The long lead time challenge that many contractors are struggling with, and what to do about it.

How long does it take to fabricate your cabinets? This is a very common question we get from general contractors on a daily basis. Especially nowadays where supply chain is a global issue which production time is taking longer than usual to fabricate.

The real answer to that is it depends on what type of cabinet spec they have for the project and for what budget, which defines which route to go that fits best for every specific project.

One major factor in the subject of long lead times is that GCs don't realize how much time they spent bidding between subs. Which ultimately eats up a lot of the project schedule that could have been used for production. .

Sometimes, the contractors are so anxious about the price and lead times juggling it between many bidders, that they totally forget about the project timelines. It can come to a point where many options that were available before are no longer an option. Like ordering from overseas and could have saved them thousands of dollars etc. but now due to the tight schedule they are left with narrower options like buying from local fabrications that will cost them much more.

The solution to the long lead time is partnering with your subs as soon as you get started on a project. Even if it's not too urgent, like cabinets which shouldn't be needed in some cases until at least one year after construction starts up - let them do all they need before tension builds between everyone involved and things are left in limbo! So why not do it the right way ?

We at HNL Kitchens & Bath Multi Family Solutions are focusing on partnering with GCs and developers early in the project to foresee everything that can affect schedule, lead times. We work together proactively from design phase through completion so nothing falls behind or over budget.