The value of long-term partnerships

At Advanced Piping Systems, our customers’ unique needs are as diverse as the products we stock and services we deliver.

No matter the type of job that flows through our pipeline, we’re committed to ensuring that each one is delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards.

To do this, our promise to our customers is that we will always provide:

Assurance — you can rely on our deep technical knowledge to help you at every stage.
Speed — we’ll go out of our way to ensure that your delivery is always on time; and
Expertise — trust our strong supplier and transport relationships to work in your favour.

This promise doesn’t live on a piece of framed parchment paper in our boardroom; we live our customer promise every day.

In 2020, we had the opportunity to quote and tender for a leading company operating within Australia’s mining industry.

By delivering on our customer promise, we’ve become long-term partners, and over the past two years have delivered several multi-million-dollar projects with their procurement team.

To help understand the value of long-term partnerships in business, this company’s Supply Chain and Procurement Manager agreed to share their thoughts on what makes our relationship so successful.

Delivering on the customer promise

The company contacted Advanced Piping Systems after identifying a need for a supplier that could manufacture made-to-order manifolds to connect pipework to its temperature control equipment, as well as supply general pipework products and accessories, within tight timeframes.

“We first engaged Advanced Piping Systems in 2020,” they said.

“We have a strong procurement policy, requiring us to obtain three quotes before entering a tender process.

“There aren’t many jobs we undertake which aren’t time critical, and with numerous jobs on the go at any one time, mobilisation to a mine site with an in-depth project plan that allows us to know, ahead of schedule, when our product is arriving, is crucial.

“So, at the end of the day, the supplier we choose ultimately comes down to lead time and price.

“The fact that Advanced Piping Systems had stock in the country, whereas the other two companies bidding did not, definitely helped Advanced Piping Systems win the job.

“It was clear that they were a forward-thinking company and planned ahead.”

After winning the initial contract, throughout 2020, Advanced Piping Systems continued to supply fabrications and products, as well as project management, quality assurance and pressure testing for another two jobs.

“At the end of 2020, after reviewing the three jobs that were delivered and assessing them from a procurement standpoint, the level of detail that Advanced Piping Systems supplied us with was outstanding,” they said.

“Everything — including the photos of all the pipework on the truck — there couldn’t have been any other information they could have provided us with.”

Becoming a valued partner

The company has a preference for developing long-term relationships with reliable suppliers who understand its urgent needs.

In 2021, after completing an additional four jobs for the company, Advanced Piping Systems were rewarded for consistency and reliability by becoming one of its valued partners.

“Advanced Piping Systems are a really easy company to deal with,” they said.

“Melvin, our sales contact, is terrific and nothing is ever too hard for him.

“Josh, the Estimator, has really impressed us with his approach, and his attention to detail.

“He has been able to shift schedules to meet high demand and worked with us to make sure our deadlines were met.

“Caleb just went beyond our expectations from a management point of view, even offering better drawings of our manifolds.

“He worked with our engineers to design new models, listening to what we want, understanding the urgency, delivering all the information that we need to provide mine sites.”

Delivering extra value

At Advanced Piping Systems, our strong supplier relationships and commitment to delivering projects of the highest standard for our customers means we’re constantly finding innovative ways to add value.

For this company, it meant streamlining their shipments and reducing the number of distributors they were dealing with, to enable them to meet deadlines.

“Advanced Piping Systems were able to deliver materials like the nuts and bolts, which we were previously ordering through other companies,” they said.

“If we send Advanced Piping Systems our biller’s materials, they’re able to supply it all.

“It’s a real value-add, having all of those additional items and materials along with our pipework, in one shipment.

“They do the job of three or four of our other suppliers.

“We love the fact that we can go straight to Advanced Piping Systems and we don’t need to go to a distributor, there’s a cost benefit in that.”

From valued partner to #1 supplier

The long-term partnership with Advanced Piping Systems extends beyond providing value for its procurement team; with the company’s engineers and installers in the field complementing the quality of Advanced Piping Systems’ products.

“The experience from our people in the field on the quality of the product is that it has been a standout,” they said.

“We’ve got this great quality product now, and Advanced Piping Systems have become our number one preferred supplier.”

Experience the Advanced Piping Systems’ customer promise for yourself. Contact our experienced customer service team today to see how we could add value to your company.