The unintended benefit of this journey was a realization that quality Building Products drive productivity in the field. For wire-based products, the impact of quality is obvious and immediate. Oily, rusty, or tangle-prone wire slows down rebar crews. “Hard” wire drives fatigue and further reduces productivity. Those are just “first level” consequences of poor quality products. Tangle-prone rolls get discarded. Short-weight boxes reduce feet per roll and result in fewer ties per box. Wire in cheap or oily boxes gets scrapped after the package falls apart in the truck. These quality driven “second level” consequences have a snowball effect and begin to impact the bottom-line of contractors and distributors. All too often, they are hidden or dismissed. Productivity is sacrificed for cheaper unit cost. Decision-makers think they are saving money on material costs and, without realizing it, are damaging jobsite performance and therefore profitability.

In the meantime, the demands of the marketplace changed and MAR-MAC’s focus changed with it. As the product offering expanded with the introduction of CONTRACTOR Concrete Construction Products, the emphasis on understanding the user’s needs did not change. Though it served a simple purpose, tie wire still needed to perform effectively in the field. Nail stakes are a relative afterthought until they collapse or mushroom and work grinds to a halt while someone gets a different box. Anchor bolts need to be of true diameter and grade to sustain specified loads. Even something as simple as a duplex nail has to function as intended for work to progress smoothly and safely – heads have to be on center and can’t fail during removal.

Often the quickest route to reducing material costs is reducing material itself. Steel is bought and sold by the pound. If you can reduce the steel in a product, you can sell it cheaper. “3/4 inch” stakes that should measure 0.75 inches begin to measure 0.74 inches, then 0.72 inches. Tie wire gets shipped at 3.2 pounds per roll rather than the standard 3.5 pounds. Competitive pressures are real and the marketplace responds.

MAR-MAC has resisted these pressures and refused to play the game. Our commitment to quality and integrity has endured. Our experience has proven that the products we offer impact the ability of construction professionals to get the job done right and on time. To provide them with less than they expect would be a disservice at best and dishonest at worst. To that end, we have applied the same emphasis on product quality we learned from developing MAR-MAC PREMIUM Tie Wire those many years ago to all of our products, whether manufactured or sourced elsewhere. Where specifications didn’t exist, we created them. In the absence of standard product testing protocols, we invented our own. We took our test data and partnered with our suppliers to drive evidence-based improvement initiatives.

Quality matters beyond the “feel good” lip service it normally gets paid. It matters in dollars and cents. The smart construction professional realizes this and makes the smart choice when it comes to Building Products.