profile
Ian Doherty is the Chief Executive of Owlett-Jaton, the UK and Ireland’s largest wholesaler of fasteners and fixings.
Following an extensive career in distributive businesses, Ian joined Owlett-Jaton in 2016. Ian brings a passion for customer service along with extensive hands-on experience in sales, marketing and supply chain operations.
In addition to his role at Owlett-Jaton, Ian is also currently Chairman of the British and Irish Association of Fastener Distributors (BIAFD) and their representative to the European Federation of Distributor Associations (EFDA).
Owlett-Jaton
With a 30,000 SKU product range, Owlett-Jaton, the UK’s largest wholesaler of fasteners and fixings, supplies a comprehensive range of products to UK customers with next-day delivery. Established in 1947, Owlett-Jaton offers a complete wholesale solution to the builders’ merchant and distributor trade.
Among Owlett-Jaton’s well-known and trusted market-leading brands are the Unifix range of products, Vortex high-performance woodscrews, Thunderbolts and the extensive JCP range of specialist fixings. All products are backed up by technical support and endorsed by the company’s ISO 9001:2015 quality accreditation.
Owlett-Jaton is the only fastener and fixings wholesaler to have achieved the ISO 14001:2015 environmental accreditation and is continually striving to improve the sustainability of its operations and products.
Visit: www.owlett-jaton.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/owlett-jaton
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/jcp-construction-products
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
Owlett-Jaton Comment: Q4 2023
The subdued market conditions seen in Q2 and Q3 have continued through into Q4, with both new construction and RM&I down year-on-year. This has impacted directly on volumes in fasteners and fixings, with sales continuing to be down year-on-year. Compared to earlier in the year and 2022, prices have continued to ease, with lower cost prices from the Far East and, until recently, lower shipping costs. With the majority of products being purchased in USD, the slight strengthening of GBP has also helped to keep prices down. All of these factors have contributed to a continuing decline in the value of sales.
However, recent events in the Red Sea may well have an impact as we move into 2024. With the majority of shipping lines having diverted their Far East routings away from the more direct Red Sea and Suez Canal route, to the longer Cape of Good Hope route, there are impacts on cost price and supply. Shipping costs have had surcharges applied to reflect the longer passage and therefore more expensive route. But the longer route also has a marked impact on shipping capacity, and a previously 8-10 week return trip from the Far East to Europe will now take 12-14 weeks. This reduction in capacity, coupled with a growing imbalance in container availability, is resulting in shipping rates moving up which will feed into higher prices for fasteners and fixings.
Although the shift to the Cape of Good Hope has had a swift impact on landed costs, it has had less impact on product availability. Unlike 2021 when the Ever Given grounding in the Suez Canal led to notable disruption, shipping lines seem to have acted swiftly in diverting ships and there has been little delay outside of the first two weeks, as the ships made the longer passage and supplies are once again moving freely. Whilst some Just-In-Time supply chains may have been disrupted, stocks in the supply chain for fasteners and fixings have been more than adequate to ensure general availability has been maintained. With the supply chain also having adapted to Russian sanctions, supplies moving into 2024 seem secure.