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What’s in a name?
Come to Fastener Fair Coventry and you will find a new name in the UK market – Aptus Fastener Systems. It is a name that
signifies the coming to maturity of a UK business that started with a very different trading style.
Sixteen years ago Furniture Fixings’ name serving key people, notably general manager, decision that became fundamental to the
reflected the business it aimed to develop – Barbara Knowles, and sales manager, Winston integrity of our customer relationships. The
supplying the extensive furniture industry in Kilburn. name, though, still implied otherwise, as well
the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire areas. Like As customer confidence grew so did as no longer accurately reflecting our range.”
many manufacturing industries, though, it was feedback to develop additional ranges. “In the end we put the identity project out
to rapidly migrate out of the UK, increasing Customers told the company they were to an external agency. From their
pressure on Furniture Fixings to reinvent itself. satisfied with service and support but that it recommendations we chose Aptus, for several
“As the furniture industry contracted the lacked products they needed. Progressively reasons. It wasn’t restrictive for whatever we
company needed to look elsewhere, and that Furniture Fixings responded and extended its may do in the future, it was shorter, which we
meant starting to supply woodscrews to the ranges. Growing 15 to 20% a year from a wanted, but it had meaning.”
trade,” explains Stewart Taylor, who joined the 12,000 square feet (1,100m2) warehouse,
company as purchasing manager seven years however, presented ever-increasing tensions.
ago, and was appointed managing director in “Stockholding was a challenge because of the
2004. “We started dabbling with drywall physical constraints of the premises. In six
screws about the same time. We were quiet years our range probably tripled, to the extent
naïve about the sourcing, and had to learn very that the last twelve months in the old
quickly.” warehouse became pretty unpleasant at
The company did learn, developing an times.”
expertise in woodscrews and drywall screws ‘Old’ because the company has now moved
imported from Asia, on the back of into custom built premises at Denby, five miles
strengthening trading partnerships, many of from the previous warehouse. Location
which are still key to the business. One has mattered - the management clearly recognised
helped build a strong reputation for what, the the importance of retaining the skills and
company firmly believes, is one of the best and commitment of people that had played an
most reliable collated systems in the market. important part in the company’s growth and Now, if your Latin is good enough you may be
It also recognised that the sustainability of diversification. The new facility, eighteen ahead of the game, at this point. If not, then
the business hinged on doing the simple things months in planning and development, Aptus translates to: connected, fastened,
well, and not overreaching itself. One example eliminates crucial constraints. 16,500 square prepared.
was the decision to move away from the feet in area, ten pallet locations high, and Apt indeed for a fastener business that has
complexities and costs of packing in-house to equipped with a narrow aisle racking system built a series of sound connections with
sourcing sensible, functionally packed product and new material handling equipment it can suppliers and customers, and now looks well
from its suppliers. hold 3,000 pallets – three times more than prepared to build on its strengths. Certainly, the
A similar approach underpinned customer before. Carefully designed to be future-proof, business is committed to rapid recognition of
relationships. “The one thing I would hope our the building can also be extended to double the new identity. In addition to a strong
customers say about us is that we do the right the current storage capacity if needed. presence at Fastener Fair, a new website has
thing for them,” says Stewart Taylor. “We might So new home… and new name. “We just been launched, and the image is reflected
not always have the price people want and, in debated long and hard internally about the in the signage and style of the new building,
common with any wholesaler, we cannot new identity,” says Stewart Taylor. “It was as well as cataloguing and packaging.
promise 100% stock availability all the time, necessary because Furniture Fixings, not Next issue we will take a closer look at
but we have always aimed to look after the withstanding all the positives attached to it, some of Aptus’ connections, and the product
customer and, above all, be straightforward.” simply wasn’t relevant to our business today – ranges and developments they have fostered -
It’s an approach that has steadily built in fact, it sometimes represented a bit of an including its unique relationship with one of
loyalty to the company, substantially obstacle. It is 12 years since we ceased Germany’s top quality construction fastener
underpinned by the commitment of long- supplying end users. That was a conscious manufacturers, Heco Schrauben.
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