Hello, everyone.
This is Enta.
I've been studying lately to get to know myself better.
The process of getting to know oneself is called "self-discovery," but it's a deep and challenging journey.
I feel that if I can truly understand myself and learn to understand others, I’ll be able to become a better person.
It's all about daily practice, isn't it?
But that's beside the point.
Continuing from last time, this time we’ll be looking at a local company.
Benefits of Local Construction Contractors
1. There are business trips, but no transfers.
2. In some cases, construction management is handled without cost management.
3. I can go home relatively early.
4. Because I’m close to the president, decisions are made quickly and decisively. (The same goes for consultations.)
5. There is a trend toward doing away with concepts such as mandatory retirement.
6. You can participate in local events (if you're interested)
7. Employees are close-knit.
8. You can learn how to operate machinery and the like.
9. You can earn technical certifications one after another.
10. No need for approval forms, etc.
11. There are very few internal documents. (Or none at all?)
12. Your abilities have an impact on the company. (Especially in a positive way.)
Disadvantages of Local Construction Contractors
1. Salaries tend to be significantly lower than at major companies.
2. Most are subcontractors.
3. We carry out only a small portion of large-scale construction projects (we never see the whole picture).
4. When working with major general contractors, we act as second-, third-, or lower-tier subcontractors.
5. They tend to be technically inferior to major companies (depending on the person)
6. Being roped into helping out at local events.
7. You'll be responsible for everything from operating machinery to construction management.
8. Sometimes I handle everything on my own—from planning to construction, construction management, and completion.
9. It may be difficult to take time off.
10. Sometimes it’s a problem when employees are too close to one another.
11. If even one person doesn't act, the impact will be significant.
12. In some cases, the company may lack a sense of stability.
13. It's easier for individual opinions to be accepted.
14. There's nothing you can do if your boss is an idiot.
Is this what you had in mind?
There are still other pros and cons.
In reality, there isn't much difference between large companies and local businesses.
It all comes down to the same thing, doesn't it?
What do you think of this?
See you later.
I always learn a lot from you.
I’m completely candid and don’t hold anything back. Also, the other day, when you said that questions can be a positive thing, it really encouraged me—even though I know I’m not very good at reading the room (I’m well aware that not reading the room means I’m not paying attention to the other person, but it’s a habit I’ve had for 30 years...).
So, my question is,
Even though the price went down due to a design change, I recently worked on a job site where no paperwork was required.
Even if the price falls below the market rate due to a design change,
If it's the same type of work,
Is this the decision of the government official in charge?
I've heard that "equivalent or better" is defined in terms of price—is that definition vague?
When it comes to functionality, it seems like the manufacturer has a valid point, but isn't there a clear definition for that?
Thank you as always.
It's important to ask questions when you don't understand something, isn't it? I ask questions all the time, too—without even trying to read the room, lol.
If you spend your time trying to read the room, you'll never grow lol. It's such a waste of time.
It's rare for a design change not to require any paperwork.
Even if the price goes down, I think we'll still need materials from the manufacturer and others.
However, depending on the situation, those construction methods and materials may be common within the government agency, and the agency may be familiar with them or even have them on hand.
Products that are equivalent or better are those that match the manufacturer's performance specifications or are more expensive.
As long as your score is high enough, you'll generally pass.
Rather than a clear-cut definition, it’s something that government officials will find convincing, that’s easy to explain to their superiors and inspectors, and that’s more likely to be approved if there are past precedents.
If you prepare the meeting minutes and the agreement document in that manner, it will be approved.
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that if something makes sense, it’s easier to get it approved.
Conversely, even if there are contradictions, the fact that a particular product must be used can be attributed to bureaucratic considerations.
In cases like this, since there is no set definition, it’s important to have a strategic narrative explaining why the change was made and what the consequences will be.
Even if an issue is ultimately pointed out during an audit, it’s important to have documentation prepared in advance to address it. (Supporting data)
For organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, historical data is extremely important.
We look forward to your continued support.
Thank you for your comment.
So there are actually comparisons based on manufacturer performance rather than price!
If the manufacturer says it's equivalent or better, and there's supporting data to back that up, then price isn't an issue, is it?
I feel like the definition of “equivalent” is a bit vague, but after getting injured, I felt motivated to move forward.
I work in sales for a mat manufacturer, and I thought the basis for saying our mats are equivalent to vegetation mats was simply that they’re listed as “mats” in the construction price index. But when my boss told me that wasn’t acceptable because it would lower the estimated price, I couldn’t accept that. It’s just that in situations like this, my boss’s explanations are always vague, and he ends up saying things like “probably”...
I’d like to ask another question. Thank you in advance.
Thank you as always.
Please be careful, as the historical data will be needed until the inspection is complete.
"Equivalent" is a vague term. In a sense, it's just on par with the evolution (or progress) of other companies.
Well, I guess my boss doesn't know about it either, and since a drop in the unit cost would affect our gross profit margin, I guess he's worried, lol.
I can see where you're coming from, but it does get a bit cliché, doesn't it?
This is something that various materials manufacturers don't do, but when I see this ↓, I wonder why they don't do it.
Don't they compare themselves to every other manufacturer and say, "This is what we offer. It's all the same, isn't it?"
So, I wrote down all the reasons why we recommend this mat and handed them over to the contractor, and
"Since this area gets about this much annual rainfall and there's a slight risk of erosion, I recommend this mat," or something like that,
"Since wildlife damage is a serious problem, I recommend this product," or something like that,
"Since the temperature fluctuations are extreme in this area, I'd recommend this one," they said.
We provide materials that the general contractor’s supervisor can easily adopt—materials they can simply copy and paste without having to think about the wording.
That way, if we use that company's materials, we won't have to check the contents of the agreement, so it'll be easier and more convenient.
The director doesn't want to think about the contents of the agreement. It's actually a huge hassle.
If you made it available on CD or as a download, I'd definitely go for that, lol.
I think it would be easy to make changes if the manufacturer provided reasons for selecting or changing materials.
These days, it's not just about the price anymore.
We look forward to your continued support.
Hello. Happy New Year. I know this is a bit late, but I enjoyed reading your posts every single day, even over the New Year’s holiday. Thank you as always.
By the way, I forgot to reply to the question, “Why don’t you do this?” from last time.
I’m still quite inexperienced, so calling this a “manufacturer’s response” based on my limited knowledge would be a bit of a stretch, but I’ve come up with my own answer, so
I'm sending this email in the hope that you'll take a look.
I suppose the answer is that, when it comes down to it, all manufacturers are pretty much the same…
Alternatively, if it were that comparison chart, we’ve already created it and sent it to the sales department; however, if the design is based on market unit prices, submitting the materials would be too much of a hassle, so it would be rejected, and
Otherwise, it's just a matter of "going to the government office."
I’m a little embarrassed to admit how poor my sales skills are, but...
While each manufacturer and each product has its own unique features, I think they all have their pros and cons.
The ideal scenario would be for each manufacturer to select products suited to each specific site, lay them side by side to carefully examine their characteristics, and compile a comparison chart—but I suspect this would be difficult to achieve in a capitalist society. I apologize for my limited understanding, based solely on my experience with vegetation-related products, but I suspect that—unless there are exceptional circumstances—price competition based on market unit prices is the norm (and it saves the general contractor the trouble of preparing change orders…).
We look forward to your continued support this year.
I’d like to get right to the point. Before installing vegetation mats or sheets, we need to clean and grade the slope. If weeds are growing thickly in certain areas, we’ll need to remove them. Do you know of any good methods for doing this? (For example, methods that won’t affect the vegetation on the mats, or whether it’s better to eradicate the weeds a month in advance using a specific method.)
We had the mat installed recently. Although the grass was mowed, there is still cut grass—or perhaps leftover dead grass—on the surface of the slope, and there is a risk that the mat could lift as new shoots emerge in the spring, so we are considering driving in additional stakes.
Also, is this cleaning and landscaping work done by the general contractor or a subcontractor? Is the cost for that included in the estimate or the government agency’s cost estimate?
This time, construction was postponed due to a shortage of subcontractors, and I’d like to use this experience to determine whether we should have asked the general contractor to handle the weed control during that time.
Thank you in advance.
Congratulations.
Likewise, I look forward to working with you.
Sorry for the late reply.
It must be tough for the manufacturers, too, lol.
In a "red ocean" business, it's important to differentiate yourself from competitors.
As for weeds, there's nothing we can do about them.
No matter what we do, we can't beat nature. We have no choice but to keep mowing the grass, but,
If I were the director, I’d say a certain amount of weed isn’t a problem. (Because there’s no end to it.)
Even if it does come up, I don't think that would be a problem. After all, the vegetation mat will eventually be covered by grass and become invisible.
The purpose of the mat is to prevent initial erosion and promote vegetation growth.
As long as erosion is prevented and the area is landscaped, it’s okay even if it’s raised slightly.
Even if the slope is cleaned, it does not necessarily mean that all seeds from the surrounding soil will be removed.
Slope cleaning is generally the responsibility of the contractor. However, there are cases where slope cleaning must be performed two or three times over a period of time.
In that case, we will charge you separately. It would be best to clearly confirm who is responsible.
In most cases, payment is based on regular rates, but there are also unit prices calculated on a per-square-meter basis. In Aichi Prefecture, for example, the rate is generally around 600 yen per square meter.
We look forward to your continued support.
Thank you for your reply.
Daily blog posts, creating illustrations, my day job, answering questions like mine...
The fact that there are others going through the same thing is really encouraging. I can’t make any excuses now, haha.
I had just read an article on Toyo Keizai Online titled “Work Strategies for Adversity: An Interview with the Man Behind McDonald’s Comeback,” and it made me think of Enta.
Thank you for your feedback regarding the weeds.
We look forward to your continued support.
Thank you for your hard work.
We all have our own circumstances, so it's hard to say for sure, but questions like these really encourage us.
I'm truly grateful.
I hope this will be of some help to someone. I believe that knowledge and experience are only truly valuable when they’re shared.
Let's do what we can right now!