PBM speaks with ForgeFix MD Paul Swift about how the company is meeting the challenges facing the fixings and fastener industry, future proofing its supply chain and increasing its support for merchants.
It has been a period of change at fixings and fastener specialist ForgeFix. Like every company in the fastener and fixings sector, the global pandemic affected the company’s manufacturing supply chain. Managing Director Paul Swift joined the company in February 2022 and since then he and the team, which includes new appointments in key roles, have been leading a transformation focused on customer service, product choice and sustainability.
Paul explained: “I want ForgeFix back to where we belong in terms of flexibility, customer service and protecting our reputation as the friendly supplier who is easy to deal with, here to support your business. We have always prided ourselves on providing customers with exemplary levels of service and support including online ordering, next day delivery and expert technical advice.
“As well as improving all of that, I want to expand the family of ForgeFix brands and their product ranges ensuring we provide merchants with choice, quality and the opportunity to grow their business alongside ours.”
One of the first actions the business took as a big step towards meeting that ambition was to introduce the ‘Voice of the Customer’ programme, designed to get honest feedback from its customer base. The research is on an ongoing basis and Paul says the results will “ripple through the business, ensuring decisions will be made with the merchant at their heart”.
He continues: “The team and I have spoken with a lot of our customers since I was appointed and I want merchants to know that we are listening. We will be growing the support departments to facilitate what you need. We aren’t just selling a screw, we are selling a solution.
“For instance, marketing support — we can help market the products on a merchant’s behalf. We will also be transforming our point of sale and making it amongst the most innovative and interactive on the market.”
To enable growth in the support departments, the company has appointed a new Head of Marketing, Rebecca Fortescue-Halliwell, who has a depth of experience in the fixings and fasteners sector and Brian Trevaskiss, who has taken up a role as Head of Product Development and Sustainability. The new roles are intended to ensure continuity of the ‘ForgeFix way’ with a keen eye on building a successful future too.
A product support demonstrator, Steve Moore, has also joined the business and will become a familiar face in merchant branches up and down the country — and it sounds like he will have even more products to show off, as Paul is committed to a “faster expansion of its product range”.
Indeed, despite the global pandemic, the last 18 months has already seen the launch of the successful Spectre brand of timber screws, and CorePlus — a range of Diamond Blades, Hole Saws and Tile Drill Bits. Also included in the ForgeFix family is the ForgeFast brand, which features a range of Elite Performance Screws and accessories. These brands and their ranges will be added to, whilst changes to where the product is sourced will help the ForgeFix team deliver on their customer promise.
Paul explained: “I think it’s fair to say that, just like most other fastener and fixings manufacturers, Covid really hit our supply chain and presented us with some key challenges and decisions to make. However, change will not stop us expanding our ranges and we are now transforming our manufacturing supply chain in a way which will future proof it — seamlessly for our customers and with the added security that ForgeFix will be able to deliver on its promises.”
Sustainability is also stated to be a key part of the commitment ForgeFix is making to its customers, with a fresh approach to packaging which includes, in time, moving to 100% recyclable packaging. One crucial change will be seen in early 2023 when the company will be removing the plastic windows from its cardboard screw boxes, instantly making the box recyclable.
Along with more recyclable plastic tub options (its tubs are already made from 30% recyclable material and this will be moved to 100% in time), the company is removing cross contamination from its plastic packaging and developing a new label printing solution which has also increased the ability to recycle its packaging.
Just as the “Voice of the Customer” project is focusing on listening to its customers, another project is underway looking at sustainable packaging and ways to enable more purchasing flexibility when it comes to product quantities. This, says Paul, is to better facilitate the changing buying habits of their customers who will need this flexibility.
“I am really excited about the progress we are making across the board and merchants will be hearing from — and seeing — people from ForgeFix more and more over the coming months. We have faced our key challenges head on and we are prepared to support our customers as never before through this cost-of-living crisis, rising fuel costs and the aftermath of the pandemic.”
Paul concludes: “I am very positive about the future of our business, and we will be putting all our energy towards growing in partnership with our merchant customers.”
Click here for more details on ForgeFix and its Spectre, Coreplus and ForgeFast brands.
A version of this article appeared in the November edition of Professional Builders Merchant. Click here to read the full digital issue via the PBM website.
