Construction Brothers Early Supply Chain Engagement (feat. Ernie Maschner)
Aug 3, 2022
35:10
Supply-chain challenges are certainly nothing new, but they’ve grown increasingly complicated over the last few years. Today we discuss how you as a contractor can approach these challenges whether you’re working on a local and global scale. We get several helpful supply-chain insights from our guest Ernie Maschner. Ernie has been an influential presence in the construction industry for more than 30 years. He now works as a VP with Victaulic, a manufacturer of engineered couplings and valves. Ernie is also involved with a few industry organizations that seek to address global supply chain issues. Here are a few of the things we touch on in our conversation:
- The importance of communicating with all supply-chain parties as early as possible
- Industry organizations that seek to help contractors navigate today’s supply chain challenges - Ernie refers to these three: The Construction Industry Institute, The Design Build Institute of America, The Water Collaborative Delivery Association
- How human, political, and social dynamics affect the supply chain - For example: Why does the availability of asphalt in Brazil follow a two-year cycle? Ernie learned the answer while working on projects related to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
- How some progressive contractors write up contracts that allow for the increasing unpredictability of markets
- A $50 billion (yes, billion) modular construction project in Kazakhstan that involved modules the size of small hotels
- The cultural factors that affect people’s attitudes toward prefabrication and modular construction
- Ernie’s megaphone message: We need to work together in a fair way. Collaborative project delivery produces better results in the end.