Insight

Fastener + Fixing Magazine last interviewed Daniel Gellert, managing director at WASI GmbH, 18 months ago – when visiting the headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany. Whilst visiting wasn’t an option this time – due to Covid-19 – Editor Will Lowry spoke to him via Zoom to find out how the company has developed and its approach to the pandemic.

Eighteen months ago, Daniel Gellert was joint managing director – responsible for administration, logistics and purchasing. Since then he has become sole managing director and has also taken on responsibility for sales, including the offices in Belgium.

“Since becoming sole managing director I have looked to streamline our processes and aimed to make us more effective,” explains Daniel. “A key factor in doing this is further understanding our customers’ needs and tailoring our sales to meet these individual requirements.”

To do this, WASI has looked to be proactive in contacting its customers more regularly, so it can predict its customers’ needs. “We are focused on providing customers with the best service, which is why we have looked to develop and tailor our sales,” states Daniel. “By doing this we can understand customers’ requirements and ensure we are in a position to meet them and create long-lasting partnerships.”

WASI supplies both trade and industry and is looking to grow each of these markets. “Our trade customers are a big part of the business and we want to develop the sector even further,” mentions Daniel. “However, with the trade sector there are a lot of competitors when it comes to stainless steel fasteners. Whilst we are one of the bigger players, there are still a large number of small and medium sized business, which results in the price levels coming under strain.”

Daniel continues: “With the industry sector, we see real opportunities as customers have a lot more demands regarding quality, certifications, private labelling, box sizes, etc. By meeting these needs and providing the relevant services we are able to make ourselves stand out from the crowd and create a good partnership with industry customers.”

Customer orientated products
In addition to sales, another key area WASI has developed is its range of special parts. “These special parts tend to be for the industry sector, where we are able to work with customers on drawings to find the right solutions,” points out Daniel. “Previously, we had individuals from different teams who worked on special parts, but we found this was not the optimum solution. We have therefore created a dedicated special products team who are solely focused on developing this area for us. The team includes employees from purchasing, sales, and technical, and the sole aim is to develop special parts and provide a complete and bespoke service to customers.”

Daniel adds: “We see this as a chance to attract new customers because if you can supply special parts that meet customers’ needs, you are then able to get the business for the standard parts, as customers are keen to source their products from one supplier. This will be another big focus for us in the future.”

Alongside special parts, WASI is also focused on developing its portfolio of standard products. “We have improved our range in the marine hardware sector and we are keen to promote our capabilities. Maritime products are not only interesting in the ship and boat sector, but also in building technology and outdoor,” mentions Daniel. “We also have a new catalogue that not only includes all the relevant technical information, it also underlines the quality and capabilities of the marine products. We are very proud of this range and we are confident customers will be impressed with the depth of products available.”

Daniel adds: “We are always adding new products to our standard range, but our aim is to make the range more appealing rather than just make it bigger. As customers’ needs are changing it is up to us to develop our range to meet them. We can do this by introducing new relevant products and stopping other products that are no longer popular.”

Standing for quality
Whether it is the standard or special range, WASI is committed to ensuring a consistent quality for customers, which is supported by the recent investments in its quality laboratory. “Over recent years we have invested a lot of money into the quality department, including the upgrading of equipment and introducing new testing machinery,” reports Daniel. “This has enabled us to ensure all the products we receive meet the necessary standards and requirements our customers come to expect.”

WASI is also looking to offer quality checking services for products. “If a customer has an external product and they need a certification or they want to check the quality, we will be able to do this and provide all the necessary documentation,” points out Daniel. “There have been several customers who have previously asked us for this type of service, so we looked into it and decided that as we had the capabilities it was something we should offer.”

“Looking forward, I believe over the coming years the requirements for quality and certification will become even more important. That is why we have such a big quality department and why we have been investing heavily in this area. We have to guarantee quality and meet our customers’ expectations.”

Responding to Covid-19
Daniel is clear and precise on what he thinks WASI should be doing to grow as business. This clarity was also apparent when it came to the Covid-19 pandemic. “As a business we decided we were not going to offer a ‘home office’ option during the outbreak, which was a very big decision for us,” mentions Daniel. “I know it was different to a lot of other companies within the sector, but I felt if the warehouse employees were going to be at work then the office employees should also be at work.”

He adds: “With this decision, we endeavoured to give our employees normality and structure during the crisis – whilst also giving them a safe environment at work, as we had enough space in our offices to split up colleagues to other empty rooms in our new building. Due to this decision we were present for our customers all the time.”

WASI also created flexible working hours, with employees able to pick when they came to work, with the office and warehouse open between 06:00 – 22:00. “We introduced these flexible hours so those staff members who are parents or who have commitments can be more flexible on when they decide to work,” points out Daniel. “We also enabled employees to split their holidays into ‘hour slots’, which is unique for the current situation.”

WASI kept its warehouse and office staff separate within their own buildings and introduced smaller teams that worked together for the whole time. “If there is a positive from such a serious situation, it has been that we have definitely created a stronger bond within the company,” states Daniel proudly. “It was a big decision to not introduce working from home, but I now have the employees coming to me and thanking me for the decision – because it has enabled them to keep the structure in their life and separate being at work and being at home. It has also meant we have not had to introduce any ‘short time’ yet, which is a big positive.”

Supply consistency
During the Covid-19 pandemic, WASI has also kept in close contact with its supply chain to ensure its supply of products is not impacted. “At first, it was difficult, especially in particular regions in Italy and Spain, as well as some parts of Asia where there have been bigger shutdowns,” points out Daniel. “However, at WASI we have a system in place where for every item, we have multiple suppliers. This means if one is unable to supply, we have at least another one or two – usually one in Europe and then one or two in Asia – that will be able to step up for us.”

This multi-supplier structure has been in place at WASI for number of years, with each supplier certified by WASI. “This has been a big benefit for us during lockdown, as it would have been impossible to set-up during the crisis. Even in this difficult situation, we still need to do a good job and be there for our customers, so our structure and framework has to be solid.”

In addition to its supply chain, WASI has also been working with its customers during the pandemic to ensure it is aware of any concerns or problems they may be facing. “We have had a mixture of responses from customers, including those who have shut and need us to hold onto stock, as well as those that are busy and need us to quickly send out a delivery,” mentions Daniel. “Whatever the requirements, we have looked to be flexible to meet our customers’ needs.”

Long-term targets
As for the long-term impact of Covid-19, Daniel believes the market will be similar to after the financial crisis in 2008/09. “Out of the coronavirus crisis, there will be a business crisis – with some companies undoubtedly closing. Governments have been very proactive in trying to lend money to companies and help with schemes for employees, so maybe this will help the situation. However, I believe there will be a lot of knock on implications for a lot of sectors.”

Whilst Covid-19 is currently at the forefront of people’s minds, Daniel is keen to look forward to what opportunities there may be in the future. “Our aim is to continue to improve the services we provide our customers and deliver added value where possible. We have the stock, we have automation, we can guarantee quality, we have special parts, and we have know-how and knowledge to work with customers on solutions. This means we are not just a fastener seller, but a partner for customers and can provide the overall service they need.”

www.wasi.de/en