Professional plumbers are not only in demand locally but internationally as well. The act of plumbing work entails a wide range of materials that are needed to execute various projects in a building which is a huge market that is worth several billions of Naira in the building and plumbing materials industry.
While everyone cannot practice the plumbing profession, the plumbing materials/ parts can be explored for those who are interested in sales and marketing, as it is another thriving and profitable venture that has proven to yield a lot of profit for the business owner.
According to Mr. Ajao Matthew Sunday, a plumber with over a decade experience of practicing, says, so many plumbers are veering into plumbing material sales as well as executing plumbing work due to how lucrative the business is right now.
“Over time, we plumbers have realized that they cannot survive based on rendering service alone. The sales of some of these materials amount to something huge,” he said.
Ajao advises that anyone interested in plumbing material sales should have a basic idea of how to fit some of the materials because some customers sought how to fix such when they are not purchased by the plumber.
While, it is gathered that interior fittings in the kitchen like washing basins are of diverse cost/rates, Water Cistern, Shower, and water taps in the bathroom and toilets are to be fitted by plumbers with pipes and so on.
Some of these plumbing materials are somewhat expensive and some are cheap as well depending on the product’s durability, quality, and cost of this material. Also, the most common piping materials used for plumbing are Copper, PVC, CPVC, and PEX.
Plumbing materials like Cutting Machines cost N50,000-N70,000, Reciprocating Saw- N7,000-N8,000, Wrench size (12) costs N2,500/N3,000, Hack Saw- N2,500/N3,000.
Other materials like; Pipes and fittings, buckets to store fittings, pipe wrenches, reciprocating saw, circular saw, whole hog right angle drill, cordless screw gun, propane torch, cast iron pipe cutter, extension cords, pipe dope/Teflon tape and trucks. Hence, factors like demand, competition, pricing, and expenses determine the sales of these plumbing materials.
The location and demand for plumbing materials can fluctuate depending on factors like new construction projects, renovations, and the overall capital budget ted for a project. So, conducting market research to understand the current and projected demand for plumbing materials is pivotal.
Similarly, Identifying target customers, including homeowners, contractors, plumbers, or businesses. Understand their needs, preferences, and buying habits to tailor your offerings and marketing strategies accordingly.are key to survival of such business.
Profitability
It is estimated that a plumbing sales outfit is well situated in a prime location where there are construction and ongoing projects. With this, such a business can generate an average sale of about N300,000 in a month. And in a year, the profit margin will run into millions of Naira.
