This week we finished research for our potential supplier of the steel for our project. Our first option was to use Brookshire Steel out of Brookshire, Texas, who we have talked to and gotten our original price quote from. We then traveled to Steel Supply Houston, but they were the most expensive option and did not have all of the materials we needed readily available. Our third option we researched was Triple S Steel out of North Houston, Texas. They had all of the materials we needed, but were not able to compare with Brookshire Steel’s low price. Therefore, we have decided to use Brookshire Steel and get all of the raw materials for $1750.
Our next step is to go pick the steel up Saturday, September 15 and take it to one of our mentor's, Jim Blackburn’s, shop in Magnolia to mark it and prep it for cutting. In the following weeks we will cut all the steel and then start building the main frame. We will pick up the materials on the 15th using a borrowed utility trailer and truck so there is no delivery charge.
One thing we could have done better w
as we could have driven to Triple S Steel and talked to them face to face, rather than reaching them by phone and fax. Jim Blackburn recommended them to us and said they could beat Brookshire Steel’s price, and this may have proved true if we had the time to drive to North Houston to talk to them. However, with time constraints it was easier to reach them by phone and talk to them that way.
What we did well was communicating on how to get the best pricing for our materials. Our budget is very important and we are trying to spend the least amount as possible without sacrificing quality.
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