Out of decorator's caulk by ten
The painter is on the skirting in a hallway and the last tube of caulk runs out. There is no more in the van. The nearest trade counter is twenty minutes away. He goes, buys caulk, and picks up some filler and tape while he is there, paying on his own card. The receipt goes in the van door pocket.
Across the business, every van has a different mix of consumables, some with far too much, some with none, and nobody knows what is spent on them per job.
Why vans run dry
Consumables are cheap individually, used constantly and bought in a hurry. Nobody owns stocking the vans, and nothing links what a job needs to what the van carries.
- There is no standard list of what each van should carry.
- Shortages are noticed when something runs out.
- Top-ups are bought on the way to site, on personal cards.
- Receipts get lost or claimed late.
- Consumable costs are not allocated to jobs.
What the merchant runs cost
Painter time spent driving to the trade counter. Consumables bought at counter prices rather than on your account. Lost receipts and expense claims. And jobs that look more profitable than they are because consumables are not counted.
The trip to the merchant is rarely just for the one item. The painter picks up a coffee, chats at the counter, waits in the queue behind other trades, and gets back to site an hour later. Nobody begrudges it once, but when it happens several times a week across several vans, it is a significant amount of painting time lost.
Consumables also creep. Without a standard list, some vans carry far more than they need, and part-used tubes of caulk and rolls of tape pile up, dry out or get thrown away. A standard list and minimum levels keep enough on each van without turning it into a store.
The van stock system we build
- Each van has a standard list of consumables with a minimum level, set by you: caulk, filler, masking tape, sandpaper, dust sheets, roller sleeves, brushes, stain block, and so on.
- Painters tap to record when they use the last of something or get low, which takes seconds.
- Each week, the system looks at upcoming jobs, for example a job with lots of woodwork needs more caulk, and produces a top-up list per van.
- Top-ups are ordered on your trade account for collection or delivery to the unit, and vans are restocked.
- Any emergency purchases are recorded with a photo of the receipt, against the job.
- Consumable use is allocated to jobs, so you know the real cost of a job.
| Item | Tracked as |
|---|---|
| Caulk and filler | Tubes and tubs per van |
| Masking tape | Rolls per van |
| Sandpaper and abrasives | Packs per van |
| Roller sleeves and brushes | Per van |
| Dust sheets | Per van, returned from jobs |
Fewer trips, fewer receipts
Vans leave on Monday with what the week's jobs need. Painters stay on site. Consumables are bought on account, not on cards. And the real cost of consumables on each job is known.
It also makes new starters easier. A painter joining the business gets a van stocked to the standard list and knows what should be on it, rather than inheriting whatever the last person left behind.
Are your vans running dry?
- Painters drive to the merchant during the day.
- Consumables are bought on personal cards.
- Receipts get lost.
- Vans carry very different stock.
- Consumables are not in your job costs.