By Frank Andorka, Editorial Director
There are literally millions of websites to help people find the perfect partner. But the majority of those sites are useless to solar contractors looking to find manufacturing companies they can count on to help during installations.
While Solar Power World isn’t able to direct you to a solar-specific site, we did canvass some of the Solar Power World Top 250 Contractors — your peers — to find out how these successful companies choose their manufacturing partners. Using their criteria, this often-arduous task may become a little easier for you.
Price Matters
For Ken Long, president of Solular Energy in Marlton, N.J., price is the most important part of picking an effective product partner.
“We use a few criteria to make our decisions,” Long says. “We look at the warranty, age of the company and its reputation. But most of all, we’re focused on the price at which they can deliver their products.”
When determining which manufacturer has the overall lowest cost, it’s not only about the components themselves. Installers should factor the cost of labor into their decisions.
“Once we’ve vetted a supplier, we begin to look for products that will provide us with the lowest installed cost,” says Dave Wood, director of the Renewable Energy Group at Helix Electric in San Diego. “Typically, we can’t determine how much it will actually cost until we’ve performed a time-motion study on the product,” he says. “We’re thorough because we want to deliver what we say we’re going to deliver to the customer.”
Mike Craig, operations manager for Stealth Solar in Phoenix, says it’s not the upfront price he worries about — the overall value a partner can bring to a project may be worth paying more initially.
“We search for the best value we can find for every component,” Craig says. “Sometimes we go with a more expensive product if it’s easier to install because the labor savings outweigh the additional expense.”
Long suggests installers have multiple suppliers to ensure they can get the specific products when they need them. This is particularly true for commercial projects, given their complexity, he adds.
Talking About A Reputation
In a rapidly changing industry like solar, a company’s reputation is crucial. The longer a company has been in business, the more attractive it becomes as a partner.
“Each manufacturer is vetted to determine the company’s financial stability, manufacturing processes and delivery capacity,” says Helix’s Wood. “We like to use the highest-quality and best-performing products on the market, so the final step of our selection process is researching efficiency rating and performance characteristics of the equipment.”
The stability of a company is paramount to Helix’s vetting process. After all, solar arrays are designed to stand the test of time, so the companies that produce the components also should, Woods adds.
But just because a company has a good reputation doesn’t mean it’s perfect for every project. Installers need to build relationships with a variety of manufacturers and distributors to customize their product selection.
“We work with a range of suppliers and partners to find the optimal solution for each project,” says James Marlow, CEO and founder of Radiance Solar. “No one can do it all in this fast-paced environment.”
With so many different products in the market, no single manufacturer can offer the best value on everything, Stealth’s Craig says. “We haven’t found a one-size-fits-all supplier,” he adds.
“Solar equipment performs differently in different environments,” Woods says. “We choose our equipment partners on a project-by-project basis.”
Build A Support System
Once installers finish projects, they want to know: Will this company back me up if there’s a problem? Or will we find ourselves with angry customers and no recourses to make it right?
Those questions are essential to examine before you choose a supplier partner.
“We work with people, not companies, and doing what you say you will isn’t as common as we would like,” Marlow says. “We want to work with smart, creative problem solvers who will help us achieve the fast turnarounds that our dynamic, hyperactive industry requires.
“We want to do business with people we enjoy, so we can do business with them over a long period,” he adds. “The warrantees all sound the same, but the quality of support and service varies greatly between average vendors to true, quality professional partners.”
Long says customer service isn’t as important to him as technical assistance once the solar installation is complete.
“We don’t want to feel abandoned,” Long says. “Technical assistance is crucial once the products are in the field.”
If a manufacturer won’t tell you how their products performed under test conditions, walk away — and don’t look back.
“Not all companies are as transparent as you think,” Stealth’s Craig says. “We generally stick to companies that are dedicated to supplying and assisting in our scope of work. If we need spec sheets, we go to suppliers who will provide them. If we need product recommendations, we’ll find suppliers who work with the manufacturers to get the answers.
“It really takes the heat off of our company if the product is the wrong one for a project,” Craig adds.
In the end, installers should choose suppliers who make their lives easier.
“We have hung our hat on being a ‘no change-order’ company,” Craig says. “We expect our suppliers to help us keep it that way.”
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