IN THIS ISSUE: Opportunities to Shorten Build Cycles | Customized Fleet Vehicles | Process Improvements

In this issue

Every day we’re learning, identifying opportunities to improve our customers' experience, challenging the way we do things and implementing new ideas. It’s Preston Feather’s culture.

We know that if we don’t help our builders shorten build cycles, the availability of homes will get worse and costs will continue to rise. It’s stressful and unprofitable for homeowners, builders and materials suppliers like Preston Feather.

You know the constraints. Labor, subcontractors, material lead times, design changes, moving schedules and market uncertainty.

Out of your control?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

What would happen if we could help our builders shave days, weeks or even months off a project timeline? 

What if we all adapted better? Worked smarter? Helped builders share better/best practices? Trained our suppliers better?

We’re full of ideas, testing new ones and working with our leading pro-builder customers on little (and big) process improvements. Share your ideas with us. Together we can adapt and streamline the build process.

Some things we’re up to:

New contractor “Collaboration” rooms

Traverse City

Harbor Springs

Gaylord

Petoskey

We’ve added more contractor conference room areas in our design showrooms where your projects can be optimized up front. Instead of just doing a blueprint take-off and generating a quote, Preston Feather will coordinate design review and specification meetings with homeowners, designers/architects, builders, engineered components suppliers (wall panels, trusses, floors, beams, etc.), PF product specialists (foundation, framing, windows, doors, cabinetry, decking and more) and other product suppliers. The result? Better plans, smarter use of components, proactive decision making, faster build cycle and lower build costs.

Panelized wall component training services

Getting a home framed and enclosed fast is the key to reducing weather delays, simplifying subcontractor schedules and controlling the climate inside the home for interior finish work. Preston Feather works closely with panel design and manufacturers to help builders optimize residential (custom, semi-custom and standard design) and multi-family/ commercial projects. 

We also help facilitate education for builders to panelize their own components offsite with less labor in controlled conditions. Ask us about arranging a plant tour and meeting with one of our engineered panel manufacturing partners.

Direct shipment services reduce lead times, damage and costs

We’ve been testing expanded direct ship services for more products, focusing on framing packages, engineered wood components, windows and door packages, and more. By eliminating an extra stop to unload, store, re-load and deliver from a Preston Feather facility (vs. direct from our supplier), we reduce lead times and reduce the risk of handling damage.

Our new direct shipment process is coordinated by PF dispatchers and store operations leaders to ensure the job site, staff and equipment is capable for direct shipments. We also send PF staff to assist with the receiving process and handling instructions at the job site. The result is a seamless delivery to our builders with Preston Feather's watchful oversight.

Customized vehicles add flexibility, capacity and reduce labor

We have been piloting new vehicle and equipment designs to keep your projects running on schedule. Our challenge is always matching the material load configuration, vehicle capability and driver skill level to meet our customers’ delivery needs.

Improved scheduling and problem prevention for engineered wood products

To keep our projects on schedule, our builders need the complete “kit” of products required to do the job. This is especially true with floor packages and beams, where the material can’t be installed if the delivery doesn’t include the right hanger and fastening hardware for installation, for example. Our Supply Chain team audited our process and found there many opportunities for errors, resulting in lost days or weeks of critical framing time plus a big ripple effect on the remaining build schedule. Working closely with our engineered wood product suppliers, we developed a new process to review orders and schedules weeks in advance to uncover and address supply issues before they create delays. 

New PF Sales Coordinators help improve schedule coordination

In 2022 Preston Feather began implementing new training and development programs to improve our service levels and capacity to grow with our customers. The old industry model has limited growth and (sometimes) slowed projects down, with most communication through a single outside salesperson for quotes, orders, sourcing, delivery scheduling, product information, questions and troubleshooting. 

Today we’re piloting a new sales coordinator program in all our locations. The results have been very positive so far. Sales coordinators also develop relationships with PMs, get out to job sites, call ahead to help plan material needs, and team with the outside sales staff and inside sales, purchasing and operations teams to keep projects on schedule. 

Streamlined, improved estimating process

First-come, first-served may work in the ice cream shop, but it can really slow down build cycles. This is true when time is spent preparing detailed job estimates when only a rough square foot cost for early design budgeting is needed, or when projects that are not under contract slip ahead of sold projects with firm schedules. Or when the project start date is in six months vs. two months. To address these issues, PF formed a senior leadership team to review estimate schedules weekly, helping expedite or reallocate resources to accelerate the quote process. PF now has three full time estimators, using customized Planswift or Paradigm software, plus simpler tools to generate high level square foot estimates.

Tad Scheiber

Andrew Hamlin

Paul Loubert

Jeff Hills named to inaugural class of the LBM “40 Under 40”

LAKEVILLE, MINN. - LBM Journal, the leading media company serving the lumber/building material industry, has announced that Jeff Hills, Project Leader-Process Improvement at Preston Feather Building Center, has been named to the inaugural class of the LBM 40 Under 40.

“One of the thorniest, and most consistently challenging, issues facing companies across the U.S. is attracting, hiring and retaining young talent,” says Rick Schumacher, executive editor and publisher of LBM Journal. “That’s why we launched the LBM 40 Under 40–to recognize and celebrate the growing class of strong young leaders in the LBM community. It’s an impressive group, and we’re honored to have Jeff Hills as a member of our inaugural class.”

As reported in the June 2023 issue of LBM Journal, Jeff is living, breathing proof that the LBM industry represents an incredible opportunity for young talent to build a rewarding career doing important work. Jeff reminds us that “Being in the lumber business isn’t just selling 2x4s; there are hundreds of different jobs one can do, and the best part is you get to see the output of your company everywhere: local businesses, family homes, and whatever crazy ideas people want to build.”

Reacting to being named as one of the honorees, Jeff stated, “It is an extraordinary feeling to be recognized in the inaugural ’40 Under 40’ class along with so many people doing incredible things! To see the number of young people in leadership positions and making changes to an already wonderful industry is inspirational and humbling at the same time. This program is a great way to show the next generation that they can have an impact early on and have a long, rewarding career in the LBM industry.”