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Philidas Future Secured by Manufacturing Alliance
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2014-05-29
In April 2013 Francis Kirk & Son acquired the business of Philidas Ltd from administration, along with the all rights to manufacture and distribute the Philidas range of all metal self-locking nuts. Now the business has entered a strategic alliance with an established Indian nut manufacturer aimed at securing the future of this well-known fastener brand. Thomas Kirk, director at Francis Kirk, explains: “The business and brand suffered under previous ownership but during the last nine months it has shown positive development in what has been and remains a difficult market place for manufacturing in the UK.”
In order to safeguard and ensure the necessary investment for the future development of a brand that has played an important role in automotive, industrial and domestic applications for more than 70 years, Francis Kirk took the decision to enter a strategic partnership with Simmonds Marshall Ltd. Based in Mumbai Simmonds Marshall is a family business, established in the fastener industry for 54 years, with accreditation to TS ISO 16949:1999.
Simmonds Marshall finalised a manufacturing agreement for all Philidas product, which, says Thomas Kirk, secures the brand’s position in the market place. “They have allocated considerable investment in manufacturing whilst Philidas Distribution Ltd has taken over the responsibility to hold and distribute the product range”.
The Philidas site in Pontefract ceased manufacturing at the end of January 2014 and Philidas Distribution Ltd, based at Denton, Manchester, assumed the stocking and selling activities of Philidas through its established network of distributors and customers.
The original patent for the Philidas all metal self-locking nut was granted in 1942 and the product is now supplied in various metals including: steel, stainless steel, brass and aluminium. A lightweight range of Philidas nuts was developed and launched in late 2012 to meet the requirements of the automotive sector to reduce overall vehicle weight, without compromising structural strength and performance of components.
