WELCOME 🙏

Hello and a hearty welcome to the inaugural issue of 'Against The Grain,' your new go-to read from the team at TOOLBX. Picture this as your refreshing twist on technology in the LBM industry, here to sprinkle a bit of fun into those long days at the lumberyard and offer what we hope will be more than just another newsletter in your already crowded inbox.

Our goal? To serve you bite-sized yet insightful scoops on how technology is reshaping our field. From the latest in construction tech to tips for boosting lumberyard productivity, we've got you covered.

So, grab your coffee, take a moment to relax, and dive in. Happy reading!

~ The TOOLBX team

IN THIS ISSUE

• Construction's loyalty games 🏹

• The robot your knees will love🧎

• Poll: 👍 or 👎 for advertising

• A curb-side flop-off 😳

• 3 friends for a beanie? Deal 🤝 

DEEP DIVE

Rethinking loyalty: How do you win the hearts (and wallets) of modern contractors?

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu—you name it, and chances are, we’re a subscriber. Likely, your living room has become a similar arena where these streaming giants compete for your attention and money.

Choosing whether to watch the latest 'House of the Dragon' episode on Hulu or the most recent 'Hunger Games' movie on Netflix might seem trivial. However, a similar decision-making process plays out in the construction industry. Here, contractors face the challenge of deciding which suppliers will get a slice of their project budget. Much like how you distribute your entertainment dollars across different streaming services, contractors typically spread their spending across an average of three suppliers per project.

Think of it as a business tug-of-war: Are you attracting more of your customers' spending, or is it being claimed by your competitors? This is known as the 'share of wallet' – a critical metric indicating the proportion of a customer's spending that goes to your company instead of to your rivals. It’s an essential gauge of customer loyalty.

The vital questions to consider then are: What portion of my customers' spending am I currently capturing? And, as a supplier, what innovative approaches can I adopt to increase my share of this spending?

Meet Dusty, the arch-nemesis of 'just in case' inches

The leap from digital designs to physical reality has always been a dance of precision and guesswork. Project managers, armed with rolls of plans and a trusty tape measure have long toiled to translate intricate architectural drawings onto the often unforgiving canvas of the job site. The tried and tested method—kneeling on the ground, stretching tape measures, and snapping chalk lines—while time-honored, is fraught with the risk of human error. Even the steadiest hands can't prevent the inches that slip away.

Contractors often allow a tolerance for error or adjustments by other tradespeople. When the next trade enters the job site, they also tend to give themselves a little 'just in case' space. Those inches accumulate, and before you know it your ceiling is a foot and half lower than it needed to be.

Enter Dusty, the automated field printer for construction layouts from Dusty Robotics.

How did Builders FirstSource (BLDR) become one of the best performing stocks of last year?

Last year, Builders FirstSource (BLDR) achieved a standout performance with a 121% stock increase, propelled by their strategic digital initiatives and focus on productivity. Central to this success was their digital platform, myBLDR.com, which caters to modern builders' needs through efficient, transparent project management. This move, along with a mix of smart acquisitions and cost-saving measures, positions them on track to capture an incremental $1 billion growth opportunity by 2026.

What’s the learning? Leveraging digital platforms is key to boosting efficiency and market presence. It's less about jumping on the tech bandwagon and more about smart business acumen. Embracing digital solutions is the savvy way to stay ahead in the game. It’s digital Darwinism in the building supply industry: adapt digitally or risk obsolescence.

PULSE CHECK

We will provide a breakdown of results from dealer’s responses in our next issue.

WORTH READING

• These 10 Trends Are Shaking Up Multifamily Rental Housing: Apartments are shrinking like wool sweaters in a hot wash, remote work is reshaping living rooms into boardrooms, sustainability is becoming the norm, and modular construction plays hard to get in the multi-family housing scene. What did we miss? Oh yes, pet-friendly amenity supplies might just be your next big business opportunity 🐶

• The Rise of Anti-Fingerprint Furniture Finishes: In the world of furniture design, anti-fingerprint technology is making a mark. This trend combines practicality with a sleek aesthetic, offering surfaces that resist smudges and scratches, a popular choice for multifamily settings as they reduce the cleaning required between tenants and leave cabinets looking fresher. For those in the industry, it's a shift worth noting – practical, stylish, and increasingly in demand.

• TikTok for LBM Dealers: Trendy or Trippy? While TikTok might seem like uncharted territory for LBM dealers, its rapidly growing adult user base, averaging more time on the app than YouTube or Facebook, offers a fresh avenue to connect with the next generation of contractors and decision-makers. It's about showcasing your team and products in authentic, short videos that resonate with an online-first audience. The gist? Use TikTok to do what you've always excelled at—building relationships.

FROM OUR PRODUCT TEAM

Streamline invoice management for your customers with projects

Organized invoice viewing: Contractors can now view and group their invoices by job/project reference tags. This feature integrates with your ERP system, ensuring a seamless and accurate reflection of their project finances.

Simplified invoice filtering: Contractors can filter their invoice views based on specific project tags, making it easier for them to track and manage their expenses for each job.

Better manage product variants and display unit of measure on your storefront

Better manage product variants: Our Catalog Manager now lets you easily update and re-rank variant products. This feature includes detailed customization and improved visualization of your product variants.

Enhancements to unit of measure display: A new UI is available for unit of measure on both Dealer Admin and storefronts. It supports custom or standard units, integrates with your ERP, and displays units in both truncated and full forms on product cards and detail pages.

NAIL THE TREND

When we say curb-side delivery, this isn’t what we mean…

@bluemelonco

Yeah we can drop that lumber off. Your responsible for unloading it unless you pay extra. #lumber #framing #construction #builder #buildin... See more

This paint edger might have your customers ditching the tape.

@krugerconstruction

This is one of those products I never thought I’d use but so many had messaged me to try it • Even if you can cut in well this can definit... See more

We really like this style of video from Hamilton Building Supply. A great example of how to highlight unique aspects of your store, like a moulding resource center, on social.

@hamiltonbuildingsupply

🙋🏼‍♀️How’s the moulding resource center at your local box store? Oh that’s right they don’t have one 😢🎻 @hamiltonbuildingsupply we have al... See more

UPCOMING EVENTS

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