HARDWARE
10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP DRIVES SERVICE , QUALITY AND CHOICE
» LEADING UK HARDWARE distributor IFI is celebrating a decade as a supply partner for Rapierstar fasteners , which are used for window and door manufacturing and installation , as well as in timber and general construction .
The Cambridgeshire based company , which is the longest established trading division of Rapidrop Global , has been supplying products to window professionals for over 25 years . From its 30,000 sq . ft national distribution centre in Peterborough , IFI delivers UK-wide on a next day delivery service , utilising its own
delivery fleet and a network of national freight carriers , and supplies the complete range of Rapierstar products .
Employing 90 people and annual sales of over £ 20 million , IFI is now one of the largest distributors of the Rapierstar range of specialist fasteners , including its StarPVCU and StarPin products that are widely used in the fenestration sector . It supplies around 100 million Rapierstar pieces every year to fabricators and installers , completing the link between Rapierstar ’ s main distribution centre in Cheshire and the factory floor or fitting teams . www . rapierstar . com
Buffer Stocks Boosted for Brexit
» CARL F GROUPCO OBSERVES THAT all hardware supply chains are under pressure globally , not just EU based manufacturers , due to a post lockdown boom , shipping challenges and delays at ports for products from the Far East . The company has liaised with its major EU manufacturer partners including FUHR and Roto to ensure buffer stock to support sales with an additional 600,000 Euros of stock .
Carl F Groupco , Managing Director , John Crittenden said :
“ Unfortunately , we are not immune to what you hear on the news , but supporting our
ADDING YEARS OF CAPACITY FOR CONTINUING FAST GROWTH customers ’ production requirements through Brexit has 100 % of our focus . We have all the necessary licences in place with our transport partners and HMRC to ensure we can clear customs without delay and our logistics providers are confident they are prepared . For UK supplied products including ASSA / Yale , MACO , Hoppe and Siegenia , we plan to add additional stock of high volume products . If for any reason we do not have stock of requested hardware , we will look to offer a suitable alternative . “
www . carlfgroupco . co . uk
» BRISANT SECURE , THE HARDWARE house behind Ultion has moved to a new unit which enables it to expand capacity by two-thirds above 2020 operations . The move will secure Brisant ’ s long-term growth and make room for what the company says are more exciting new products that will change the market .
Brisant saw strong growth in 2020 , which more than compensated for two missing months due to lockdown . Homeowner traffic to the Ultion website grew 30 % in 2020 – the equivalent of 50,000 visitors each month and rising , and the company finished the year ahead of 2019 , despite extremely difficult trading conditions .
CEO Nick Dutton said : “ Break-ins are a sad reality of life and security is top of most homeowners ’ wish lists , but they also want great-looking products that enhance their homes . One of Ultion ’ s unique selling points for installers is that Ultion doesn ’ t just add security to their doors : Ultion actually sells doors . Our installer customers are doing very well by giving homeowners the extreme security and long-lasting beautiful hardware they ’ ve always wanted with Ultion and Sweet .” www . ultion-lock . co . uk
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