Jason interviews his dad, Ken Schroeder, former truck boss and driver for Service Rock Products, about developing remarkable vendor relationships, specifically with ready-mix concrete suppliers. Ken shares firsthand stories of providing world-class service: 305 yards per hour on big pours, inspectors recommending Service Rock to customers, 7-day breaks instead of 21-day breaks, spotless batch plants, and graded drivers (A through D) who competed to improve. The key insight: service equals 90% of quality. When trucks showed up late at one prison project, concrete went off, and finishers had to patch as they went. At the FCI-2 project with Service Rock, trucks arrived 15 minutes early, breaks came up in 7 days, and the mud was perfect. Ken's philosophy as truck boss: "My sole objective is to make you look good." For general contractors: over-communicate expectations, visit and vet vendors, and develop personal relationships. For vendors: clean equipment matters, total participation from drivers to dispatch, quality control testing, and continuous improvement.
What you'll learn in this episode:
Service = 90% of quality: Personal relationships, attention to detail, and care translate directly into product quality
Grading drivers worked: A through D grading made drivers competitive, D drivers worked up to C to avoid the low grade
305 yards per hour: 2700-yard pour starting at 3am, finished by 6am (top-out crew normally arrived at 9am)
7-day breaks vs 21-day: Service Rock's quality lab tested cylinders, breaks always came up in 7 days, not 14 or 21
Clean = culture: Spotless batch plant, beautiful trucks, concrete-paved paths to fuel islands, customers toured the facility
Total participation: Truck boss communicated customer needs to every driver, context matters for service
Hot/cold water systems: Hot water tanks for winter (calcium chloride activation), refrigeration units for summer
Front-load vs rear-load: Ken prefers rear-load, shoot man controls it, driver watches for cues, safer
Vet your vendors: Visit batch plants, inspect equipment, talk to batch operator, check hot/cold water capacity
Ken's philosophy: "My sole objective is to make you look good", focus on making your customer successful
Develop personal relationships with vendors. Overcommunicate. Vet your suppliers. Service equals quality.
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Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:
· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg
· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt
· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured
· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw
