Avocet sympathies
24th January 2012

Dear Nathan

I was saddened but not surprised at the news that Avocet Hardware had been placed into administration and I certainly feel sympathetic to the position of all those staff who have been or will be affected.

There had been uncertainty in the market for some months about the ability of Avocet to meet its ongoing obligations to both customers and suppliers and, as the economy continues to struggle, there will no doubt be further casualties to come.

When any business in the supply chain fails, it causes issues right down the line, with an almost inevitable domino effect from the primary to the secondary supplier once they cannot obtain the goods or services which they rely on. I have written several times in the press and in my blog about the need for fabricators to ensure that their supply chain is secure and that they are not vulnerable to the collapse of any element within it, but there will still be a great many fabricators out there using Avocet products who now need to find an alternative supply source urgently.

While Mila’s overriding concern is to ensure continuity of supply to our existing customers – illustrated by the fact that we invested in 38% more stock for the January period to ensure that our customers would not be affected by the closure of the vast majority of Chinese factories for the Chinese New Year – we have also taken steps to ensure that we have additional stocks available to meet this anticipated demand.

We have already shipped bulk orders of standard products such as Espag handles, friction stays, Espags and cylinders into the UK and we can certainly help fabricators using Avocet products to overcome both short and long term supply problems. For help with specific orders, fabricators should contact Mila’s sales team on: 01327 312400.

If this is to be the end of Avocet as we know it then I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution which the business made alongside Mila to raising standards in the hardware sector. For several years Avocet was a worthy adversary and we enjoyed a rivalry which I believe was good for the industry. Both businesses battled to match and then outdo each other not just in terms of product innovation but also in customer service and efficiency and, in the long run, I believe that has brought real benefits to customers.

Richard Gyde
Managing Director
Mila Hardware