VIEWPOINT
VIEWPOINT
CHANGE FOR THE
IT IS FAIR to say that merchants and suppliers find themselves in another perfect storm, with a cost-of-living crisis and rising fuel prices, on top of having to deal with the ongoing ramifications of the global pandemic. Now, more than ever, the relationship between suppliers and their merchant customers has to be stronger than ever – all with an eye on mutual business growth. For our company, charting a course through these turbulent times has meant a sea change in how we approach our supply chain coupled with a return to the ‘ForgeFix way,’ which means flexibility, excellent customer service and protecting our reputation as the friendly supplier who are easy to deal with, always here to support your business. We have always prided ourselves on providing its customers with exemplary levels of service and support including online ordering, next day delivery and expert technical advice. Maintaining that through the last two years has at times been
BETTER
ForgeFix MD Paul Swift on the challenges facing the fastener and fixings sector and how the company has positioned itself to overcome them and thrive.
a challenge - the fastener and fixings industry as a whole was affected adversely by Covid, mainly due to the fact that much of the sector’s products are manufactured in the Far East.
Scurcing challenges This presented us with some key challenges and crucial decisions to make around where we source our product from, without passing huge and unexpected price rises on to our merchant partners. We are now transforming our manufacturing supply chain in a way which will future proof it seamlessly for our customers, with the added security that we will be able to deliver on our promises. It has to be a change for the better and one that will enable us to quickly expand our Spectre, Coreplus and ForgeFast product ranges.
To further make sure merchants are at the heart of everything we do, we have introduced a continual “Voice of the Customer” programme, designed to get honest feedback from
October 2022
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
our customers and implement the changes they need to grow alongside us. The results will ripple through the business, ensuring every decision we make will be made with the merchant in mind. As part of this improvement process, we will be growing the support departments to facilitate what merchants need.
We aren’t just selling screws, we are selling a solution, from marketing support, to the transformation of our point of sale into the most innovative and interactive on the market, through to more sustainable packaging. Just as the “Voice of the Customer” project is focusing on listening to its customers, another project is underway looking at greener packaging options and ways to enable more purchasing flexibility when it comes to product quantities, which better facilitates the changing buying habits of our customers. To lead the merchant support departments, we have appointed a new Head of Marketing, Rebecca Fortescue-Halliwell, who
has vast experience in the fixings and fasteners sector and Brian Trevaskiss, as Head of Product Development and Sustainability. A product support demonstrator, Steve Moore, also joins the business and will become a familiar face in merchant branches up and down the country. 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.
Key support
We have faced our key challenges head on and we are committed to supporting our customers as never before through this cost-of-living crisis, rising fuel costs and the aftermath of the pandemic. We may all face common challenges but we all want the same end result – our businesses to thrive. 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. BMJ
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