At the beginning of March 2020, at the same time the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Italy, Fast Trade – a fastener solution service provider for the EMEA market and part of Fontana Gruppo – was born.
Jesus Herrera, general manager at Fast Trade, explains: “By using the proven experience of Fontana Fasteners, Fast Trade is a new exciting business unit within Fontana Gruppo. Our goal is to become the ‘go to’ fastener solution service provider for the EMEA market.”
A key factor in Fast Trade being able to grow so quickly is its capacity to respond to customer requirements, as well as the wide range of products within its company catalogue. “The Fast Trade catalogue not only includes solutions from Fontana Gruppo, but also solutions from other suppliers,” points out Jesus. “In addition, special products are also included for which support is offered at all stages of production – from project analysis to the design and development phase. All of this enables us as a new business unit to operate across multiple sectors. We already have a very important role in the automotive and tier sectors, as well as in all other industrial sectors that need fastener solutions, such as electrical, wind energy and piping.”
Digital footprint
More than 2,000 very different customers – ranging from large key accounts with a European or worldwide presence to small customers – are all located in the EMEA area, where Fast Trade has a wide reach with offices in Italy, Spain, France, Romania and Poland. The company is also planning to strengthen its German market. “Our coverage in the territory is essential and that is why we predict an important future for the development of our digital eCommerce channel,” states Jesus.
The portal aims to make customers’ experience of product choice, purchase and order management central. Once logged in, the fasteners that make up the product range can be quickly and easily ordered and are delivered via advanced Kanban and consignment stock services. These are supplied with the foreseen designs on the customer’s production lines in order to better organise the flow of fastener components. Depending on requirements, Fast Trade also offers differentiated processing, as well as structured product delivery on pallets, in blister packaging, KLT (small load carriers) or in boxes.
In addition to its wide range of products and competitive prices, Fast Trade is also able to offer efficient supply thanks to its highly centralised organisation. “Making use of a central European warehouse in Bourgogne, France, allows us to have more than 4,000 products in stock, which are purchased from the headquarters of Fontana Gruppo at advantageous costs thanks to the economies of scale we manage to achieve,” explains Jesus. “This allows us to enter the market with competitive sale prices and to keep our logistics chain streamlined and efficient.”
Jesus concludes: “At the core of Fast Trade’s company DNA are products, procedures and organisation, as well as values. These values include a heartfelt social responsibility towards our stakeholders; attention to the issue of environmental sustainability; as well as strict compliance with high-quality standards. All of these are prerequisites for a new key player in the fastener market.”
Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 15 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.
Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.
Don't have an account? Sign Up
Signing up to Fastener + Fixing Magazine enables you to manage your account details.
