Insight

Established in 1999, Arras Construction Furniture OÜ is focused on the production and wholesale of fasteners and is looking to double its production capacity in the future.

CEO Lauri Kivi explains: “Since the very beginning we have been a company that has looked to develop our range and capabilities in order to meet customers’ needs. We started automating our production line in 2006 and thanks to our capabilities we are able to produce over 3 million pieces per month. However, we are already looking at growing further by adding another automatic line, which will enable us to produce over 6 million pieces per month once introduced.”

Arras is proud of its manufacturing capabilities, with the company able to manage the entire production cycle from start to finish. “Firstly we map out the customers’ needs and then we work on the design and manufacture of the dies,” mentions Lauri. “The next step is to acquire the necessary material and start production of the parts. After quality checking the parts we can then move onto packing and labelling the products, before storing the finished products.”

As part of its packing and labelling service, Arras has extensive experience in private labelling for companies. Depending on a customer’s needs, and purchase volume, Arras can offer packaging with the customer’s own design; sales support material with their information; as well as display stands with the customer’s brand livery.

In addition to its die stamping technology, Arras also offers cutting services for sheet metal. This enables the company to produce a wide variety of products including angle brackets, nail plates, joist hangers and purlin anchors, which are supplied to the DIY sector, wholesale companies and the production industry.

Arras also has its own online store where customers can log in to access the latest stock information and can submit orders via the online cart or by uploading a file (PDF, Microsoft Excel or Word, etc). Users of the online shop receive feedback regarding delivery times for special orders and can access product information such as drawings, certificates, product images and prices.

 “With a population of just 1.3 million our home market isn’t very big, which means we have to focus on export and reaching new customers,” explains Matis Allikmaa, sales director at Arras. “Exports account for 70% of turnover, with the home market accounting for the remaining 30%. We have customers across Europe and being located in Estonia means that we are situated close to the Nordic countries, as well as having easy access to the Baltic sea – which gives us more possibilities for transport. Estonia is well known for its high-quality and through our very focused and passionate workers, we have been able to build on this reputation.”

Arras’ ability to export across Europe was a big advantage after the Covid-19 pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020. “As soon as the impact started to be felt in Europe in March, we saw a huge sales rise,” points out Matis. “So much so that we had to change our shift from 1 to 2. For a short period, we even had to work with 3 shifts – during late night hours and on weekends. We did this to ensure that we could satisfy our customers’ needs.”

Matis continues: “We have developed a lot as a business over recent years, but there are still opportunities for the future. We are already seeing companies looking to move to European production instead of Asian production, to ensure shorter supply chains in the future. As a business we see this is as a further opportunity to grow into new markets and work alongside new customers. Over the next few years we will also look to add a new building for the warehouse, production, packaging department and office. We may come from a small country, but we have very big ambitions.” 

www.arrascf.eu