Metal Heads’ Streamlined Estimating Keeps Pipeline Filled

“80% of our jobs we get through PlanHub. I send about 30 estimates per week and we have about 50 jobs going at all times.”  – John Thomspon,  Chief estimator, Metals Heads

Summary

Challenges

• Expanding the customer base
• Finding new opportunities in the region
• Time consuming preparation of estimates

Solution

• Ability to search for subs and directly connect
• Access to project documentation
• Fast turnaround

Results

• Get 80% of jobs through PlanHub
• Send 30 estimates a week
• Keeps 50 active projects going at all times

Challenges

Located in Baldwin County, Alabama, Metal Heads is a metal roofing supplier, serving customers all across the Gulf Coast and southeast United States.  John Thomspon, the chief estimator for the Metals Heads has been in the business for decades. He explains that the manufacturing equipment for metal roofing costs $1 million plus, so making sure that the facility is running at capacity is vital. 

The company has loyal customers that they work with on a regular basis, but tracking down new business job by job was slow and painstaking. Not only was it hard to find new prospects, but getting to the right person in charge of decision making could be difficult.

Thompson says that they were looking for a solution to ensure that they kept their pipeline filled at all times, when they found PlanHub.

“We have around fifty active jobs at any given time. It is important to keep sending out estimates to keep up with demand for roofing and make sure we’re not going idle.”

Solution

Now, Thompson uses PlanHub to find potential jobs to bid on, using filters to search for the right jobs in his region. When he finds one, he can instantly access and download project documents to prepare estimates.

One of the big benefits is that once he’s prepared his estimate, he can send the estimates directly to the relevant decision makers instantly.

“They typically get back to me within 24-28 hours. It’s a very efficient way to drive new business.”

Results

“We’re still new with PlanHub, but I’d say we get ] 80% of our new jobs through the platform,”

say Thomspon. He sends a whopping 30 estimates out every week and the company has 50 active projects going at all times. Thompson explains that PlanHub is key to their strategy for growth in a volatile economy.

“Right now, only 30% of our jobs are commercial. We’d like to grow that segment because commercial jobs are usually larger than residential. PlanHub is already helping us get new commercial contacts and bring in revenue.”

Learn more about Metals Heads, Inc by visiting their website.