£300,000 + infrastructure investment heralds new growth for specialist distributor

Specialist distributor Antifriction Components has invested over £300,000 in new logistic and office facilities as it continues to build its national brand.

The Bristol headquartered business will launch a 20,000 sq ft warehouse in early April to enable it to enhance its customer led stock policy.

Commercial Director Andy Fleming comments: “This new facility has enabled us to increase our stocks by over £500,000, even though we have the largest stocks in the South West already.

It” will enable us to improve our service and will reduce delivery times for the whole of our UK distribution network.”

The overhaul also sees new offices as a base for its 16 strong national customer account management team, with a further 25 executive, warehouse and admin employees based permanently on site.

Antifriction currently has over 90 staff across 12 sites in the UK.

Fleming states: “We have grown 37% over the past three years in challenging times for the economy.

“This investment will enable us to continue to grow strongly over the coming years, helping us improve customer satisfaction by reducing costs and helping clients to become more profitable.”

Antifriction supplies bearings, belt drives, chains, lubricants, seals, gearboxes, motors and fluid power products to industry sectors including food and beverage, construction, metals, paper, recycling and energy.

The investment highlights the commitment of Italian owners Gruppo Bianchi in partnership with Mondial to assist Antifriction’s progress, which it acquired in May 2011.

Bob Davis, Managing Director, comments: “We are particularly strong in the western half of the UK and especially in our heartland of the South West and South Wales.

“But we want to develop our reach and service seamlessly across the country and this new facility will help achieve that goal.”

Davis continues: “We are ambitious. I see Antifriction building a stronger national base and brand that will help attract more of the best supply partners and in turn more customers.

“There will be significant investment in infrastructure with more branches opening in locations outside where we have traditionally had a well-established presence.”

Antifriction has recently signed agreements with SMC, Henkel and Kluber in the past 12 months to add to their already impressive supplier base.

Notes
Gruppo Bianchi and Mondial are major industrial distribution companies with 32 sites in France, Spain, Portugal and their home country of Italy as well as the UK.

They supply over 250,000 products annually to a client base of more than 21,000 businesses across Europe.

Antifriction was established in Bristol in 1976 it is a now a leading industrial components distributor throughout the country.

http://www.afc-uk.com