An Australian tech startup set up to facilitate just-in-time deliveries of materials to building sites, thus avoiding tradesperson downtime, will seek to expand from Sydney to Melbourne and Brisbane this year thanks to an injection of A$1.4m from industry investors.
Called Getter, the smartphone app targets wasteful unplanned trips to buy materials, a phenomenon that occurs on around 30% of projects, adding some A$2bn in labour and vehicle expenses a year, Getter said, citing industry research.
One of the investors is G.J. Gardner Homes director Darren Wallis, Getter said.
Launched in March 2020, Getter now operates just in metropolitan Sydney.
"We are really excited to have someone of the calibre of Darren Wallis on board as one of our strategic investors, as it’s further confirmation that the industry is in need of the solution Getter provides," said Getter CEO Tom Burton in a press release sent to GCR.
"At a macro level, the Australian construction industry has a longstanding problem with not being able to procure its trade materials efficiently, meaning tradies either visit wholesalers themselves, or worse, wait hours and sometimes days for their supplies to be delivered," he added.
"This is why we’ve established Getter, to bridge the gap between the site and the shop, so construction crews can keep working without having to head to the nearest supplies warehouse."
Getter believes suppliers will welcome the service because it distributes their products more efficiently to customers.
Site workers can place orders online, or via Getter’s mobile app, with flat delivery fees for "ASAP" or scheduled delivery.
Deliveries are charged per kilometre and a delivery quote is provided via the website, with Getter drivers inspecting products before collection to ensure they match the order.
The company also directly sells materials, workwear and tools directly.
Image: The Getter platform targets unplanned trips to buy materials, which adds some A$2bn to costs each year, the company says (Courtesy of Getter)
