The Locksmith Journal Nov-Dec 2014 - Issue 35 | Page 60

hardware&security BRISANT BUILDS ON ITS STRENGTHS In September of this year, Brisant welcomed new director, Nick Dutton to the Board, following the sale of composite door company, Door-Stop International, earlier in the year. The Locksmith journal met with Nick at his Nottinghamshire office, set in acres of picturesque farmland, to find out what his appointment means for the future of the company. “Steve Stewart and Adrian Vicker founded Brisant two years ago with the aim of providing a dedicated supply service to locksmiths,” Nick explained. “Together they designed and developed a range of own-brand locks and, with other carefully selected products, produced a strong portfolio that their customers love. “Brisant primarily serves locksmiths and they have a very loyal customer-base, whom they look after very well. They have this great story that, up to present, hasn’t really been told. So initially I have been tasked with communicating the brand values for which our customers love us the most, with the objective of raising awareness of the company and adding to its loyal following. “I began by conducting some ‘Voice of the Customer’ research to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the company and what this told me was that Brisant had good 60 THE NOV/DEC 2014 ISSUE SPONSORED BY DAVENPORT BURGESS products and a very happy, very satisfied customer base who felt well-looked after. So really it is a case of generating some more of the same and working out how we achieve that. “Brisant has worked tirelessly with locksmiths to create well thought out product specifications that help the locksmith to resolve the everyday issues they encounter, for example, by helping them to reduce the amount of stock they need to carry in their vans with the likes of dual colour products to suit every handle, taking away the cost and stock balance of chrome and nickel, or the antisnap technology that is in both ends of Brisant’s locks, halving again the amount of anti-snap lock stock a locksmith needs to carry. A REDESIGNED WEBSITE “My first task was to redesign and relaunch the Brisant website to reinforce the message that the company is focussed on the locksmith and does everything as a supplier that they need it to do. The new site went live in mid-October, around the time my appointment was made official. “In terms of growth, the infrastructure of the business is ready to handle our exciting plans, for which we are currently setting targets. But I anticipate that we will double the size of the business by this time next year. “We will, of course, be recruiting more sales staff to maintain the great service through this growth period. This recruitment has already started and new faces are already appearing. Stock and racking has also already started a development programme. “One aspect of what Brisant does that will remain untouched, however, is its next day delivery service, which has proven extremely efficient. The customer receives a text giving an accurate time of delivery and orders can even be tracked in real time. We can also deliver the order direct to the homeowner should the locksmith wish. “Product-wise though, we are currently putting our flagship product, the Ultion lock, through rigorous testing, in order to achieve the 3-star and Sold Secure Diamond accreditations, something that is very rare in the industry and about which we are very excited. Prelaunch stock has been available to existing customers but we expect to launch the fully accredited product some time during this month. It will mean that Brisant will have the complete package to offer to locksmiths, preventing them from having to buy from different sources, another example of how we can make their lives easier,” Nick concluded. For more information about Brisant and its products visit www.brisant-secure.com, call 01924 455 444 or email [email protected] To read more, visit www.locksmithjournal.co.uk