TORQUE FOCUS: Fabory has dramatically increased its fastener product line-up, revamped its webshop and released its first industry standard catalogue in nearly six years. Torque speaks with Claire Hill, Fabory UK Business Controller, for the inside track from the international business...
Fabory supplies fasteners and related products including tools, safety products and industrial products to customers throughout Europe. The company has more than 100 sales offices and retail locations throughout Europe and 1,300 team members, 16 of which are based in the UK office. Since 2011, Fabory is part of W.W. Grainger Inc., the North America-based broadline supplier of maintenance, repair and operations products (MRO) and since the acquisition both businesses have been leveraging each other’s expertise in order to benefit their customers.
The UK operation opened in Wednesbury in the West Midlands in 1996 and has the backing of a large central warehouse based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. “In the UK, Fabory sells fasteners only to trade relations,” says Claire Hill, Business Controller. “We are well known for the quality of our products and for delivering a huge range of fasteners faster than the competition.
“Earlier this year we launched a brand new Fasteners Catalogue which contains 75,000 different fastening products, 50% more than in the previous catalogue. This is the result of recent and extensive expansion of our product lines, designed to meet the needs of more customers,” Hill says. “We want our customers to have an effortless experience when they do business with us, and we know that a broad range, quality, availability and our team’s fastener expertise are key factors for them to be successful in serving their customers.
“Fabory’s quality requirements are second to none. Our products are sourced from suppliers who have undergone severe auditing before we made the decision to take on their products,” explains Hill. Incoming fasteners undergo strict quality controls in Fabory’s independent in-house A2LA-accredited laboratory, which can also issue product certificates upon request.
“Prompt availability is guaranteed by the increased stock in our branch in Wednesbury,” Hill adds. “This makes it possible for us to deliver within 24 hours which is a high priority for many of our customers.”
Growth for maritime, stainless steel, imperial fasteners and stud bolts
Fabory’s General Manager Mr. Ronald Baarslag presented the very first copy of Fabory’s new Fasteners Catalogue, on April 5th 2016, to customer Mr Hans van den Bersselaar, General Manager of Jos van den Bersselaar Construction – a steel construction company from the Netherlands that builds products like staircases, noise screens and bridge railings in its home country and abroad.
Over the past few years, Fabory has introduced many new products to its assortment which can be found in the new catalogue. Product categories like maritime products, stainless steel fasteners, imperial fasteners and stud bolts have grown. The MaxxFast brand offering, which is exclusive to Fabory, has also undergone expansion to offer an even larger selection of high quality fasteners, at a competitive price.
Finding products in Fabory’s new Fasteners Catalogue is easier due to an improved, user friendly layout of the product index which can be navigated alphabetically, by product group or by standard.
The catalogue offers extensive and reliable technical information for each product, reflecting the company’s position as ‘Masters in Fasteners’. The separate Technical Section, which offers helpful information on product characteristics like strengths, measurements, coatings as well as application advice, has undergone a total revision.
Baarslag explains that the new and improved catalogue makes it easier for customers to locate the products they need. “The catalogue offers many new fastening products and ncludes detailed and reliable technical information. Our customers highly value this. Many customers have shared with
us that they still very much rely on Fabory’s printed Fasteners Catalogue, whether in the office, at their production location or on the road.”
The aforementioned Jos Van den Bersselaar Construction uses Fabory’s fasteners in its products. General Manager Mr Hans van den Bersselaar explains: “The Fabory catalogue is very helpful to our technical engineers when they are preparing construction drawings for our often complex projects and they use it a lot.”
Fabory also offers all this information online at www.fabory.com, in a clickable version of the catalogue and in its new web shop, where new products are added daily. Hill says: “Our webshop is much more customer friendly now, offering a multitude of convenient features, and we’re providing access to it to our customers in phases. We’ll be rolling it out in a big way soon.”
With all this developments, is Fabory tempted to branch out into new markets with new products? Not so, Hill says: “Our business is based solely on fasteners in the UK, that is what we are really good at, and that is all we will do.”
The Fabory UK Sales Team is excited about its forthcoming appearance at this year’s Torque Expo, being held at Silverstone Race Track on 11-12 October 2016. Visitors are invited to visit stand D4 for a demonstration of the WebShop and to take a look at Fabory’s extended new catalogue.
