At The L.E. Smith Company, we have the privilege of working with clients from a number of different segments. They include residential and commercial builders, casework/millwork cabinet shops, and kitchen and bath retailers.
Recently, we had the privilege of partnering with a casework company to submit a packaged quote for a large commercial project. Rather than dividing their efforts and manufacturing the entire quote for cabinetry and surfaces, the casework company chose to partner with L.E. Smith. This allowed them to focus on the cabinet portion of the project that would increase their profit margins.
The Quoting Stage
As with any large commercial job, our team completed the quote over a year in advance of the actual project start date. Typically, the quoting process for large projects includes several rounds of addendums and changes to the original quote. These revisions can extend the process for months before a bid is officially awarded. This project was no different. Our team, in partnership with the casework company, submitted the first quote in November of 2016. We were not officially awarded the project until May of 2017.
The final quote, which was for over $1.1 million of product and field services, was to support the construction of a new hospital. Completed in sections, the project was broken down by products, floors, rooms, wings and colors. From there, six different solid surface colors were quoted along with one laminate color.
Choosing the right material
Regardless of the size of the project, L.E. Smith is always concerned with helping our clients choose the right material for the job. Sometimes, clients know exactly what they want, but other times our team will provide recommendations that align with the project aesthetics, requirements and budget. This project was hard specified, but we were able to work with the nation’s leading solid surface manufacturer to value engineer the most used color on the project.
This commercial job was for a large hospital, so solid surface was the clear winner. Not only are solid surfaces anti-microbial, they are also often fabricated and installed with no seams. Solid surface products that L.E. Smith quoted, fabricated, measured and installed for the hospital included:
- Wall clads
- Window sills
- Baseboards
- Nurse station desks wrapped, including contoured fronts and sides
- Header walls
- Thermoformed vanities
- Patient room countertops
- Countertops for other areas of the hospital, including radiology
- Laminate PVC edge tops
LES Tac Team focused on services
In addition to providing materials for the hospital’s countertops and surfaces, L.E. Smith also provided a variety of services to ensure everything ran smoothly. A project manager was assigned to oversee the project and address any issues on-site. Templating, fabrication and installation services were also provided by L.E. Smith.
Weekly Tac Team meetings were also held at L.E. Smith to discuss progress on the hospital project and troubleshoot any potential issues that could impact the project. This team, comprised of internal personnel from each department involved in the project, was tasked with ensuring all processes and communications were in place to ensure the client received the best possible customer service.
Industry-leading turn times
With an original completion date of August 2018, the hospital project was almost a year behind schedule before L.E. Smith even began work on the fabrication of countertops and surfaces. Since we are responsible for one of the final stages of the project, it was up to us to help make up for lost time.
As soon as the Tac Team become aware of the urgent need for an accelerated time table, they began pulling in resources and preparing. With the help of the entire team, as well the support of our amazing supplier partners, L.E. Smith was able to reduce our typical lead time of 2+ weeks for solid surface orders. We cut our typical lead time by 50 percent and, on rush needs, down to as little as 24 hours within receiving final measurements. As a result, the project was able to wrap up in time for hospital staff to begin seeing patients as scheduled.
A sense of accomplishment
At L.E. Smith, we work as a team to get the job done. In addition to our internal team, we also consider ourselves a partner to every one of our clients. We enjoy seeing and talking about the products that we have the opportunity to fabricate and install in all settings. Every win for our client is a win for the L.E. Smith Company, and also a sense of accomplishment for the employees who contributed to, or supported, the efforts made to get the job done.
If you are interested in partnering with L.E. Smith on your next project, contact our sales team at insidesales@les.com or call 419-293-5027.
