Masonry Magazine December 2004 Page. 53
News
News continued from page 52
Instructor Certification: The Bedrock of Quality Craft Training
Now celebrating two decades of success, the International Masonry Institute's (IMI) Instructor Certification Program (ICP) has achieved some notable milestones. A program that started with a few dozen IMI training instructors now reaches several hundred participants each year and covers all the crafts represented by the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC).
Requirements for the 200-hour teacher training program, which takes at least five years to complete, have become equally sophisticated. Attuned to the practical needs of local Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees and the masonry industry in general, the program's evolution has also proved a boon to BAC members at all career levels. A hallmark of the ICP approach is a standardized approach to craft training, which provides a critical level of expertise to BAC trained craftworkers.
The ICP program consists of three types of courses: professional courses concentrating on instructional skills and knowledge; courses focusing on technical skills, including new technology, practices and standards, and materials and equipment; and seminars and special workshops on key topics, such as new materials and techniques being introduced into the industry.
IMI's Supervisory Certification Program is offered in a train-the-trainer format to allow rapid disbursement throughout the BAC.
News continued on page 56
Pay Your Bills before They are Due
MASONRY NEWS CONTRACTOR TIP
Is it better to wait full-term to pay your bills, to squeeze a few more days out of paying a vendor, maybe earn a little more interest on your money? Or is it better to bite the bullet and pay your bills even before they are due? At Lang Masonry, I have found the contractor who pays their bills on time gets preferred treatment in material delivery.
Imagine this: You're a dispatcher at a local block supplier, and you have 12 loads of block to get out today. Who will you deliver the first loads of block to? Obviously, the contractor who pays their bills the quickest will get first priority. That's what I would do if I were the supplier, and whether we realize it or not, it's what our suppliers are doing now. Or, maybe there is a certain type of block that is really low in stock. A contractor who pays their bills on time needs this block, and so does a contractor who has strung his account out over 60 days on his past orders. Who is going to get that block? The slow-pay contractor will be the one waiting.
As contractors, we need to consider the whole picture when conducting our business. Do we want to call to see where the materials are and get the normal excuses? Ones like: you didn't get your order in on time, one of the trucks broke down, or a driver didn't show up today. This waiting on materials costs our companies thousands of dollars each year. In fact, lost production time waiting for materials costs us much more than we could possibly save on interest by holding our suppliers' money an extra few days. Let's look at this from the supplier's standpoint. Isn't it fairest that whoever takes longer to pay their bills should wait longer to get their materials? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think so.
At Lang Masonry Contractors, when we bid a job, we factor in how quickly we will get paid into our bid. If we expect to have to wait on our money, we price it higher to the owners or general contractors who pay their bills slower. I'm guessing the material suppliers do the same thing. This means if you're not paying your bills on time, you are probably paying more for your materials without even knowing it.
And how about the price we pay for equipment? Equipment dealers sell equipment at a much lower price when they know they can count on receiving their money at the end of the month. This is almost like waving $100 bills in their faces.
We don't even wait until bills are due to pay them; we process and pay them as we receive them. This saves us paying our accounts payable department for sifting through late notices. Many suppliers offer a discount for paying early as well.
So the next time your foreman calls because the supplier didn't show up and now his men are standing around waiting on materials, check with your accounts payable department. Make sure they are paying your bills on time. I think you will find a direct link between how you pay your bills and how you receive your materials. You can make your company more efficient and profitable by paying your bills earlier. In turn, it increases your credibility and also allows you to take advantage of any discounts offered by suppliers.