SurfaceFabrication.com |

WORKING IN THE SHOP

One reason that accounts for a lot of the shop's success is the 17 dedicated employees of Supreme Surface who work hard enough to make sure that the shop has never had to subcontract work out. "That's one of the things that we really pride ourselves on," said Munro. "We have the employees and we're one of those companies out there who will never use an independent subcontractor."

Most of the employees at Supreme Surfaces are installers or work in the shop directly with the fabrication process as either a fabricator or installer specializing in one aspect of the process. While Munro welcomes employees who want to skip around and learn more than just one part of the business, most employees will only work in one field at a time as a fabricator, templator, tile worker or installer, with at least one person on each installation familiar with on-site fabrication should anything go wrong.

Sometimes indifferent things do occur, but that's not a problem for the shop because the shop always has enough capacity freed up if a remake is necessary, which will arrive by the next morning at the latest but usually that afternoon.

"Our system is quite unique relative to most of the other shops," said Munro. "In most other shops, people both fabricate and install. For us, our people specialize in specific aspects and we never overbook ourselves because adversity happens."

WORLDWIDE MANAGEMENT

When it comes to managing the fabrication, Munro has developed his own software that can be reached, updated and accessed live on the Internet from anywhere. The job management system used in the shop is based on a File Maker, a database management software program.

"I wanted something that was truly custom to the way we were doing things here, and I wanted to know enough about it so that as my business grew and changed I could modify the program without being locked into something I didn't really understand," said Munro. "We're an Internet-based company. Everything we do is live on the Internet for every employee, and it doesn't matter if we're at the Indianapolis location or the Greenwood location or at home or in Columbus. I think that's helped us a lot."

Munro has worked for years to develop this custom-tailored program with something workable always there while he made the program as efficient as possible. "I think I had something we were utilizing about three weeks after I bought the program," said Munro. "It really turned into something rather significant after about a year, but it's one of those things that is a work in progress and will continue to be a work in progress."

Even if a job doesn't make it to the shop floor, it stays online and active as soon as it comes in as a lead and goes out as a quote. "If they pass on a quote, we keep that information," Munro further explained his software. "Everything is done electronically and we keep archives. All pertinent details of a job are kept, and we stay prepared for when people come back or make changes because people change their minds all time and we're ready for it. If you have multiple locations and you're transferring files, you miss things. It has to be where everyone can see it and see it live."

YOU CAN'T FORCE GROWTH

Munro is not in any hurry to get where he's going and is focused on simply controlling the shop's growth. "I'm not in any rush," he said. "I've forced growth before. There have been times over the last few years when we've grown a little too fast and it just wasn't controlled."

Munro is very conscious of his capacity and the shop is currently working at that capacity. While increasing it is important for future business opportunities, Munro is staying very conscientious of the present. "If I were to go out and get another bridge saw, that might force me into having another shift, and we've operated on multiple shifts before and that becomes more difficult to manage because of the time frames," said Munro.

While shop expansion is on hold, business certainly isn't as Supreme Surfaces plans to open up a new showroom location. Munro knows he can't stay at the shop capacity he's at now forever, especially if he opens another showroom. "Of course that's going to pull through a little more work and it's going to set us up for needing more capacity," he explained. "We have planned to have one central fabrication facility in Indianapolis, and our goal is to have satellite showrooms in multiple locations. That's what we're doing right now."

There are a number of consequences to pushing growth, but having a plan is a good way to side-step some of those land mines. "I think it's a good idea, before you grow, to have a step-by-step procedure for absolutely every facet of the fabrication process," recommended Munro. "My background was design and sales, so getting the work was not a difficult part of it. The problem was doing it and keeping a satisfied customer. When you start a project, you want to show up on time and make it look wonderful and really just make the customer's experience a good one; otherwise you're cooked."

IT'S A LONG ROAD

When you plan for growth, long-term goals can seem to be a lot more attainable and are usually more quickly achieved. Munro's long-term goals include doing more. "I just want to make sure it's not going to cost me too much to do more," he added.

"We're opening up small satellite locations and marketing ourselves within that area, and our next step is going to get away from leasing our facility. We want to buy the buildings that we're in."
Balance is key to the shop's long-term goals in terms of being able to increase capacity without increasing shifts, and by focusing on a facility that's set up for efficiency. Munro has also entertained the idea of adding quartz surfacing, and offers customers a chance to look at the product's benefits on the shop's Web site. While his stone machining process is very capable of handling engineered stone, he has plans to wait for the market to make up its mind before he jumps into anything.

One of the next steps to increasing efficiency is moving the shop to digital templating, which will increase not only efficiency in on-site templating, but also in the use of the CNC machine by being able to send information directly from template to fabrication without file conversions. "We've been entertaining a few types of [templating] systems," said Munro. "I think it's a good idea, but the [templators] have to be ready for it; otherwise, we're not going to maximize that system to it's true potential."

Throughout the company's growth and planning, Munro has seen a lot happen in the industry, including technological advancements, market fluctuations, especially in housing, and even the increased availability of granite as a surfacing option. "There are many more sources for granite today than when I got started," said Munro. "I think that's what is increasing the popularity of granite and keeping the price down."

Another thing Munro has noted throughout the shop's history is the change in the industry's barriers to entry. "In order to compete in the granite business today, you have to have good equipment," he said. "If you're going to do it by hand, labor is a very expensive element. We've faced those battles. The barriers of entry are now the cost of that equipment. I think that's why we've seen pricing come down $20 or $30 dollars per square foot over the course of six or eight years."

Ultimately, Munro boils success in this industry down to knowing your limits and where those limits fit. "Every fabricator or company out there has a niche," said Munro. "You're never going to be everything to everybody. I think those who try to be too much to too many people are in some trouble. People who are out there will find their own path and organization is that key. The right people in the right job for the right reasons are important."

Munro thinks his business venture into countertops was essential and that granite will be a long-lasting commodity in the home. "A builder once told me that you want to become a memory point in someone's home," Munro remembered. "Every home has about 10 memory points. Whether it's walking into a beautiful stone entryway or a granite countertop with a designer backsplash or a fabulous master bathroom with a whirlpool or shower design, people aren't going to forget that stuff. I think that's one of the reasons why we're staying busy."

More information is available by contacting Supreme Surfaces Inc. at 5720 Kopetsky Drive, Suite J, Indianapolis, IN 46217; 800-466-0270; www.supremesurface.com;
or info@supremesurface.com.

Assistant Editor Marci Presser can be reached at marci@surfacefabrication.com.