OWLETT-JATON NAILS TURNOVER FOR KELLAWAY BUILDING SUPPLIES

Consolidating its entire fastener and fixings range to market-leader Owlett-Jaton has doubled turnover of this product range for Bristol-based builders merchants, Kellaway Building Supplies, over the last 12 months.

Established in 1982 by Ernest Milligan, Kellaway is a family-owned business run by current Managing Director, and Ernest’s son, Julian Milligan. The company has 11 depots across the UK covering locations including Bristol, Bath, Swindon and Stonehouse; employing around 150 people.

The independent merchant prides itself on customer service supported by a wide range of readily available stock. However, on reviewing its business strategy more than 18 months ago, Purchasing Director Bob Fleetwood consulted fastener and fixings supplier Owlett-Jaton to help streamline its offering and boost turnover.

Bob explained: “Previously we were buying our fasteners and fixings from a number of suppliers but we were finding that as more third parties were chosen for this product range, we were invariably buying too many things from too many different suppliers. We wanted to work with Owlett-Jaton in finding a solution that would identify and eliminate the causes of waste, expense and risk.”

Owlett-Jaton has been working with Kellaway for around 10 years and was therefore well-placed to understand the vital requirements of the business. Andy Connor, National Commercial Manager at Owlett-Jaton helped Bob to identify a core range of fasteners and fixings and streamline the procurement process. This model was then gradually rolled out across the rest of the business.

In turn this has reduced purchase costs for Kellaway as well as procurement and supplier management costs, increased procurement process efficiency overall and subsequently doubled turnover for the fasteners and fixings portfolio.

Head-quartered in Stone, Owlett-Jaton’s 150,000 sq ft warehouse – the equivalent of approximately two football pitches – boasts vast storage capacity. In addition to this, the company also recently invested £250K into a warehouse picking system which is cutting-edge for this industry. The new system enables orders to be picked both reliably and cost-effectively; accuracy and efficiency have significantly improved since its introduction. Instructions are given through the headset to the operator, informing him of which location to go to, the quantity to pick, the weight, and box quantity. The operator confirms each instruction by voice, as well as the last four digits of the bar code. The system then informs the operator which location to go to next, and the process repeats.

Andy commented: “The great thing about Owlett-Jaton, and its five sister companies in the Hexstone Group, is that customers across the board can treat our warehouses as their own. The new picking-system in particular ensures that we also have product available for customers should they require it last-minute.

“When Kellaway approached us for guidance we were more than happy to work with them to help ensure that they were only stocking the products their customers needed, and it’s great to see the financial benefits it has provided for the business.”

Kellaway stocks products such as the Vortex™ professional power screw, a wide selection of prepacked nails, and a comprehensive range of JCP Fixings from Owlett-Jaton.

Bob continued: “Owlett-Jaton was chosen as a preferred supplier because of its comprehensive product range and next-day delivery service which applies even if you order up to 5pm.”

Earlier this year Owlett-Jaton also introduced a complete guide to its product range with a catalogue encompassing more than 30,000 products, underlining the “one-stop” solution it offers.

For more information on Owlett-Jaton visit: www.owlett-jaton.com

For more information on Kellaway Building Supplies visit: www.kellaway.co.uk