- Leading bathroom manufacturer, nuielux, asked professional bathroom installers their thoughts on the state of the industry
- Technology is driving transformation, but age-old tradie wisdom remains truer than ever
The bathroom industry is now fashion-led, but that doesn’t mean key skills in plumbing and electrics are no longer essential according to experts.
In fact, when speaking to leading manufacturer nuielux, tradespeople explained the rate of technological advancement and changing trends mean it’s more vital than ever for installers to keep upskilling.
Everyone from bathroom manufacturers to showroom managers, gas engineers to plumbers said the industry was undergoing a significant transformation.
Experts pointed towards technological innovations, style trends, and discrepancies between the high-end and low-end products as drivers of change.
Their diverse views show how the industry’s focus has shifted to technology and design trends, requiring a skills shift from today’s installers.
Five expert opinions about the changing face of bathroom installation:
- It’s harder than ever to break into the industry
While skills shortages are a well-known issue across the trades, it’s not getting any easier to launch a career in plumbing, electrics or bathroom installation.
“The industry has got a lot trickier,” said Carl Huckle, a gas engineer and plumber with 20 years in the business. “From when I was growing up and later as an apprentice to my dad, who was also a plumber – there’s a big rift between what I saw him achieve relatively quickly, and what I managed to achieve in the same timeframe. It’s definitely got a lot harder for young people to just come into this industry and make it work.”
As for advice, Carl said: “Start at the bottom and keep working up. If you try to enter in the middle of the market, you’ll find yourself with cash problems, people problems, those kinds of things. You’re better off starting small and keeping yourself working on little jobs to build up money and experience.”
- Technology is driving transformation and upskilling
One challenge that tradespeople of all ages face is the race to keep up with fast-evolving technology and the rules and regulations that come with it.
“Technology advancements do make it a little bit harder because you need to follow new rules all the time – read a lot, learn new stuff, and be up to date on what we have now, gas engineer Stanley Wojtowicz said.
“Ten years from now, I have no idea where bathrooms will be, because in four or five years, we’ve already seen so much progress. Every year, everything is so different, so much more advanced. It’s hard to predict, but you have to keep on top of it.”
- Word of mouth is still king
Despite the wealth of new digital marketing tools and platforms at tradespeople’s fingertips, the old ways really are the best. Social media and online directories simply can’t replace good old-fashioned recommendations.
In fact, Carl said: “I don’t recommend chasing advertisement or anything like that. Build through word-of-mouth – that’s what gets you more customers. I’m 20 years in, and I don’t advertise at all anymore.”
- Bathroom experts still guide customer decisions
Social media sites offer homeowners a wealth of inspiration pictures, but experts report that customers are still coming to them for advice about what they can achieve, and what products they need.
Suzie English, Bathroom Manufacturing Agent and Showroom Manager said: “Despite social media, it’s not very often that you get customers come into the showroom and say, ‘I know exactly what I want’. The majority don’t have a clue – whether it’s kitchens or bathrooms – it’s not something that the average person does every day, so you have to guide them. That’s why I offer a one-to-one service to find out what they actually want.”
- Installing is tough but rewarding work
There’s a common misconception that tradespeople have it easy – being self-employed, they decide when they work, what they charge, and what jobs they take. But the reality is more complicated, and building strong colleague relationships is even more valuable when you run your own business.
“I’m hoping to retire in the next five years”, Carl said. I don’t want to be doing this forever, it swallows a lot of time, especially when you’re self-employed and you work for yourself.
“It’s not what people think, it takes a lot of dedication to make good money at this game. The only reason I’ll be able to step away is the relationship I’ve built with my business partner. He’s ten years younger than me. He was my apprentice and we’ve worked together over a decade now, and we just keep growing and growing and growing.”
Video Interview: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qdVmzYBva5bpGeRTxmWOppeQlEeVXHUq
