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Production Coordinator
At Foster Remodeling Solutions, Inc., Lorton, Va., nobody worries whether the excavation will be done when promised or the cabinets delivered to the job site on time or the dumpster trucked away when it should be. Why? Because all those tasks are handled in-house by a materials and equipment coordinator.
David Foster created the position eight years ago to assure tight control over scheduling for his company's remodeling jobs. It's been a great success. "Scheduling is much better than it used to be," says Foster. Jobs start on time and experience few delays during production due to late delivery of long-lead items. The materials and equipment coordinator is "the busiest guy in the company," says Foster, working 50 hours a week on average. A former concrete company employee, the coordinator uses Foster's Bobcat to dig the foundations and do rough grading for all jobs.
He also pours the concrete. During production, when a lead carpenter is ready to install cabinets and other products, he tells the coordinator. The coordinator loads these products, along with necessary tools and equipment, into a secure container at Foster's staging warehouse, trucks the container to the job site and drops it off. He uses the same flatbed, forklift truck to haul dumpsters to and from jobs. On those rare occasions when the coordinator has free time, he pitches in as a carpenter's helper.
Together with the production manager, the coordinator sets up his weekly schedule. He often starts early in the day -- "to stay ahead of the carpenters," says Foster -- and works late to haul dumpsters or finish pouring concrete. The coordinator's hours are billed to the jobs where he works.
Though the coordinator averages 10 overtime hours a week, the pay for this carpenter-level employee is worth it to maintain efficiency, says Foster. Lead carpenters don't have to twiddle their thumbs waiting for materials to arrive. The company can easily juggle dig times around bad weather, assuring that foundations are completed quickly so construction can start. Foster avoids the high costs and reliability problems of contracting excavation companies for additions. Besides, owning the coordinator's equipment means Foster doesn't have to pay rental fees on it.
Liability problems are averted when foundation work is completed quickly, too. Kids can fall into foundation holes that sit open, and rain that accumulates in open holes can cause basement problems later, explains Foster; his company avoids those snares. Foster markets his company's system, pointing out to prospects that it's unusual for a remodeling company to have heavy equipment and a full-time materials and equipment coordinator preparing and servicing job sites. Foster's employees value the service too. The coordinator recently took a vacation. "He got a big hug when he got back," Foster says.
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Official Charity of 2008
Remodelers Advantage Inc.
535 Main Street, Suite 211
Laurel, MD 20707
ofc: 301-490-5620
fax: 301-498-6869
Info@RemodelersAdvantage.com