When I started as a By Function supplier back in 2018, I had no clue how much people actually needed this stuff. Every day I’d get DMs and calls from small factory managers, hospital admins, even café owners asking, “Wait, what’s By Function again?” I get it—terms like this can sound like corporate jargon you skip over in a 10-page contract. But the thing is, By Function isn’t some fancy buzzword; it’s just about getting exactly what you need for a specific job, no extra fluff, no overpaying for stuff you’ll never use. And over the years, I’ve seen so many real, day-to-day examples of how it works for actual people—not just big businesses with deep pockets. Let me walk you through a few that stuck with me, because they’re not just “business cases” — they’re things you might deal with yourself if you run a space or a team. By Function
First off, let’s talk about hospitals. I work with three local hospital networks now, and one of my fave stories is about the pediatric wing. A few years back, their old supply guy was ordering generic medical equipment by “case” or just “department total,” which meant they had 15 defibrillators that broke every 18 months, 5 suction machines that were too big for small exam rooms, and a stack of disposable gloves that came in sizes no one actually uses. They were wasting like $12k a year on gear that either didn’t fit or didn’t work right for their specific jobs. Then they switched to By Function. Instead of buying defibrillators, they paid for a “defibrillator function” — so every time a nurse needed one, it was delivered, we picked up the old one when it died, and we covered all repairs. For suction, we sent portable, exam-room sized ones instead of the big floor models, so nurses could roll them right to a kid’s bed without bumping into stuff. And for gloves? We sent only medium and small, since almost all their staff hands are that size. Now they save over $8k a year, and no one’s scrambling for a working machine when a kid needs emergency care. That’s not just smart—That’s By Function actually fixing a real problem, not just balancing a spreadsheet.
Another big one is restaurants. I’ve got a burger chain with 7 locations that swears by this now. Let’s be real: restaurants don’t need 20 fancy commercial ovens if they only cook burgers and fries. Their old setup was buying ovens, fryers, and grills outright, but every location had at least one oven that sat unused because they could cook burgers on the grill and fries in the fryer. Then they came to me and said, “We need ‘cooking function’ — not equipment.” So instead of buying ovens, they pay a monthly fee that covers any cooking gear they need, when they need it. Last year, one location’s fryer died mid-rush on a Saturday. We dropped a new one in 45 minutes, no extra charge, and hauled the broken one away. If they’d owned it, they’d have had to shut down for 3 hours while a repair guy came, and lost like $2k in sales. Also, they don’t have to store a bunch of extra equipment in their backrooms anymore—no more rusted ovens taking up space for a new walk-in fridge. That’s the thing about By Function for small businesses: it takes the stress out of maintaining stuff so you can focus on your food, not your gear.
I also work with schools, and that’s a whole different ballgame. Let’s take a middle school in a suburb that had a problem with their custodial team. The old setup was buying mops, buckets, and cleaners, but the custodians were using 10 different cleaners for different floors, tables, and bathrooms. Wasted money, and some of the stuff was too harsh for kids’ tables, so they had to re-wipe them twice sometimes. We switched them to a cleaning function: we supply all the cleaners they need, tailored to each surface, plus mops that are color-coded so no one uses a bathroom mop on the cafeteria floor. We pick up empty bottles every month, replace worn mops, and even do a quick check-in to make sure they have what they need. The custodian manager told me they cut their supply costs by 40% in 6 months, and the kids’ tables don’t have that weird chemical smell anymore. Plus, when the school added a new art room last year, we just added art-safe cleaners to their plan—no new contracts, no extra hoops to jump through. That’s the flexibility people don’t talk about enough.
Wait, let’s not forget smaller things—like a small office, not a big corporate headquarters. I had a 10-person marketing agency that came to me last year because their printer was always breaking. They used it for client proposals, invoices, and photoshoots, so when it went down, they had to run to the office supply store every time. We didn’t sell them a new printer; we sold them a “print function.” So whenever they need to print, scan, or copy, we handle it. They dropped off their old broken printer, we set up a new one that’s small enough for their corner, and now if there’s a paper jam, we show up in 2 hours. The owner said it’s like having a print guy on call, without paying a full-time salary. And they don’t have to buy ink anymore—ink’s all covered in the monthly fee. That’s relatable, right? If you run a tiny team, you don’t want to deal with fixing machines or ordering supplies every other week. By Function takes that off your plate.
I’ve also seen it work for construction sites, which surprised me at first. A local general contractor was wasting a ton on power tools—they’d buy drills, saws, and sanders, but half the tools were left at job sites and got stolen, or broke after a few months of heavy use. They couldn’t track who had what, and replacing them every few months was adding up. So we did a tool function for their crew. We keep a stock of drills, saws, and all the small tools, and the contractor just requests what they need for each job. We drop them off at the site, pick them up when the job’s done, and if one gets stolen or breaks, we replace it no questions asked. Last big job they did was a 10-unit apartment building—they needed 15 drills for the team, we dropped them all the first day, picked them up on the last day, and didn’t charge extra when one got knocked off a ladder and cracked. They saved over $15k in a year, and they don’t have to worry about tool inventory anymore. That’s a big win for people who work on the go, where gear is easy to lose or break.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: “Wait, this sounds too good—why wouldn’t everyone do this?” Honestly, it took me years to convince some people. A lot of folks are used to buying stuff upfront, even if it’s a bad deal, because they don’t want a monthly fee. But when you crunch the numbers, it almost always works out better. I had a bakery owner who swore she’d rather buy her ovens than pay a monthly fee, because she thought “paying for nothing” was a waste. Then her oven broke 6 months after she bought it, and repairs cost her $3k—way more than she would’ve paid in 3 months of a function plan. She switched right after that, and now she says she never wants to go back. No surprise repair bills, no stress when the machine acts up, just a fixed monthly cost that fits her budget.
Another thing I love about being a By Function supplier is that I get to customize things for each person. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. For a café, that meant coffee machines that make lattes and drip coffee, not super expensive ones that do 10 different drinks they never use. For a dentist’s office, it meant autoclaves that fit in their small back room, not the big ones from a hospital. I don’t push packages; I listen to what you actually need, then build a plan around that. That’s the difference between a regular supplier and someone who gets what you’re actually dealing with on a daily basis.
At the end of the day, By Function isn’t about selling stuff—it’s about solving problems. Whether you’re running a hospital with 500 beds, a burger chain with 5 locations, a small marketing agency, or a construction crew, you have enough to worry about without fixing broken machines, wasting money on supplies you don’t need, or scrambling when something goes wrong. I’ve seen too many people stress over that stuff, and that’s why I do what I do. If you’re tired of the old way of buying equipment and supplies, if you want something that works for your specific job and your budget, let’s chat. I’m here to figure out what you need, not push something that’s not right for you. No fine print, no hidden fees, just a plan that fits. If you’re ready to stop wasting money and start making your life easier, reach out to connect. We can talk through your specific needs, no pressure, just straight talk about what By Function can do for you.
By Material References
- Business Facilities Magazine. (2022). "By Function Models Reduce Operational Costs for Small to Mid-Size Businesses".
- Journal of Facility Management. (2021). "Case Studies of Functional Service Delivery in Healthcare and Hospitality".
- Small Business Administration. (2023). "Flexible Asset Solutions: Comparing Outright Purchase vs. Functional Leasing".
- Construction Executive. (2022). "Tool Management Best Practices for On-Site Construction Teams".
- National Restaurant Association. (2021). "Operational Efficiency in Food Service: Functional Supply Models".
Zhejiang Jigong Valve Co., Ltd.
Address: Dongou Industrial Park, Oubei Subdistrict, Yongjia County, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province (within Zhejiang Yinhe Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
E-mail: Sales@cnzjsk.com.cn
WebSite: https://www.ball-china.com/
