understanding your customer properly, achieving their confidence and ensuring that you provide the right products and service to meet their needs.” For Masterfix those customers are
overwhelmingly distributors. “We have an excellent product,” says Peter, “consistently high quality, well priced against its competition and market
ago, while Masterfix had a number of high-volume fully branded contracts it would be fair to say that a lot of this business was “white box, white label”. Yes, it fulfilled the basic need for a distributor to identify product he supplied into a local market but arguably that’s about as far as it went. The problem was volumes, or more precisely minimums. “Traditionally
“ Masterfix is about service. That is what delivers the added value.”
requirements, available off the shelf, with a catalogue you can rely on.” Together with a deep-rooted, some might say genetic, commitment to building and sustaining relationships, these for Masterfix are the keys to prospering in the distribution market. Performance last year reinforces the point. “We’re doing well, being happy,” says Peter. “2011 was the best year ever for Masterfix.” “We have seen and continue to see
changes in the market and we are ready for those changes,” he continues. “We are developing our processes and further extending our offerings. We are working on the Masterfix brand programme and are also taking the private label concept to the next level.” Comments that demand further
exploration. The Masterfix branded programme has grown and extended, providing its partner distributors with a comprehensive range of products, consistently quality assured and backed with energetic marketing support. An intelligent approach to those partnerships ensures that Masterfix distributors do not trip over each other in the market and can genuinely reap the benefits of injecting equal energy into the relationship. “We give people added value on the
Masterfix side,” Peter Brans again. “There is a very big range, that keeps on growing, available off the shelf, through a highly responsive logistics service. The distributor gains all the benefits from the exhibitions and marketing material Masterfix provides for its brand.” Private label has long been an integral part of the Masterfix package. Six years
on private label tools we have needed good volumes,” says Peter Brans. “What we have launched now is an intermediate concept where we have taken the four most popular tools in our range, put them on stock in a neutral but attractive finish and developed a process here that can turn small quantities at a time into a private label within a week.” The initial order, of course, takes a bit longer but thereafter Masterfix provides a characteristically responsive service. No commitment to thousands of tools or four-month wait for delivery – just the ability to project an own company image professionally and cost effectively in the local market. On the high
volume private label business and also the Masterfix brand itself, integration with Emhart has brought clear benefits. It starts, no surprises, with the relationship with the customer. “We are working very closely with their supply chain departments in terms of forecasting and stockholding,” explains Peter Brans. “Behind the scenes we can now ensure they a have a high degree of availability by planning with them, exploring how things are changing in their market,
opportunities to develop it for them.” “We also keep them motivated with
new products and range extensions. They are amongst the first to know about new introductions and opportunities.” Behind it all, as Christian Lubascher
explains, are economies of scale and specialist capabilities simply not available to Masterfix previously. “As well as the specialist marketing services support for the brand, we have technically astute product management throughout the range. We have supply chain management that not only ensures our customer enjoy higher levels of availability and improved returns on working capital, but allows our business to achieve greater levels of cost efficiency.” Christian is also keen to talk about
“reach” – not just along the supply chain, although that has allowed Masterfix to take full advantage of more specialist, higher grade, manufacturing, but through to all parts of the European market. “In the markets it has serviced intensively over the long pull - Poland is a great example - Masterfix has become something of a benchmark. For other countries, though, it was not
previously possible to deliver that unique Masterfix touch. Now it is, through the flexibility of the Emhart network – combining local knowledge with Masterfix strengths to deliver really excellent value to distribution customers.” So, mission accomplished? Not the
Masterfix way of thinking. Tomorrow’s a new day, and there’s an irrepressible energy in Maastricht - for which nothing’s impossible.
www.masterfix.com www.fastenerandfixing.com 41
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