YOUR LOCAL WELDING SUPPLY DISTRIBUTOR?
I CALL IT THE “AGE OF INCOMPETENCE”...(THERE IS A SONG TITLE IN THERE?
ONE BUSINESS MAN'S OPINION
Your local-yokel welding supply distributor, like every other business,
is in business to make a profit. You, as a customer with your welding
machine, are in his way.
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1. The most profitable item he sells is gas. You buy gas by the
Cubic Foot, but will never get all the gas you paid for. Therefore,
The first job every day is to take orders for gas.
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2. The second most profitable is either welding rod ( for every 100
pounds of rod you buy, you throw away 40 pounds, flux, stubs, and splatter.)
or gloves and other welding-related products. You walk in, buy the product,
pay for it, and then don't return until you need to buy something else.
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3. After picking the "low-hanging fruit", it's time to sell more gas
and welding rods.
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4. Take orders for everything on the floor and in the warehouse.
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5. Take orders for items, parts, and machines that have to be ordered in.
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6. From a businessman's view, welding machine sales and service are a cost of doing business, a necessary evil. Percentage-wise, they are low profit compared to anything else he sells, even if he can get the full list price. Most major suppliers will pay truck freight to the distributor or customer. The customer expects the machine to be serviced, fueled, battery-charged, and load tested. You just shelled out $30,000 for a machine with a 36-week warranty on the welder end only. If you have an engine problem, you have a 24 or 36-month engine warranty, so you must find an OEM repair center. If you have a Kubota, you cannot get service on your engine from a Kubota Tractor authorized service center. If you have a complete engine, what is covered under warranty (such as removing and reinstalling the engine in the welder), fuel, oil filters, and everyday wear items? Do you have proof that you did not destroy the engine from abuse? They may require a written diary of engine service dates.
I once spoke with a Mitsubishi service shop and asked the service manager what their policy was on major engine issues with their industrial engines. His answer was a classic "we never have major problems with our engines!" Luckily, I was able to stifle a laugh until I had hung up on him.
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I am not asking you to give up your local welding supply; instead, try to understand life from his point of view. Every retail business has the same problems. He has invested his money and life into the company to serve you. Margins are tight and getting tighter. Labor and taxes are exploding; there is very little he can do about that. Everybody has turned into an Amazon shopper. The only thing he can offer is service and what you need that he has on the shelf.
In a retail operation, if the owner pays $1.00 for an item, the minimum he can sell it for is $2.00. Even with a dollar gross profit, it may not cover his expenses to keep it on the shelf.
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Go in there and buy something from him! If you are lucky, there is typically one guy who is worth talking to, usually an older dude, thick glasses, white hair, maybe smoking a cigarette, and every other word comes out as "son-of-a bitch". Make friends with him, especially if you ask him a question and he responds "I don't know, but I'll find out!" He has been there, done it , and probably has a T-shirt!
WHAT DOES FACTORY AUTHORIZED SERVICE MEAN?
I have customers all over the world. What amazes me is when I talk to welding supply people. They have little or no real training. The welding equipment repair industry is unique in many different ways. You call your manufacturer's service department, and you get a sharp young man, fresh out of engineering school, and you need help on a diesel drive machine built in 1979, he's never seen one! Try to explain
