June/July 2020

Article Reinforcement
Continued from page 48
and stick it on a pallet and supply it direct
to fabricators. The supply chain are the steel
suppliers and us,” adds Lee.
“If you’re buying in from your systems company
you’re adding in more variables, complexity and cost.
You don’t have visibility on origin of steels and you’re
reliant on your systems company and their supply
chain to manage demand and supply effectively.
“Now we know that that’s not happening in
all cases because of the stock-outs that we’re
seeing. There are fabricators who can’t get
windows and doors shipped, because they don’t
have steels.
“There are also shortages in aluminium supply
– we have our own UK extrusion business. We
control the supply chain and supply direct.”
Lean manufacture post-lockdown
Lee says in buying reinforcement direct from
Anglo, fabricators can cut the price they paid for
steel reinforcement by 30-40%.
Modelling by Anglo reveals significant
savings for even smaller fabricators, with
those manufacturing only 100 units a week
achieving average savings of £235 a week or
£12,220 a year. The potential savings for those
manufacturers producing around 1,000 fpw runs
as high as £2,354 a week or £122,408 a year.
Savings for larger fabricators are, according to Anglo,
even more impressive – up to £184,000 per year
for manufacturers doing 1,500 fpw and £240,000
a year or more for those making 2,000 fpw.
The figures, which are based on buying-in cut-tosize
reinforcement, represent the culmination of
labour and employment costs, reduced wastage and
the lower unit price achieved through direct supply.
“There are fabricators
who can’t get windows
and doors shipped,
because they don’t
have steels”
Lee Marriott, Anglo European
“Coming out of lockdown lean manufacture
assumes new importance. It’s happening in every
part of construction, the shift to MMC [modern
methods of construction], is about taking cost out
and managing process more effectively.
“As a fabricator you need to be applying the same
principles to your business. Furlough is ending
and cost is coming back in. If you can reapply the
resource that you would have applied to cutting your
own bar length on steels you should be doing it.
“We can supply you twice a week anywhere from
Cornwall to Inverness. You don’t need the labour
and you don’t need the wastage because those
things cost – and in the coming months the ‘fat’
isn’t going to be there in the supply chain to
absorb them.”
Contact Anglo European:
0161 231 2354
www.angloeuropeangroup.co.uk
@Anglo_European
50 TF JUNE/JULY 2020 CONNECTING THE WINDOW, DOOR & ROOF FABRICATION SUPPLY CHAIN