains large-format lockers, including a side compartment that’s over 10 feet in length and ideal for conduit. One-time passcodes and optional integration with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems ensures only the authorized recipient can access contents.

3. Ship orders pre-loaded onto secure material handling equipment.

Theft and vandalism aren’t the only threat to electrical materials during an installation. Without the right material handling equipment, moving components around the job site can easily lead to breakage. Solve the problem — while improving your customer’s productivity — by shipping orders pre-loaded onto dedicated Electrical Material Carts.

Electricians can wheel materials straight to the installation site from the truck. That saves valuable time while also keeping materials protected as they move around the site. An order pre-loaded onto a cart is called a delivered solution, and it’s a value-added service that customers appreciate.

4. Provide storage systems and carts designed for specific electrical materials.

Whether you offer material handling carts as delivered solutions or on their own, electrical products are safer when carts are built to handle them. Load up to 48 light fixtures onto dedicated Light Fixture Carts, complete with locking bars for secure storage between uses. Pack bundles of rigid conduit onto high-capacity Conduit Carrier Carts. Support safer, more efficient cable pulls with Parallel Reel Wagons. When electricians have access to material handling systems designed for electrical materials, product loss is less likely.

5. Support better ergonomics for electrician material handlers.

As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, electrical contractor teams can spend up to half of their time on the job handling materials. Not only is that inefficient, it leads to many opportunities for dropping products — particularly if electrician material handlers are working too hard. Excessive lifting and carrying doesn’t just lead to the risk of product loss, either. It can also injure workers.

The solution is to improve ergonomics during material handling tasks. Offer your customers material handling solutions that prevent workers from heavy lifting, bending, carrying, and other ergonomic risk factors. Electrical material handling solutions from BHS, Inc. include a range of ergonomic features, from easy-steering caster configurations to comfortable push handles. That reduces the risk of injury and product loss at once, while also reducing costly material handling time. By offering new equipment and value-added services, you’ll help electricians reduce product loss as they work. That, in turn, will keep your wholesale business growing.

Explore the full collection of electrical material handling solutions from BHS, Inc.