The pipes and fittings industry has a promising future with the increase in diverse piping and plumbing applications. Much of the closing in on this demand is and will, however, be a factor of close collaboration between manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and end-user customers. Additionally, electronic purchases will increase from the consistent growth of online portals and cashless payment methods. The development and use of transparent procurement procedures will also keep encouraging these purchases, saving customers the time that they would have otherwise spend filling all the paperwork for every purchase.
Much more, seamless consignment tracking and on-site deliveries will remain a critical element in helping suppliers and distributors boost customer confidence. However, when buying pipes, self-seal insulation, and other fittings online, customers should ensure that the supplier or distributor has a working return policy. Some offer up to 28 days money-back guarantee on any product that turns faulty within this period. But, confirm the number of days you have to “test” the product and ascertain that it meets your project needs.
AI steps in as an even greater help
Pipe and fittings industry has been growing over the years to meet the immediate and future demands for better products in the market. And, yes, there has been extensive in-house research to determine which designs will bridge this gap. Nonetheless, customer recommendations, product reviews, and active site visits have been critical in modelling pipes and fittings of optimal performance. Thanks to advanced e-commerce technology, manufacturers can also use artificial intelligence to study their customers’ purchasing behaviour and use this information to guide their manufacturing process.
With AI, distributors can tailor recommendations for every customer depending on the purchasing history, search results, and industry of specialisation. Manufacturers can then use this information to optimise material acquisition and investment in other manufacturing resources
Collaboration with platers
As The Fabricator notes, it also is crucial that platers and fabricators collaborate in this modelling process to ensure every pipe and fitting achieves corrosion resistance. It, however, may be quite technical for the end-user customer to know the degree of corrosion-resistance of pipes and fittings. Manufacturers, therefore, owe their customers transparency in product descriptions to include the life of every product that they put on sale.
Conclusion: Final crucial checks
As an end-user pipe and fittings customer, there are critical elements you should never ignore. Most importantly, unless you are sure or have successfully used a product before, inquire from the supplier to know whether, how, and for how long it will meet your plumbing needs. Also, follow through to ensure that the supplier and distributor from whom you source pipes, self-seal insulation, and other fittings for your project guarantees product. Also, confirm that every pipe and fitting you purchase meets your local standards for quality, else, you will be risking, among others, having your structures not passing inspection tests.
Further, to reiterate, always check whether your supplier offers a money-back guarantee on every purchase. Equally, study the return policy to know what it does and doesn’t cover.