Purchasingrss

  • Builders Reassess Their Supply Chains

    The recent departure of Paul Dodge, Centex Homes' vice president of purchasing and distribution since 1998, calls attention to the increasing volatility of supply-chain management among big builders that, in several cases, are scaling back and centralizing that function within their operations...

  • Standard Pacific Choosing Regional Suppliers

    This week, Standard Pacific Homes' 25 divisions in eight states are scheduled to vote online for their preferences of suppliers in several product categories. This is an intermediary step towards Standard Pacific establishing uniform regional assortments for its purchasing agents. This vote...

  • Raising the Bar

    Buildtopia has finally delivered the sophisticated cost control, purchasing, and management features that builders have been looking for in its Web-based system.

  • Vertical Integration

    Four of Canada's leading modular home builders have formed a purchasing organization, the Building Materials Buying Cooperative (BMBC).

  • Why Leave Value on the Table?

    AFTER A RECENT COMPANY SALES meeting, many of our top performers told me that they were spending less time with the purchasing agents at our home builder clients.

  • It's a Process

    THE LATEST RELEASE FROM BUILDER MT aims to help home builders run their day-to-day sales, purchasing, and jobsite operations more effectively.

  • Power in Numbers

    INSPIRED BY ITS SUCCESS IN pooling purchasing power, a group of Northern Virginia custom builders is helping others start their own purchasing cooperatives.

  • No Surprises

    IT'S TOUGH LOVE, HOME building style. While many builders will start construction before all the materials are bought, figuring they'll finish the purchasing details later, one family-owned builder has a strict policy against doing just that.

  • On The Fast Track

    Use these tips for a FAST implementation:

  • Power Purchasing

    Recently, BUILDER went out into the field to analyze the complete purchasing process—from negotiating better discounts with vendors to designing back-office purchasing systems. Through our extensive survey and field report, we bring you an industry blueprint for controlling purchasing costs.

  • Purchasing Handbook

    Builders told us loud and clear that improving their purchasing operations is a top priority this year. Use these seven trends and tips gleaned from our 2004 Purchasing Survey to control costs, streamline paperwork, and improve your bottom line.

  • Cost Control

    Price is the third most important quality to builders when choosing a supplier, according to Builder's 2004 Purchasing Survey, but most aren't doing what they could to ensure their company gets the most competitive pricing available.

  • Culture Shock

    For Artery Homes in Bethesda, Md., changing its business processes to manage an automated system based on issuing purchase orders to subcontractors instead of receiving invoices presented more challenges than the actual technology.

  • End Game

    How do you make sure that tons of lumber, windows, frame systems, and roof tiles arrive at the worksite in the right amounts, colors, and condition, so they don't slow the rapid pace of production?

  • Committee Members

    This year in Las Vegas our reporter shadowed a builder to find out what builders think about when they research products and how they decide what products to purchase for their homes.

  • Warming Trend

    Underneath the snow and ice, something quite hot is happening at the suburban St. Paul development of Dancing Waters.

  • Option Plan

    Van Metre's purchasing software is part of a company-wide “operational” system. Here are some things the software designers kept in mind when it came to putting together their very own system.

  • Easy Upgrades

    Van Metre's software system has been designed to save time for the homeowner, and time and money for the builder.

  • Editor's Notes: Pennies from Heaven

    It's hard to think of a topic that means more to the health and profitability of home building companies.

  • Upgraded Bidding

    BuildTopia recently launched version 3.5 of its online construction management system. The new release improves the purchasing management and bidding features for both builders and subcontractors.