Antifriction, one of the UK’s leading industrial parts distributors, is to relocate its Midlands branch in a £100,000 move that will allow faster delivery times and closer integration with its sister company Ehrco.
The Midlands depot, currently in Aston, will relocate to Ehrco’s headquarters on Peartree Business Park, Dudley. The unit will be upgraded to expand the warehousing facilities and allow both businesses to hold additional specialised stock.
The move, which will create one new job, will bring the total number of employees on site to 24. It follows the group’s acquisition of Ehrco, the UK’s largest independent supplier of hydraulic hose and fittings, in November last year.
Antifriction has doubled in turnover in the Midlands over the past six years and is now planning further growth in the region. The upgrade is part of its £1m-plus national investment programme. The business supplies lubricants, fluid power products, bearings and other components to industry and is part of Gruppo Bianchi, one of Europe’s biggest industrial distributors.
Damian Spencer, Antifriction’s manager for the Midlands, comments: “Our clients rely on our products to keep their operations running smoothly. The new move will enable us to keep a huge range of stock on site. With Dudley’s great transport links, we’ll be able to improve our delivery times even further and keep the wheels of industry turning in the Midlands.”
Andrew Fleming, who heads Antifriction’s business in the UK and who hails from Birmingham, adds: “This latest investment will allow us to integrate our operation more closely with Ehrco, which offers product lines that complement our stock.”
“This investment progresses our longer-term plan to provide the most comprehensive range of parts to UK industry, delivered with first-class customer service and unrivalled delivery times.”
