With a surge in population and the challenges of COVID dissipating, the Australian and New Zealand economies are growing.
Travelling around our cities and regions, there's an unprecedented investment in infrastructure - both the building of new roads, hospitals and housing, and the maintenance of existing ones.
With growth comes opportunity
With a population projected to hit 36 million by 2050, investment in industry, essential services, and infrastructure will need to keep pace. And as it does, the corresponding demand for personal protection equipment (PPE) and safety gear will also grow.
A classic example from history….. the California gold rush, as we've all heard, made many people rich. But it wasn’t always the people you'd assume....
Levi Strauss prospered not by finding gold, but by pivoting from selling dry goods to manufacturing workwear. Recognising a need, he ultimately created a new industry in support of the hardworking prospectors around him.
And just like Levi Strauss, PPE & Safety equipment suppliers will have significant opportunities in the construction years ahead.
Workplace Health & Safety is non-negotiable
The building of new (and maintaining of current) houses, roads, hospitals, schools, and aged care facilities will necessitate a vast array of personal protection and safety equipment.
Mining and renewables will have similar, non-negotiable safety requirements mandated across all activities.
PPE & Safety suppliers will do well to ensure they’ve got the right digital capability to take advantage of this future opportunity. Those who don't, will likely miss out.
Industry leaders are already on this journey, but their challengers are right behind them.
Why digital capability matters to PPE & Safety
Construction and mining may not evoke thoughts of “high tech”, but these industries are best served by those with a good degree of digital and automation sophistication.
Consider the strict governance that mining operations have over what their various site personnel wear. Everyone in high-vis, certainly - but you’ll often find visiting contractors in one colour vest, crew in another, and supervisors in yet another.
To efficiently service these customers, a supplier’s ecommerce platform needs to anticipate the correct product types and access levels based on the logged in user, the worksite they’re ordering for, and so on.
Consider also the level of complexity involved in supplying workwear and uniforms with custom embroidered logos or names. For a construction firm with this requirement, a supplier with a platform that caters for bespoke ordering needs will be far easier to do business with than their competitors.
To supply customers in mining, construction, and other industrial sectors today, there’s a minimum requirement where B2B commerce capability is concerned.
Just like the businesses you’re outfitting, if you want to be a PPE & Safety supplier of choice, you need to show up equipped with the right tools.
Industry leaders - and challengers - turn to us
When a PPE & Safety order isn’t delivered to a site on time, work stops.... in many cases WH&S mandates it. A small error in an order can have much larger repercussions, slowing down a multi-million (or even billion) dollar project.
Efficient, reliable suppliers are a must for these operations to run smoothly.
Over the years, the most recognisable names in PPE & Safety have turned to Commerce Vision for B2B ecommerce.
Major brands such as RSEA, Bunzl, Paramount Safety, and DNC Workwear have all been able to accelerate their businesses - in part by choosing the right B2B ecommerce partner.
B2B is more than just an ordering portal
Industry leaders are those who lift the value proposition.
Those who shift from simply offering product X at price Y, to offering commerce capability and a level of service that their competitors can't or won’t. They do this largely via digital and automation tools, and by partnering with the people who are experts at using them.
From custom catalogues, to PunchOut, to custom embroidery..... the level of B2B ecommerce functionality required is one half of the equation. The other is finding and partnering with those who have a deep understanding of business process and logic; those who are expert at implementing this B2B technology.
To rise from challenger to leader in the industry, PPE & Safety wholesalers and distributors must make doing business easy for their customers. By removing friction and streamlining B2B commerce, they allow the customers they serve to get on with the job.
If you’re involved in PPE & Safety or would like to know more about being ‘Powered by Commerce Vision’, let’s talk!