we had to measure, manufacture and install all in the same day.” How is that speediness accomplished? “I’m a workaholic and perfectionist, and a businessman,” says Claude. “It’s not rocket science being in business today. Keep everything simple, work hard and don’t procrastinate.” Claude says he was born into paying attention to the details. “For as long as I can remember – since I was a kid – I’ve always been a perfectionist. I’ve always had to get things done correctly. My father was the same way.” Claude applies the same philosophy to his personal life. “Outside of work, I’m a triathlete. I do Ironman, so you have to be consistent and very disciplined to do that. It’s part of my nature,” he says. As a result of Claude’s drive and perfectionism, ALDG has been able to build longstanding relationships with clients. In fact, most if not all of their client relationships go back at least 10 years. “I don’t’ remember losing a client,” he says. He further credits that client loyalty to their quality control, which has been ever-evolving. Over the last three years, especially, the company has gone through a significant quality evolution, which was spurred by some quality control challenges they faced during COVID. To overcome those challenges, ALDG turned to new suppliers overseas. Additionally, they started manufacturing some of their own products inhouse. In order to find new external suppliers, ALDG thoroughly evaluated a series of prospective manufacturers overseas. They asked for certificates, got references, and their buying director even went to south Asia to visit one manufacturer in person. They were looking for suppliers who could deliver a consistent quality of product, but they were also looking for suppliers who would have “product on tap.” That product availability was very important to them. Fortunately, ALDG found some manufacturing partners who ticked both boxes – and their efforts have paid off. Claude cites a story from a couple years ago, where they needed caps for posts. “We called our Quebec supplier and they couldn’t provide them for six months. We called our supplier in Asia on Monday. The caps were on a plane and delivered by the next Thursday.” As for their in-house manufacturing, ALDG has started producing products including aluminum posts and handrails. Both those product lines are well suited for their recent work on high-rises, as they have designed and developed them to exceed the 2020 building code. “We’re not making them in a new way,” says Claude. “Every railing company in the world makes them the same way. But what we have is a more solid product. The aluminum is thicker, the post is thicker, the base of the post is thicker, and we use different screws.” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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