2021 Directory

www.bfpa.co.uk 49 on the level of technical expertise on offer. “Parker, for example, is a well- established company that designs and manufactures very high-quality products such as the Parker Polyflex thermoplastic hoses for ultra-high-pressure applications,” he says. “We sell a lot of these types of products and our relationship with suppliers such as Parker is long-established and mutually beneficial. Similarly, we have a sound relationship with Uniflex and find that the company’s hose assembly machines and crimpers are becoming increasingly popular within the UK marketplace.” Service and support Paul Dunlop, Sales & Operations Director, Pirtek UK Ltd, explains that Pirtek works to a rather different model compared with most other distributors in that it supplies stock from a central hub in Milton Keynes to its nationwide franchise network. “In this way, we can ensure our network has everything they need to provide our circa 25,000 live customers with the best possible service and support,” he explains. “In order to continue to achieve this level of product provision and support to our network, Pirtek UK’s stockholding in Milton Keynes is virtually double the amount it was before the initial Brexit vote. In this way, we are totally confident that we have everything required to maintain the level of service that our customer base has become accustomed to, and more. Over the past year we have also begun sourcing new products from new suppliers just to keep our stockholding fresh and varied. The main rationale behind this strategy is if there were to be a notable dip in supply, we want to be prepared for it by not only bolstering stock levels of existing products within our established portfolio, but also by adding new ranges that could also prove to be attractive to our customers. We have a trusted group of suppliers for our core stock and all our products go through rigorous testing and matching to make sure they are totally reliable as well as being compatible to individual customers’ requirements.” The rise of e-commerce Gunter reflects on the different options customers now have at their disposal when placing order for products. “More and more customers are now moving to an e-commerce model when ordering products within our industry,” he explains. “In certain circumstances, this can work very well. However, when we’re talking about the provision or maintenance of something like a hydraulic hose or a crimping machine, I believe it’s important that suppliers such as Abdex continue to champion the benefits of face-to-face dialogue with customers to ensure they are supplied with the very best and most suitable product or service for their needs. When dealing with complex fluid power solutions that are business-critical and have health & safety ramifications, I believe a distributor needs to fully understand the precise requirements of each customer and be geared up to providing in-depth advice on products and services through face-to-face meetings. Some people seem to believe that if they do a quick search online that they will get better value for money. However, if this then results in the purchase of products that don’t meet their precise technical requirements, or if something goes wrong resulting in expensive downtime or injury, then there is obviously a higher price to pay. So, I believe there is great value in offering the type of personal business service we do.” Simpson also makes the point that the fluid power industry is starting to become a lot more e-commerce orientated, with automation being at the forefront of this trend with regard to removing human error opportunities on processes that work better in an autonomous environment. “This then gives the human element at proactive responsibility/opportunity to increase revenue with more hunter/gatherer types feeding the sales pipeline,” he comments. Simpson considers that the organisations that will thrive in the years ahead will be those that are able to keep pace with increasing customer expectations. That, he states, invariably will mean investment in digital technology across multiple platforms to ensure that businesses can meet those expectations – delivering, not only products, but also added value services, when and where the customer demands them. “This is why Flowtech continually invest in our digital platforms and ecommerce technology – to remain at the forefront of the industry and meet customer’s needs,” he says. Simpson has witnessed notable improvements in the quality of parts and equipment sourced from the Far East. “It wasn’t so long ago when many companies were hesitant to buy fluid power-related equipment from places such as China or India because of quality, reliability or even safety concerns,” he reflects. “Now, the majority of the key players in our industry are having their products produced in the Far East. Things have certainly changed quite dramatically in this respect. Quality has been demanded from the big players within the market, which has also had a knock-on effect for other products the Far East suppliers produce, thereby improving the quality all round.” However, an enduring constraint within the marketplace in general, according to Simpson, remains the varying quality of products. “Some people concentrate on price rather than quality when it comes to sourcing fluid power products,” he says. “I would prefer people to have confidence in product with the backing of manufacturers’ guarantees and a brand that can be trusted.” Training Dunlop points out that an increasing number of customers are now looking for more of a ‘one-stop shop’-type service. “So, the more our mobile service and sales technicians (MSSTs) understand about hydraulic hoses and fittings, and hydraulic systems in general, the more they can add to the value of our service offering,” he says. “Therefore, as part of their mandatory training all our technicians now attend the Foundation course in hydraulic systems, which is approved by the BFPA as the minimum recommendations for hydraulic training. This is conducted within their first year of employment with the company. They also attend the Pirtek Induction training accredited by City & Guilds and BFPA Foundation course ‘working safely with hydraulic hose and fittings’. Indeed, we have just added two Bosch Rexroth training rigs to our existing equipment in our Birmingham training academy. “This is just one part of our commitment to deliver competency-based training for our technicians, giving them key skills and knowledge to deliver the safest, fastest and most reliable service with combined knowledge of additional products that they can offer to their customer base. There are many new products out there that we can source in order to offer that wider value-added service to customers. It is often easy to be so close to your existing ranges that you don’t fully understand the potential that’s out there in the market.” Gunter believes the level of training and support available within the fluid power industry is second to none. “The quality