Qimtek recently used its own sourcing service to find a supplier for our promotional phone holders.
Handed out at various industry events we exhibit at throughout the year, our branded phone holders are a popular promotional item. Therefore, it goes without saying that the quality of the holders has to be extremely high to reflect the standard of service our buyers can expect to receive from our members. The sourcing process gives us a valuable opportunity to test the quality of our membership, from the quotes we receive right through to the final product.
Firstly, we submitted a PDF sketch to our membership, which gave an overview of the product we required. From this, we received four separate quotes which ranged from £2 to £9 per unit. After reviewing the quotes and evaluating what each supplier could offer, a decision was taken to place the work with Staffordshire-based sheet metal fabricator Roo Engineering.
‘We decided to work with Roo Engineering as they could complete all of the necessary processes in-house,’ explained Qimtek’s sales & marketing manager Dean Munkley. ‘As well as the laser cutting and folding involved, Roo Engineering were able to offer painting and screen printing, meaning that we could keep the entire manufacturing process under one roof.
‘Although Roo Engineering didn’t provide us with the cheapest quote, placing the work with one supplier was more valuable to Qimtek than a slight cost saving.’
After the order was placed, Roo Engineering got to work producing the phone holders in accordance with our specifications, as well as adding their own branding to showcase their work. Qimtek has been extremely impressed with the levels of communication from Roo Engineering - not only have they kept us up-to-date with their progress, but they’ve also gone as far as to send us videos of the phone holders being made!
Upon delivery of the items, which arrived within the agreed time frame, it was clear to us that Roo Engineering had completely understood Qimtek’s requirements. ‘The quality of the phone holders is fantastic,’ said Dean Munkley. ‘We’re really looking forward to handing them out at our 2020 shows, as they speak volumes about the quality of Roo Engineering’s work.
‘We’re confident that we chose the right supplier for the job and are once again reassured that buyers can expect a high-level service from the suppliers within the Qimtek membership.’
Rotec Engineering is an advanced manufacturing business serving clients from many industrial sectors including Automotive, Medical, Defence and Electronics. Our state-of-the-art production facility boasts the very latest CNC fixed head turning, milling, and sliding head machines, which enables us to provide customers with a rapid turnaround at highly competitive rates. We initially joined the Qimtek membership in order to increase our existing customer base. 14 years later and Rotec have secured in lots of initial orders via the membership, with many of these customers, going on to place additional orders directly.
Sales Engineer from Rotec Engineering Ltd
We signed up to Qimtek one week ago, as we felt it would be beneficial in helping us to find new business. Within the first week, we had made contact with a client and manufactured some test bends. The client then came to visit us and we gave a tour of the factory. Within an hour, I had a purchase order for 50 aluminium frames, with scope for more orders in future. A great start to what I hope will be a long and successful relationship with Qimtek.
Managing Director, Alpha Engineering Ltd
We signed up to Qimtek in the middle of COVID and the national lockdown. Their onboarding was smooth and quick, and we have won a couple new customers already. Qimtek has been a huge help for us winning more work during such a challenging time! In less than 4 months’ service we have already won enough orders to cover the annual investment. We would highly recommend them. They are a friendly and informative service with a clear and concise website. A great avenue to connect with specific and potential new clients. Within a short period, we have seen a positive up-turn in orders thanks to the new opportunities created through Qimtek Ltd."
Managing Director of Contracts Engineering Ltd
I have used Qimtek sourcing service several times, using a Non Disclosure Agreement and I must say, it works very effectively and does the job on sensitive projects. It saves us a lot of time as Qimtek collect the signed NDA's before releasing the drawings to potential suppliers to quote. I'm pleased with the responses coming back, and will be awarding my projects to Qimteks Supplier Members. I would highly recommend using Qimtek sourcing service with or without the nda, it's been successful everytime
Design Engineer at Compak Ramps Ltd
"Qimtek offers a really good free service that keeps in touch with me when I need, and helps by sending information from possible suppliers, as well as finding additional suppliers (all within the UK) when my current supplier base can't manage the requirement. After having looked at similar services, the service offered by Qimtek is definitely the best in my opinion."
Buyer from Eskan Electronics Ltd
Having used Qimtek's sourcing service for only a few months, I have already managed to find 3-4 quality long-term suppliers. I have a dedicated sourcing account manager who has saved me a lot of hassle by finding the right suppliers for me, generating quotes very quickly and saving me a few days' worth of work each time. Qimtek were even able to accommodate a non-disclosure agreement on a sensitive project of mine. I simply requested to have the NDA in place and my sourcing account manager took care of the rest, ensuring that the agreement had been signed before drawings were released to individual suppliers and collating the signed documents on my behalf. The process really couldn't have been easier and it was all completely free of charge.I would definitely recommend Qimtek to any buyers who are looking to save time when sourcing new suppliers.
Purchaser from JP Exhausts