Industry News

The UK fastener industry was shocked to hear that Tim Graham, managing director of Archerdale Ltd, tragically died from Covid-19 on Thursday 23^rd April in Airedale Hospital.

Tim, who was sixty in March this year, leaves his wife, Amanda, and children, Sam and Sara.

Archerdale chairman, Glyn Brown, had worked with Tim Graham for some forty years in a number of Yorkshire fastener companies. Archerdale was established in 1983, with Glyn joining the family business in 1992 to form the fastener segment. Tim Graham joined him a year later. “A recruitment I was never to regret,” says Glyn, “which is not to say we didn’t have some moments when the relationship crackled – but that was always a measure of Tim’s personal strength, his commitment to the business, and to getting it right.”

Tim was appointed Managing Director of Archerdale, taking on the operational responsibility at the end of 2019, when Glyn stepped back into the chairman’s role. "He was already doing an outstanding job," says Glyn Brown, "and will be sorely missed by all in the company. Everyone, though, despite their personal feelings at our loss, is determined to step up to the mark, because they know that is exactly what Tim would expect of them.”

Archerdale, a manufacturer and distributor of fasteners and associated products, has been operational throughout the UK response to the coronavirus pandemic. “We have a significant number of key customers operating in essential industry sectors, who are reliant on Archerdale maintaining a reliable and effective supply chain,” explains Glyn Brown. “As a result, and I believe combined with our performance as a supplier and quality of our team, we have not really experienced the top-line impact felt by many other companies in the fastener sector.”

Glyn Brown has resumed his previous role as managing director “to ensure that Tim’s plans and vision for the future of Archerdale are carried out”.