NEWS
Partnership – Paul Murphy of Caswells and Leanne Bray of Pal International .
BEST OF PALS
Shared values of innovation and openness bring value to strategic partnership
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURE : TOM BANKS
Shared values have translated into increased sales for industrial supplier Caswells and strategic partner Pal International .
Billingham-based Caswells , which provides workplace supplies from helmets to hygiene wipes and tools to protective workwear , has had a positive relationship with Pal for more than a decade .
However , over the last two years Caswells ’ alliance with the maker of the wet wipes and hygiene workwear it sells has gone from strength to strength .
Paul Murphy , commercial director , says : “ Our sales of their products reached £ 2.5m in the last 12 months and were previously about £ 200,000 per year .
“ They manufacture wet wipes for medical environments , general-purpose and industrial and food manufacturing .
“ Now , we have been named as the exclusive UK stockist for Pal disposable hygiene workwear .”
Paul says the two businesses are “ wellaligned ” in terms of having a shared set of core values that both embrace .
He believes this is why Pal has chosen Caswells as its exclusive UK stockist for hygiene workwear and has handed a number of existing customers to them .
Both Caswells and Pal share a focus on openness , innovation , collaboration and growth .
“ We are open and honest with one another in terms of the direction of the businesses ,” Paul explains . “ The discussions we have between the two businesses are not like a normal business relationship – it ’ s very much a partnership .”
Both businesses are also constantly innovating .
Paul says : “ Examples of our innovative approach to our business include the development of our own vending machines for industrial consumables .
“ We have also just refurbished a trailer truck which we take out to customers stocked with whatever consumables they might need that they can simply take off the truck and get one invoice from one company , rather than having to order items from many different suppliers .
“ It is geared up as an onsite store and is an added value service to a customer .”
Providing the truck saves the customer time , money and effort .
Paul explains : “ We send it into the site full of consumables they need for a job – PPE or whatever it might be that they need – and they just use what ’ s required and send the truck back . It makes life easy for them and their business .
“ We are always looking for something different – something new that nobody else does and we will try to deliver it .”
Examples of innovation from Pal include designing products to be more environmentally friendly and taking a sustainable approach to their manufacturing practices .
Wai Wong , general manager – business retail division of Pal International , says :
“ We are working with partners in our supply chain in terms of creating added value to the end consumer for recyclability , aiming to reach carbon negative by 2030 .”
Pal has also recently invested in modern , state-of-the-art machinery and plant facilities to produce products at high speed and has introduced robot packing to increase efficiency .
Wai added : “ The Pal-branded hygiene workwear has been a well-known range in the marketplace for 50 years .
“ We felt that partnering with Caswells was the perfect choice , with great customer service and a well-developed infrastructure in warehousing , pick and pack and distribution fulfilment to reach distributors and food factories through to the small end-user .”
With Caswells now storing and distributing Pal ’ s hygiene workwear , the company can enlarge the production area for the wet wipes , a market that ’ s grown in part due to the pandemic , but which has always experienced a healthy demand .
“ Now , we are storing the product and sending it out so they don ’ t have to ,” adds Paul .
“ That means they can focus on manufacturing their best-selling products , rather than acting as a wholesale facility as well .
“ We are delighted to be strengthening the long partnership we have enjoyed as a business with Pal .”
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