Q: What is the purpose of having a dedicated OEM sales team? The OEM sales team was set up to cope with the varying and unique demands of the original equipment manufacturer. In other words people that use cables in the things they produce. That could be harnesses or leads right through to a tunnel boring machine or water purification system. Along with me we have Nasar Khan, Stuart Beagle and Laura Martin. Laura has recently joined the company and is settling in very well. She is already getting some great hands on experience with the product as in her first week she helped us move stock over to the new building! Q: What kind of service do you provide ? We try to put the customer first and work out what is important to them. For example, product consistency is often critical. Once a customer has got used to a product they don’t like change. What may seem like a small difference in product may actually alter the way a machine works, and can impact 3 months down the line. We don’t like nasty surprises so we try to keep them to a minimum. Our customers also need to know that they have a contact at the end of the phone and that we understand their individual needs – they don’t want to have to rehash the same requirements every time their stock needs replenishing. Q: What are the most popular cables ?We tend to concentrate on signal, data and control. So much of the focus is on coax, twisted pairs or multi-cores but high temperature cables including silicones and PTFEs are very popular. Interestingly it’s often the customer that drives innovation in new product development. Some of our more popular lines are products we made specifically for a customer once, and then kept in stock. Over time they become part of our regular range. Q: Who do you see as competition?Everyone and anyone – from the local wholesaler to the multinationals that offer ‘total solutions’. A lot of customers have been buying from the likes of RS, Farnell and Arrow but prefer the flexibility we offer in things like pack size or colour. If 100m doesn’t suit we can cut to any length you want and if you want an unusual colour code or jacket colour we can sort it, sometimes for quantities as low as 1000m. Q: What is delivery like?If it’s a stock product we ship the same day we receive the instruction to be with the customer on the next working day. If it’s to a customers design we try to fit in with the customers needs. We work very closely with the production units so sometimes delivery can be as little as 2 weeks but if time allows we prefer a more relaxed 8 weeks, or longer if it is coming from a Far East factory. The main thing is to match the customer needs and be honest – we always give realistic delivery times. Q: Do you hold much stock?Yes, and with the new building even more so. As well as our own regular stock lines we also hold a lot of stock dedicated to individual customers. A customer will give us an order of say 10km and can call it off at 1km per month or as they need it over a year. It helps their storage issues if they have them and means they can be confident the cable will be with them when they want it. This works for either standard or custom made products. Q: What do you think sets you apart from other distributors? I really enjoy the relationships I have with my customers and it’s true for the rest of the team. I have been dealing with some people for so long now they have almost become partnerships. At the end of the day, we are here to provide a service, not just a produWhat do you think sets you apart from other distributors? I really enjoy the relationships I have with my customers and it’s true for the rest of the team. I have been dealing with some people for so long now they have almost become partnerships. At the end of the day, we are here to provide a service, not just a product.
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