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More than just a tool company!
For Draper one of the greatest challenges the company faces is ensuring its customers are aware of the incredibly wide range of stock it carries. Looking through the company’s hefty catalogue reveals lines and products that will surprise almost anyone.
This is a result of the massive investment the company makes in new lines and diversification.
Draper is, however, also keen to make sure its customers are aware of the very firm commitment to quality that ensures all its products and ranges are of the highest standard.
The company’s products are sourced from over 30 countries currently and the factories it does business with are subject to an ongoing “supplier assessment audit programme” to ensure not only the quality of the product range, but also that they are produced in safe working conditions using environmentally friendly methods, with concern for the workforce.
Draper sets its own high standards where none exist, and the very minimum expected of any supplier is that they meet regional, national and international regulations.
Of course this attention to detail is applied with absolute rigour when it comes to the quality testing of the products themselves. Each item in the Draper range is tested to ensure quality, marketability and adherence to international standards where applicable; before Draper will stock it. In addition the Quality Assurance Department ensure each product is continuously batch tested throughout the life of the product to ensure the quality expectations are maintained.
Draper always emphasises that with its products you not only get excellent value but you also get very good quality, which is contrary to many people’s expectations and experience of cheaper products elsewhere on the market.
One area that Draper is making an extra marketing effort at the moment is tools that are made for the tradesman, making sure professionals realise that the Draper brand is one of the best sources for professional quality products on the market.
The company has also anticipated and responded to increased interest with an FSC approved product range - for example, these stainless steel wooden garden tools are supplied with handles from forests independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The company has seen a lot of interest in this at tradeshows especially from large multi-branch national retailers who want to see cradle to grave evidence of where the wood is coming from for their own auditing purposes. It also seems that the more traditional look of wooden products is back in fashion, and the use of wood is more popular than ever.
These innovations are part of a pattern that started when Draper was established in 1919 by Bert Draper. Since then it has successfully grown and developed by learning from its customers and from experience. Originally Bert sold government surplus and tools around the Kingston Upon Thames’ markets. After his death in 1963 his son, Norman, took over and purchased the freehold rights to the current head office premises in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire.
It was Norman, who in conjunction with his son, John, masterminded the company’s growth into the brand we recognise today. John Draper, who took over in 1992, is the current chairman.
The company is now bigger and more successful than Bert could have possibly envisaged, selling to independents, buying groups and international multi-branch companies, and is proud to be celebrating its 90th year of trading in 2009.
Draper’s latest development is at its nearby 70 acre North Baddesley site. The purpose built facility uses state of the art hi-tech warehousing techniques maximising customer requirements far more efficiently, quickly, and competitively.
From its ultra-modern storage facilities Draper makes thousands of deliveries a year. It already has half a million square feet of storage which it is expanding with an extra 100,000 square feet at the North Baddesley location, and nearing completion a further 300,000 already having received planning permission.
The many electronic handling and stock management systems that Draper use include the very latest ‘shuttle’ pallet storage and retrieval systems, which operate in warehousing, which has floor to ceiling racks 18 pallets deep. For smaller items there are 7 computerised carousel storage units with thousands of individual storage spaces. Because of this efficient way of storing goods, Draper has 20 million pounds of stock held at any one time, which in turn delivers a stock availability of over 98%.
Two modern picking technologies are also used: pick to light - which enables multipart orders to be assembled rapidly with the scan of a bar code, and pick to voice technology - which passes product and pick information onto the warehouse picker via a headset.
Another clever use of technology that also demonstrates Draper’s commitment to its customers is the weighing of all despatch orders. The weight of each order is compared by computer with a record of the weight of each item it should contain ensuring they have all been packed.
Distributing the products is just one element of the major operation that lies behind getting Draper’s products to the stockist. The company’s sales team - 100 strong - work hard to help stockists supply their customers with the right product. The guaranteed quality of all Draper’s lines mean that its sales team can offer each stockist the most appropriate range of goods. Draper’s three main brands are : the regular ‘Draper’ branded products, suitable for both discerning DIYers and professionals; Draper Expert, tools which are made to meet the highest demands for the professional tradesman; and Draper Value, a range for more occasional DIY type use. Because of the size of the sales team, Draper is able to give its customers real personal attention, and each salesman uses a handheld computer so they are able to access full information on every item of Draper’s massive range, wherever they are. Stockists who choose to order on the Draper business to business trade website will find unique deals there at some of the company’s lowest prices. It also provides full information about all the products and stock availability.
The website is only a small part of Draper’s publicity set-up that centres around its dedicated on-site design studio that includes photographic and print departments, responsible for creating promotions, catalogues and packaging.
The product text and picture library created in Draper’s studios to the highest quality standards is available to all its stockists enabling them to create their own promotional material.
The design studio is also responsible for creating Draper’s massive catalogue, which has nearly 700 pages. Half a million copies of the catalogue are printed and distributed every year helping make stockists aware of the full range of Draper products. It also produces a number of specialised publications focusing on areas such as electrician’s products and building and construction specific items.
Draper also produces and designs its own packaging, creating the most effective and economic way to display each product, in-house packing can accommodate individual client specific packaging requirements as well. Draper’s state of the art shrink film and carding machines plus specialist tag and header card packing machines keeps packaging, and thereby packaging waste, to a minimum.
Draper has also paid particular attention to creating a informational website that gives customers’ consumers what they want in the clearest and most easily used format; free from pop-up ads and other clutter. It has proved very popular with customers who can download a page of the catalogue, or check data on a particular product with ease whenever they need to. Draper often receives compliments about the refreshing simplicity of the site. Visit www.draper.co.uk.
The relationship the company has with its customers is central to Draper’s success, and with such a large number of products the ‘one-to-one’ relationship is often the most effective way of letting stockists know all there is to know about the Draper offering. The company encourages them and its suppliers to visit their facilities and spend some time, because often this allows for a fuller discussion than would be possible at other contact points, such as trade shows. For customers who find it difficult getting time away from their business, the company has now produced a short video that will be available on its website and also as a DVD so everyone can see inside the Draper operation. With such a large range and new products being introduced all the time, regular product training for Draper sales staff is another important element of the company’s activities. Draper has a fully equipped demonstration and training facility where stockists and their staff can also attend training sessions.
Another service offered is to help stockists create in-shop product displays, finding the best way to display stocked products in the available space. Together with the distinctive Draper packaging this helps get the best customer awareness of the stock. In fact Draper provides a full range of back up support, and because the company supplies to over 60 countries worldwide this includes full multilingual marketing and promotional support.
While many other companies in the sector have been pulling back because of the economic times, Draper has been investing more, a strategy, which is really working! The major investment it has made at its North Baddesley site is a positive indication that we can expect even more interesting and exciting developments from Draper in the future!
And all the activity described just goes to back up one of the company’s strap lines which says that Draper Tools is ‘more than just a tool company’.
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Airstream Communications