{"id":14119,"date":"2022-02-17T01:13:07","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T01:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/17\/enable-will-transform-the-construction-materials-supply-chain\/"},"modified":"2022-02-17T01:13:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T01:13:07","slug":"enable-will-transform-the-construction-materials-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/17\/enable-will-transform-the-construction-materials-supply-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Enable will transform the construction materials supply chain"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The former Jewson and SaintGobain executive, and ex-chair of the UK Builders Merchant Federation, tells us why he\u2019s excited to be part of Enable\u2019s growth journey.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOne critical element of running a large merchant in the UK was rebate management,\u201d says Peter Hindle MBE<\/a>, former Senior Vice President of SaintGobain. \u201cScale economies meant rebate got increasingly complex, and there wasn\u2019t any software available to manage it. We had to use manual systems, with all the risk that entails.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems a startling admission at first, but as Hindle makes clear, it\u2019s a problem that\u2019s endemic across the industry. As the sector has consolidated into a handful of large distributors, manufacturers\u2019 rebates and other incentives have ballooned in size and complexity. As Peter says, \u201cTracking and managing rebate turned into a real science.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new software solution to tackle the rebate problem \u2013 and more<\/h4>\n

For distributors, those bigger incentives should not only translate into greater profitability, but also serve as a fulcrum around which to build collaborative relationships with manufacturers.<\/p>\n

But the problem for Hindle \u2013 and his counterparts at other builders merchants \u2013 was that there was no software to help manage rebate or manufacturer relationships in this way. The internet had transformed the construction industry, bringing new competitors and new technology solutions. But even the newest, cloud-based ERP systems couldn\u2019t cope with the complexity of hundreds of rebate agreements, with different manufacturers, layered across multiple regions, SKUs and branches.<\/p>\n

When Enable CEO Andrew Butt first asked Peter for his advice on growing a rebate management software business, unfortunately, it was 12 years too late for Peter to utilize it. Peter says, \u201cI\u2019d retired from the industry without getting the benefit of using it. But when I saw the Enable system, and introduced it to distributors I know, and saw the benefits they\u2019ve got from it, it\u2019s quite amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping distributors and manufacturers to collaborate for growth<\/h4>\n

Andrew Butt takes up the story. \u201cWe reached out to Peter in 2016, when he\u2019d just stepped down from leading SaintGobain in the UK, Ireland and South Africa,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was a big ask: he\u2019d been the CEO of a multi-billion pound organization, and we only had a couple of customers at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019d started to get traction with distributors, and we thought he could help. And since that day, he\u2019s been instrumental in guiding our strategy, advising our customers, and helping us all to see that this is about much more than managing rebate: it\u2019s about driving real growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because, while at its core Enable is a cloud-based rebate management system that helps distributors track and claim all the rebate they\u2019re owed, its true value is in its ability to promote supply chain collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201cManufacturers and distributors need each other,\u201d says Butt. \u201cBut often there\u2019s a lack of trust between those trading partners. They have different plans, different systems, disconnected data. And even if they do share data, it doesn\u2019t make sense because they\u2019re talking different languages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Hindle agrees. \u201cDistributors have never been able to connect with suppliers in a smart way,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re always arguing about what the rebate number should be, there\u2019s a lack of trust there. You\u2019ll never really get that market share going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enable tackles that problem by creating transparency and real-time visibility of rebate numbers, supporting collaboration and driving mutual growth. And the more ways distributors use it, Hindle says, the more valuable it becomes: \u201cThe real winners are guys that have broadened it from finance down into procurement teams, so they can grow market share together. This system gives all of them greater transparency and a greater chance of winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

A major software success story \u2013 with happy customers at the core<\/h4>\n

The message is getting out, because Enable\u2019s business is growing fast. \u201cJust in the past year we\u2019ve more than doubled our revenues, grew our customer base by 150%+, and closed our Series B funding round<\/a>,\u201d says Butt. \u201cBut most importantly, we\u2019ve never lost our focus on customer service. Every customer we\u2019ve ever signed is still with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while distributors have been the early adopters, Enable is starting to appeal to manufacturers such as Douglas Dynamics and Stemco too. \u201cEffectively, we\u2019re enabling manufacturers to retain and grow a healthy mix of partners who can be their sales and support arm,\u201d says Butt. \u201cAnd that benefits customers as well, because they can get that expert knowledge and support locally. It\u2019s a virtuous cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

An exciting time to be on board at Enable<\/h4>\n

With Enable on a stellar growth path, Peter Hindle says it\u2019s an exciting time to be on board as an advisor \u2013 both to Enable and to its customers. \u201cEnable is evolving fast from a finance system to a collaboration system to a system with the potential to transform the way the whole construction materials supply chain operates,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019d say the future\u2019s bright.\u201d<\/p>\n

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