From Cowboy Fixes to Credible Standards: Why Centraliser Should Be the Default

In every industry there are two ways of getting things right. One is to rely on the individual brilliance of the people doing the work: a steely-eyed foreman, a time-served fixer with a sixth sense, a site engineer who can spot a millimetre at thirty paces. The other is to design a process that makes the right thing happen by default, even on a wet Wednesday with a green crew and a looming pour.

Construction has long relied on the first approach—“we’ve always done it this way”—and it’s heroic when it works. But heroism is a poor operating system. Where quality must be repeatable, defaults beat debate.

Enter Centraliser. It’s a tiny device that sits in the waxed cone and keeps a holding-down bolt perfectly centred, first time, every time, regardless of who assembled the bolt box or how lively the concrete is feeling that day. In the manufacturer’s words, it guarantees 100% accuracy in bolt positioning and removes the need for remedial works; in mine, it’s a process upgrade masquerading as a polystyrene part.

This article isn’t about the physics of it (though we’ll touch on that). It’s about the psychology of getting it adopted. Because technology doesn’t fail for lack of cleverness; it fails for lack of defaultness.

Why “Cowboy Fixes” Persist (and Why They’re a Trap)

Let’s be fair to the cowboys. Hammering a few nails into a waxed cone to keep a bolt more or less central is the folk wisdom of the trade. It costs nothing, it’s been passed down for years, and—on a good day—it works.

But it’s also a high-variance behaviour. It places the outcome in the hands of custom, attention, and luck. The promotion letter says it plainly: as tolerances get eaten up by cones shifting in the pour, remedial works mount—and so do costs. Centraliser exists specifically to remove the guesswork when transporting or floating bolt boxes into wet concrete, so that when templates are stripped the bolts remain central 100% of the time.

Behaviourally, we stick with cowboy fixes because they feel efficient. They avoid an explicit line item, so the cost seems to be zero. But the cost is simply unpriced—hidden in variability, supervision, rework, and the occasional steel-erection farce. Defaults exist to convert latent costs into explicit savings.

The Default Effect: Good Things Happen When Opting Out Is Harder Than Opting In

One of the most robust findings in behavioural science is the default effect. People overwhelmingly go with the pre-selected option, not because it’s always best, but because it’s easiest.

On site, attention is scarce and time is dear. If you want Centraliser used consistently, don’t argue—design.

How to Make Centraliser the Default

Bundle it with cones. Sell waxed cones with Centralisers pre-specified. Make the “kit” the SKU. Now the cognitive step—“shall we use Centraliser?”—disappears.
Write it into RAMS and method statements. One line: “Centraliser to be used as standard to maintain concentricity of holding-down bolts within waxed cones during transport and placement.”
Include it in ITP/QA checks. Add tick-boxes: “Bolt concentricity confirmed (photo). Pocket clear of debris (photo).”
Order in packs per base/pour. Supply in 250-unit packs by size and associate them with specific bases or pour phases.

When adoption is the path of least resistance, you don’t need to persuade—you just need to avoid friction.

Status and Social Proof: How “The Way We Do Things Here” Is Born

In most organisations, culture beats policy. And culture is built from small, visible acts that signal standards.

Using Centraliser is a competence signal: a millimetre-scale decision with a reputation-scale impact. It’s far easier to say, to a client or a clerk of works, “We use Centraliser as standard,” than to narrate the heroics of six blokes and a bag of nails.

The brochure underlines the reputational benefits in practical terms: guaranteed results, greater productivity, easy alignment of structural steel frames, and client satisfaction—which translates to repeat business.

Create your own proof by photographing three moments on every base: before, in place, after. It normalises the practice and builds a gallery of “this is what right looks like.”

The Effort Heuristic: Why “Easier” Beats “Cheaper”

People often confuse cheapness with economy. A workaround can be cheap and profoundly uneconomic.

Centraliser’s genius is that it’s both economical and effort-saving. Quick to install, robust polystyrene design that strengthens the cone, and no skill required. Once site teams experience that reduction in effort and uncertainty, they become evangelists.

You aren’t selling a polystyrene widget; you’re selling an easier day.

Language Templates: Copy-and-Paste for Easy Uptake

Tender / Specification Clause

Holding-down bolts shall be installed using Centraliser (or approved equivalent) within waxed cones to maintain concentricity during transport and placement into wet concrete. The device shall prevent displacement of the bolt and reduce the risk of remedial works.

RAMS Bullets

Use Centraliser within waxed cones for all holding-down bolts.
Verify correct OD (60–130 mm) and inner hole (22/26/32/38 mm).
Confirm pocket free of debris before steel erection.

ITP / QA Checks

Bolt concentricity photographed in place.
Pocket cleanliness photographed after cone removal.

The Default Pack: What to Order, When to Use

Sizes and compatibility: OD 60–130 mm; inner 22 / 26 / 32 / 38 mm; M20–M36 bolts; cone refs A–H (229–780 mm).
Packs and pricing: Supplied in 250-unit packs; ~£150–£345 depending on size (~£0.60–£1.38 per unit).
Large cones: Use multiple units to prevent cone crushing (site rules of thumb apply).

Objections You’ll Hear (and How to Reframe Them)

“We’ve never needed it before.” Survivorship bias. Near-misses don’t show up in the ledger—failures do. Centraliser makes near-misses invisible.
“We can do it with nails.” A nail is a hack; Centraliser is a standard. Hacks rely on attention; standards embed attention in the object.
“It adds cost.” Only in the narrowest sense. In the broader ledger it removes far larger downstream costs: remedials, delays, pocket cleaning.

Centraliser in use. Notice the maximum potential for bolt movement achieved.

The “Credibility Cascade”: How Defaults Spread Across Frameworks

A curious thing happens when one site writes Centraliser into documents: everyone else copies. Not because they’ve analysed the material science, but because mimetic desire is powerful. If a reputable contractor standardises something, others assume it’s best practice.

Your job is to seed that cascade: publish your clause, share photos, name it in your RAMS, feature it in pre-construction meetings. Soon, Centraliser becomes “the way we do things here.”

Toolbox Talk: 5 Minutes to Change Behaviour

Show before → in place → after photos.
Demonstrate Centraliser in a cone.
Confirm size selection with the matrix.
Close with the default: “If in doubt, use Centraliser. If you don’t, tell me why.”

A Small Thing That Changes How the Day Ends

The peak-end rule says people judge an experience by its ending. If a pour ends with bolts concentric and pockets clean, the day feels successful. That memory makes quality visible and repeatable — and helps the default stick.

Summary for Decision-Makers

Default beats debate: bundle with cones, write into RAMS, add QA tick-boxes.
Signal competence: “We use Centraliser as standard” reassures clients.
Save effort, not just money: unskilled install, sturdier cones, faster erection.
Specs: OD 60–130 mm, inner 22/26/32/38 mm, M20–M36, cones A–H.
Packs: 250 units, £150–£345.

Key Points from This Article

Cowboy fixes feel easy but hide unpriced costs.
Centraliser guarantees concentric bolts, eliminating remedials.
Defaults beat debate: bundle with cones, write into RAMS/QA.
Using Centraliser is a competence signal to clients and crews.
Packs of 250 units make adoption practical and cost-effective.

From Cowboy Fixes to Credible Standards: The Psychology of Making Centraliser the Default