CONSTRUCTION FIXINGS
How to grow quantity but keep quality
Established in 1971, T I Midwood once solely concentrated on importing a small range of nylon lock nuts and self-tapping screws from the Far East. Nowadays the company known as TIMco stocks more than 4,500 products – including screws, fastenings, fixings, a new range of builders metal work, nails, and power tool accessories – and has become a leading importer and wholesaler of products for builders merchants in the UK.
O
ver the last forty years, TIMco has continued to develop, grow and mature and despite the recent economic challenges has achieved three successive years of double-digit growth to report a turnover of
GB£16.1 million in the last financial year. To secure continued growth TIMco has taken several steps
to both protect its reputation in core areas, as well as improve the range and reach it currently offers. The company aimed however to ensure that its growth was not at the detriment of either the service it offered its customers or at the quality of the products that it was to offer them. TIMco recently built a new 21,000 square foot warehouse at its head office site in Nantwich, Cheshire. The GB£800,000 investment enabled the business to extend its product ranges to more than 4,500 different lines, as well as handle any supply disruptions, resulting in no delays to customers. This meant that TIMco was able to increase product availability and cut the amount of products ‘unavailable’ to customers to less than 2% at any given time. This helped protect the business and its customers against any fluctuations or unforeseen issues that can arise with supply chain logistics.
“ …TIMco aims to continue to grow the quantity it sells without compromising on the quality it offers.”
The new facilities and strong results also resulted in TIMco
investing in a new labelling and packing facility, as well as two dedicated quality control departments in the UK and Taiwan. This helped ensure all products, whether old or new, exceed the recognised industry standards and performance criteria. By adopting this approach, TIMco has achieved accreditations by BSI and is registered with ISO 9001, all of which highlight the commitment to quality throughout the company. With the growth in communications and online technologies, TIMco has also sought to develop a new customer interface and
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improved online ordering facilities through its new websites. The sites have helped improve customer ordering as well as access to products and their applications. The company also made a GB£200,000 total investment into a new IT system, which included employing an in-house specialist and implementing a new telephone system that ensures a consistent call handling experience for customers, which works to put good customer service and improved access to products at the core of the company’s business. TIMco also confirmed that a new warehouse management system will be launched later on this year, which will result in a further GB£200,000 invested into the company. “The last few years have been a testing time for many
businesses in the building and construction sectors, yet it’s positive to see family firms with the right attitude and approach continue to strive despite troubles with the economy,” commented Simon Midwood, managing director of TIMco (pictured above). “We’re pleased to report such strong results in a competitive industry. We have worked hard as a team and are thrilled to be able to reinvest in the business ensuring we meet customer’s growing demands. Our new warehouse will allow us to provide an even better service to our customers and it’s great to be able to bring employment opportunities to the local area.” Simon added: “The company is now embarking on a
programme of continuous improvement, in order to remain focused on maintaining our good reputation for both quality and service. With these programmes in place we aim to continue to grow the quantity we sell without compromising on the quality we offer.”
www.timco.co.uk Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 89 September 2014
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