How to Beat the Tough Times?

For many of us the first information we receive each day is the breakfast news. In these tough times we are constantly reminded about the rising price of fuel, the current rate of inflation being higher than the Government target, the rising cost of raw materials....it goes on. What a way to start the day!

Specifically, in terms of the cleaning and hygiene supplies market, we have seen the price of cotton rise by as much as 300% due to the flooding in Pakistan. The price of oil has forced an increase on to the companies that make polythene sacks. This has also had an effect on the price of certain raw materials that are used in the production of cleaning chemicals.
Additionally, due to the continuous increase in raw materials costs, paper manufacturer, SCA, have also been forced to increase their prices by 5%.

At Smith & Coburn we understand that for many, the cost of cleaning and hygiene products is not that high on the agenda and these prices increases are insignificant. But for some a 5 or 10% rise in prices could be very costly.
So how do we go about helping the customer reduce the impact of the increase, maintain the high levels of service we pride ourselves on, and still provide cost effective products that work?

Just one of the many ways we can help...

• Look at the main spend items - this is usually paper washroom products. For example, selecting a hand drying product that controls the amount of paper dispensed can really help. By moving from traditional C Fold handtowels to Tork Hand Roll Towel you could see a reduction in consumption of over 60% and 63% over Centrefeed rolls! And say you run a contract cleaning company, the Tork Hand Roll Towel system has a lower service cost, as there are longer refill intervals, meaning your staff are more efficient.

We will carry out the trials, a full site survey and even install the dispensers. Our aim is to take this off the hands of the customer, from start to finish.

Furthermore, from a distributor’s perspective, it means we deliver fewer boxes and ultimately use less diesel, which all helps in keeping a control on our costs to service the customer.

Our commitment is to spend time with our customers to ensure that you are buying the best value for money products. We don’t just quote 5p per case cheaper and seek to sell you an inferior product, we look to trial systems to get you the best all round product for the job.

Give us a call - we’d be delighted to help.