Insight

“For me it is the evolution from a regional general industrial supplier to a global fastener wholesaler. When we were first established we dealt with a wide variety of products – fasteners were only a small percentage of our business. Today, we have become 100% a fastener wholesaler and a reliable reference in the European and worldwide markets. Our unique mix of people and technology, knowledge, and expertise in the various sectors of the industry, along with our passion for excellent service, gives us the ability to provide solutions adapted to the needs of our customers.

There have been many milestones during this period and for each one we have learnt a lot and continued to develop and grow. This is a marathon, you need to always be thinking of new opportunities and products for the future to ensure you can stay at the forefront of the industry and supply the products your customers need. We are grateful and committed to all those customers supporting us with their confidence along this race.”

“What we have experienced is that due to new patterns in technology applications, as well as changes in the demands from industrial sectors, the market and customers are coming with diverse, more complex and higher standard specifications. They are also requesting more and more products and sizes, which means we are constantly adding to our product portfolio – we never discontinue a product range. For instance, we continue to offer high-quality ranges in 10.9, certified Euro Norm Standards such as EN 14399 and EN 15048, hot dip galvanised and stainless steel items, and special/under drawing projects. At Chavesbao we can supply all the products a customer needs, from reliable (quality competitive balanced) sources, with a complete service that is quick and efficient.

The life cycle of products is also conditioned by the changes previously pointed out. As a business we are ready to adapt ourselves to these updated Standards and to the changes in demand. Our marketing team analyse the market as much as possible before launching any products so that we are completely sure about the potential. Sometimes it can be difficult because even the market doesn’t know what is going to happen. That is why we closely follow industry trends and ensure we are able to react to them quickly.

Customers are the ones guiding us and guaranteeing we are providing the service they need. Listening carefully to our customers, building up close relationships with them, opening doors, and good communication between teams, are key issues and crucial to having a successful partnership. We have a very strong relationship with our customers, which is based on common respect and trust. Of course values like integrity are also very important. I think we also offer a human touch, which enables us to stand out from the crowd, which is vital.”

“We have arrived at a scenario where many customers are reducing stocks and using our warehouses as their warehouse. They reduce the quantity per load, but increase the frequency of orders, which leads to additional work in the warehouse and extra freight costs

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“Chavesbao does not just rely on two or three countries, products or markets. We are very diversified in products and the countries we supply. It means if one market is struggling we have another market that might be prospering. The more markets you are involved in the more opportunities you create. Thanks to our wide product offering we have a reach into many sectors with many partners. They have placed their confidence in our service and the quality of our products.

Overall, I think when people are confident in the market then they are happy to invest and the market grows steadily. However, we are living in continued uncertainty. Our industry, as well as many other sectors, are dependent on so many external decisions, which can seriously impact the market and change completely your business and your opportunities for developments – such as recent decisions by the European Commission. Rules and regulations can change from one day to another – conditioning and changing your habitat, which can make it difficult to offer a reliable service.

At Chavesbao we are confident about the future as we have the capacity to quickly adapt to these changes, which is vital as business if you want to grow. As a business we have experienced a lot over the past 50 years and you become stronger after going through these experiences.”

“The fastener industry is like a living puzzle, it is always evolving. As a business it is your challenge to understand each piece of the puzzle and you have to constantly update what you think you know. Also, the speed at which the puzzle changes is getting faster, so as a company you need to be able to react not just to new products, but to customers and the sector in general.

The development of our team and its skills is a priority. Thanks to the experience and knowledge at Chavesbao, as well as our trained dedicated staff, we can be proactive in seeing opportunities, which enables us to provide high-quality products and an excellent service to our customers.

For the future, we will look to improve and become a better and even more reliable partner for our customers – because for every company there is always the opportunity to learn and improve. New investments will help us to continue to grow. There are also still a lot of markets and opportunities that we will be able to expand into in the future, and we will add new products to our high-quality range of fasteners and fixings.

As a company we are driven by excellence; being a fair fastener supplier; taking care of quality and market developments; leaving a lasting impression on the people and companies who rely on us; as well as preparing a better professional sector for the ones who will start the marathon after us.”