November 2018

Fixings Q&A
“EXPECTATIONS AND PRESSURES ON
CONTRACTORS ARE ALWAYS HIGH”
Total Contractor caught up with Ian Hill, Managing Director of Fixing Point, to talk about the
company’s imminent move to new premises and what this will mean for customers...
TC. You’re about to move to a new
headquarters building, what prompted the
move?
IH. We have seen significant growth in our
business over the last year, and we aim to build
on this. We have big ambitions for the next fiveyear
period, and moving to a new, larger building
with excellent facilities is an integral part of our
strategy. The move will allow us to offer the
widest range of products and the best solutions
possible across a variety of applications, backed
up by speedy delivery when and where our
customers want.
TC. What new capabilities will the new
building offer you as a business?
IH. The new building includes open-plan office
space for our growing sales and technical team,
training and conference facilities, staff recreation
rooms, larger production area and a laboratory
where products will undergo rigorous quality
testing. We will also manufacture a growing range
of products on-site including our moulded head
range and Gridtite spacer systems. Also, as well
as our current range of powder coated fixings, we
will be powder coating our hex head fixing range.
This in-house manufacturing capability and a
larger production area will allow us to effectively
manage stock and production, reducing lead
times for customers.
TC. How will the move develop your
relationship, offering and interaction with
your customers?
IH. We have incorporated training and conference
rooms where we can hold client meetings and
presentations. This is important as we will be
able to provide training support to our customers
on the benefits and potential applications of our
products in a face-to-face setting. On another
note, our new head office provides a fantastic
working environment for our hard-working team.
A happy workforce provides better service and
that’s important because service is at the heart
of all we do here at Fixing Point.
TC: We are expecting more from our
buildings in terms of performance and
aesthetics; how does this impact you as a
manufacturer / supplier and your installer
customers?
IH. This is certainly true, and we are constantly
evolving and improving our offer to help our
clients deliver buildings that excel on both fronts.
Due to thicker insulation and composite panels
being specified more regularly, our product range
has had to evolve to keep up with these market
patterns. This means we now offer longer fixings
and new, improved brackets for our spacer
system amongst other products.
Our stainless steel range has also increased to
keep up with our customers’ requirements and
we have invested in a new powder coating facility
to keep up with the demand for powder coated
fixings as some contractors prefer this option.
As mentioned previously, we will also be powder
coating our hexagon-headed fixings due to
popular demand for this finish. We are also
seeing an increase in demand for coloured
fixings; with more colours being used in the
market, our colour matching service ensures our
fixings match the finish of the building.
TC: What should contractors look for
when appointing their fixings and
fasteners supplier?
IH. Building a constructive relationship with your
fixings and fasteners supplier can be crucial to
the overall success of a project. Contractors
should always seek advice from their supplier on
technical performance specifications.
Understanding the intended application of
products is essential to this process, so it’s
78 TC NOVEMBER 2018