August 27 2024
School’s Back and “the boys of summer” are going away
The last couple of weeks, I noticed most, if not all, schools are open and the “boys of summer” are headin’ out of town. And, on a recent weekend trip to the beach and listening to Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer”, I noticed it wasn’t nearly as crowded as it was in July. The seasons play such an integral part of our lives. They also help us signal, perhaps subliminally, that we need to transition to another part of our lives, especially in business. 
As we gear up for the fall, we look at our budgets and ascertain whether or not we’ve exhausted our capital expenditures. Or, for some, July turned the fiscal calendar to a new year, freeing up budgets for capital expenditures. And, even though the political climate plays a role and sometimes sways our decisions pertaining to capital expenditures, experts say that the inflation indicators seem to be slowing down, cooling off as it were. Therefore, despite some trepidations, we need to plan for capital expenditure. So, take stock in your fleet and perhaps prioritize which units need to be replaced or added. And, when money is tight and one can’t afford too many mistakes, it may best to go with manufacturing companies that have been building trailers and specialty vehicles for decades. The last thing you need is to take what limited funds are available, allocating them to a company who may not be able to weather a storm like the one in the early 2000’s. So, how do you choose?
Longevity: See what manufacturing companies have been operating under the same name, the same company and compare all of them.
BBB: Check with the Better Business Bureau for their registered complaint history
References: Call around and ask either customers who’ve bought from the companies you’re considering and ask them about their experiences. If you don’t know of any, then feel free to call the company and ask them for reference. Most companies will only provide you with references who give them good marks, but you just may find they had some issues that “if we had to do over again, we may have gone a different route.” 
Plant Visits: This is a great opportunity to check for yourself the quality and build process of any manufacturers you’re considering. Ask as many questions as you can. Most companies who are committed to quality assurance, are happy to show off their production facilities and products. Talk to the production supervisor. You have to feel comfortable that their build process and commitment to quality are what you demand. 
Down Payment/Financing: Many long standing, well established companies, only require 25% or less for a down payment, even if there’s a decent amount of custom design to be done to your unit(s). If a company is asking 40% or more, proceed with caution and ask as many questions that you need to in order to feel comfortable that this is a partnership that you want to commit your funds to.
At the end of the day, you need to feel comfortable with company(ies) with whom you’re going to be collaborating to update, grow, or start your fleet. Be diligent and be comfortable. You also need to be able manage the deliverables timeline of getting your unit(s) built. Make certain all interested parties have a clear understanding of your needs, timeline, quality/features, and budget. Good luck and happy building.
from your friends at RBD
