11 July 2019
A prominent construction figure says she will use her new role to finally close the gaps in the supply chain across the industry.
Julie White, the managing director of D-Drill – a leading diamond drilling and concrete sawing company with offices across the UK – has been elected as chair of the Drilling & Sawing Association.
Julie, who has just stepped down as president of the international association – IACDS, has been running D-Drill since she completed a management buy-out in 2008.
Throughout that time, steps have been taken towards getting the construction sector unified along the supply chain however there is still a great deal of work to be done.
Julie said: “I am delighted to take on the role of chair of the Drilling & Sawing Association.
“My father & D-Drill actually set up the Association in the early 1980s when no one had even heard of our trade, so I am very proud to move into this role and to follow in his footsteps.
“I really want to use my time as chair to ensure that companies across our sector understand the benefit of being part of this association and how we can work together to resolve issues that affect us all but also learn from each other too.
“Being one voice and working together in an association can benefit us all as companies in a very specialised sector and can stand up for what we want with standards, qualifications, training/apprentices and quality.
“An issue I intend to lead on is around the supply chain and to find a way to bring everything closer together and ensure that we remove some of the gaps that still exist.
“A classic example of that is the way some of the bigger contractors tap into the services we offer.
“We know that none of our businesses have an absolute right to work with first and second tier contractors – we have to earn it on the quality of services we provide and the value for money we offer.
“However, there is absolutely no doubt that we can add value to developments if we are engaged earlier in the process.
“Very often, the companies in our sector get the call when a project is nearly complete. We can find ourselves cutting openings through walls that may have already been decorated and with brand new carpets on the floor!
“If we were brought into the loop earlier, we could offer advice on what is needed and when, in the process, it should be done.
“It’s just a small example of how the larger contractors could make better use of the expertise of SMEs and would get the whole chain working more efficiently and profitably for everyone.
“I do think progress has been made over the past few years but there is definitely more that can be done.”
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