Brands of installation products can truly stand out with an outstanding supply

The major trends and developments that affect the overall construction and installation sector can pose serious challenges in the everyday reality of electrical installers. The energy transition and electrification mean a high demand for installation work, while labour shortages limit supply in certain areas. That causes installers to be very busy. Meanwhile, buildings and their systems are increasingly complex, which means the installation work is getting more difficult as well.

Manufacturers of installation materials can help with some of these challenges, thereby both helping the installers and establishing a strong brand image. That is why, for the European Electrical Installation Monitor, we regularly ask installation companies from seven European countries what services they would like manufacturers to offer to them. Their answers betray which trends pose challenges to the installers.

Manufacturers can help installers with complexity and efficiency

The top five services that installers would like to receive from manufacturers show the influence of several major trends. Installers’ interest in digital tools to make technical calculations can be tied to the increasing complexity of systems, for instance. The more complex the system, the more complex the calculations needed to design and prepare the installation. Manufacturers can help installers by providing calculation tools to help them with this phase of the project.

The increasing complexity of systems also means that more problems might occur during installation. That is why the demand for real-time installation support is also relatively high. With this support, manufacturers can help installers solve issues during installation quickly and efficiently, saving them precious time.

That time is precious is evident in installers’ interest in prefabricated solutions from manufacturers. This prefabrication allows installers to instal more quickly and efficiently, meaning they can do more installations in less time. The need for time-saving solutions can be explained by the high demand for installations mentioned above, and the short supply of (qualified) installers in certain areas.

But availability and quick delivery of products rules them all

We can continue to mention services from manufacturers and suppliers of installation products that installers show relatively high interest in. And we can write page upon page linking them to major trends that affect the construction and specifically the installation sector. But the two services that installers desire the most from manufacturers show that there is one issue that rules them all.

That issue comes down to the availability of products. Due to many a crisis over the past years, a steady supply of materials and products have become a problem in the construction sector the world over. Looking at the services desired from manufacturers and suppliers, European installers are clearly dealing with supply issues as well.

The services installers are most interested in are spare parts express service and tools or apps to check the availability of products at wholesalers. These are essential to installers for very simple reasons. They cannot repair a broken system without a replacement of the broken part. And without available installation products, installers cannot do their job, to begin with.

Merely manufacturing and supplying are not enough  

So it seems that to help installers install, the main thing that manufacturers and suppliers of installation products should do is manufacture and supply. This does not just mean that a brand can only stand out by being available. Material shortages throughout the sector make it hard to excel at that anyways. What manufacturers and suppliers can stand out with is clarity.

The interest in availability apps does not just show a problem with availability. It also shows the problem of uncertainty. Installers are busy. They need to know what they can count on, and what they can promise their clients. Straightforward, reliable and timely communication on availability issues may already be a great help to installers.

To find out more about the major trends that affect installation companies in seven major European markets, we refer you to USP Marketing Consultancy’s European Electrical Installation Monitor.