Taking care of business

Mike Richardson meets with VELOX’s composites business manager, Serge Gradys, to learn more about the role of an industrial raw materials distributor in an ever-changing European marketplace.

VELOX is a leading composites raw materials distributor in Europe with a composite division that offers the capabilities and geographical footprint to provide expert sales and applications support in sourcing and testing products and identifying new opportunities.

In addition to its traditional range, the company offers an extended speciality product portfolio, including a wide range of speciality composites and additives comprising glass reinforcements for closed mould and pultrusion processes, dry carbon reinforcements, formulated epoxy resins and hardeners as well as bio-sourced epoxy resins and structural adhesives. The company offers composites solutions for the automotive, aerospace, sports and leisure industries and for industrial applications.

With multiple core competences, including its technical expertise and support on a European level, professional sampling service, in-house gel-coat production, wide portfolio, ‘one-stop shop’ concept and a full portfolio of specialties for the advanced composite market, I begin by asking VELOX’s composites business manager, Serge Gradys about the key markets and sectors the company is supplying into.

“We have diversified our products throughout the UK and the rest of Europe,” he states. “We are in contact with many market segments, including the transport, marine, defence and the pipes and tanks industries. The marine and transport sectors are our two biggest markets, closely followed by construction and the sport & leisure industry.

“In developing new customer relationships, we find there is a demand in terms of more higher specification products. And because we are a distributor, we get the support and the technical service of our suppliers through doing the development work together.”

VELOX represents new, as well as long-term partners, such as Ilium Composites, Chomarat, L&L Products, Atul, CMP, CTP Advanced Materials and Entropy Resins and Umicore - Cobalt & Specialty Materials. In terms of its partnership with Ilium, Gradys feels that whilst there are already many existing products on the market offering similar standard materials for closed-mould applications, with Ilium he feels that VELOX has a great opportunity to differentiate from its competitors.

“It’s a product that we can adapt more to the needs of the customers, rather than simply offer an equivalent product of what already exists. We are targeting the closed mould injection and pultrusion markets. Also, the Ilium product offering is completely different to existing standard reinforcements, like continuous fibre matting, for example.”

Connecting industry

VELOX recently won a European distributor partnership for Solvay’s polyacrylamide and will be distributing the healthcare grades of Ixef PARA, a special polyarylamide containing 50% glass fibres and best-suited for the development of medical devices such as single-use surgical tools. The partnership is set to enable customers to eliminate central service costs associated with the sterilisation of reusable instruments.

“Customer service is all about our ability to hold stock, supply the customer quickly, and offer a depth of technical support. Many of our own employees are very knowledgeable about this industry. We have been working in the GRP industry for some time, and if we don’t have enough knowledge for a specific project, we’ll get the support of our suppliers. We work hand in hand and it’s completely transparent. It’s not just about buying and selling – it’s a partnership.

“In addition, our ‘one-stop shop’ approach is something our customers really appreciate, plus customers can purchase products direct from our online web shop. Some customers just want materials – they don’t need a lot of technical support, but they do want quality, on-time delivery and competitive pricing. We also have customers in parallel where we help develop products for them, so we need a constant relationship in accordance with their processes and needs.”

Independent’s day

There appears to be an ever-diminishing band of independent material suppliers, so I ask how difficult it is to remain competitive against larger competition and whether Gradys is feeling any pressure to acquire or be acquired?

“VELOX is a medium-sized, independent company. Our wish is to stay independent and be free to make our business decisions. We spend a lot of effort in training our people and making them familiar with the sector, so they can build long-term relationships with our customers – and not just be doing business over the phone. It’s vital we maintain our key contacts. All the growth we have made in the last year has come from within, and perhaps it’s time we need to look at making acquisitions – especially in specific sectors where we want to grow, or in countries where we are not so strong or big enough to obtain the right scale of business.”

What differentiates VELOX from the competition? Gradys concludes by pointing to the company’s sales and commercial employees who are highly-educated and are able to demonstrate high levels of expertise and commitment to the business through the customer relationships they have forged.

“Whilst we have a great product portfolio, our competitors also have great product portfolios too. There are differing levels of service between one company and another: we offer quick deliveries and stock handling. We are relatively small, flexible and able to make decisions quickly, whilst our level of product knowledge is second to none.

“When we first engage with a potential customer, we try to understand what they do, what do they need and where their problems lie. We offer solutions to find a resolution. It may not sound like it, but it’s a completely different approach than simply selling them an existing product that’s already on the market. VELOX will continue to invest in advanced materials and grow. Today, we are propelling our advanced composites business in the UK, France and Italy, but my wish is to develop our business to service everywhere in Europe where VELOX has been established with its plastics solutions.

“Our geographical footprint and mobility throughout Europe, as well as our warehouses, offices and our business connections, is something that is very valuable to the marketplace because we are able to react quickly to customer demands.”

www.velox.com