Customer: Sapphire Balconies

Name: Graham Maydell

Position: Purchasing Assistant

Long-time BFC customer, Sapphire Balconies have built up their business within the construction sector, manufacturing their patented “Glide on Cassette” Balconies.

Quickly replacing concrete balconies, Sapphire’s lightweight offerings have become a great way for new flat developments to enjoy a touch of the outdoors, with help from a range of BFC industrial fasteners and components including nuts & washers, hex nuts, lock nuts, machine screws, self-drill screws and many more.

Ongoing supplier relationship

Looking back on their relationship with BFC, Purchasing Assistant Graham Maydell explained how he first heard of BFC as a key fastener supplier;

“When I first joined Sapphire Balconies in 2017, I was given a long list of suppliers used by Sapphire Balconies over the years. My task was to find the most reliable and competitive suppliers on that list, so I tried them all, including BFC.

“I saw it as my job to try all the fixings suppliers that were presented to me. I spent a good six months ‘shopping around’ for a trustworthy fixings partner that was reliable, accurate and quick to deliver. BFC met all these requirements, so they quickly became our principle fixing supplier.”

Competitive pricing with bespoke services

As with many BFC customers, Sapphire Balconies benefitted from our commitment to sourcing fasteners and components manufactured to British, DIN and ISO standards, with bespoke fasteners made to exact customer specific drawings, at a highly competitive price.

Graham commented, “BFC spent a lot of time on our behalf looking across the globe for a competitive price on this part which enabled us in turn to offer a fair price to our own customers and remain competitive in our own marketplace.”

Easy to deal with

There are many things that make leading suppliers, but for Sapphire Balconies, BFC stood out for being the “complete package…They offer quotes fast. They are accurate in their deliveries. Their prices are extremely competitive. On top of all the obvious benefits, they also offer a friendly service and are willing to go the extra mile when we need something quickly or delivered to a site directly.”

Quality fasteners

The team at BFC have nearly 50 years’ expertise in delivering quality fasteners, fixings and components across the UK and globally, something Graham highlights:

“The fixings themselves are of the best quality. To add to this the paperwork that comes with them is clear and the goods are well packaged and secure. Sapphire is very strict in its policy of keeping records of delivery notes and product certification. BFC stand out as a supplier that are quick to provide this information on demand.”

BFC’s attention to detail is reflected in the team’s values, showcased within the Tibbett’s Group’s shared company values which include High Standards, Ownership, Determination and Commercially Focused.

2020 and beyond

When CoVid-19 hit the globe, 2020 quickly became the year that will go down in history for many things, including business’ resilience in adapting to meet the needs of the ever-changing landscape, including Sapphire Balconies.

With minimal experience of a quiet period during the peak of the CoVid-19 lockdown Graham discussed, “But the lockdown imposed by the government created its own challenges for us. We found ourselves all working remotely, and the office was closed for a long period.”

Reliable

“Throughout the lockdown there has not been any noticeable difference in the level of service we received from BFC. The customer service element has always been there.  In instances where there has been a problem in getting bits to site or where overseas goods have been delayed due to the restrictions, BFC have been up front and have always gone the extra mile to ensure business continuity.”

A great partnership

As the future looks bright for Graham and the team at Sapphire Balconies, despite the challenges 2020 have thrown at them, they’re excited to expand their offerings globally, as well as supplying decking solutions, and more exciting new projects, with the continued help and support from BFC.