A. Perry, the West Midlands based supplier of hinges and hardware, has invested in a purpose-built manufacturing facility in India.

The move means the firm, which has been manufacturing since 1925, has now full ownership of its supply chain, from sourcing materials, right through to manufacturing, import and distribution to retailers.

Due to market forces, the company began outsourcing the vast majority of manufacturing nearly 20 years ago, but recently decided that maintaining quality standards and consistent stock levels required building its own facility from the ground up.

The creation of the new factory in Delhi has taken nearly two years and is managed by an in-house team. Spearheading the operation is Managing Director, Guy Perry, who has led a training and development programme for the factory’s 150+ employees as well as introducing efficiency processes based on LEAN principles.

Perry said: “The investment has been significant and due to the current situation, it’s been very challenging; but having autonomy over the entire process is already paying dividends as we are one of the only hardware and ironmongery suppliers who has been able to maintain a level of supply at a critical time where there is a significant shortage of it on the market. 

“Now, we are able to match supply and demand thanks to more than 700 tonnes of products arriving in our West Midlands distribution centre each month, which has been a welcome relief for many in the industry who feared an ongoing shortage.”

In addition to a substantial investment in fully automated machinery, A. Perry has partnered with OrderWise to implement advanced warehouse management and stock control software, which has already vastly improved efficiencies in comparison to the paper-based systems commonly used in factories in the area.

While the project is taking shape in Delhi, the company also invested £1.2 million in 15 fully automated robots for its Cradley Heath warehouse.

Perry added: “We’re a family business with nearly a century of manufacturing history behind us and our customers throughout the UK and beyond have come to expect the very best from us. We can only deliver on our promises if we are backed by a reliable, efficient supply chain and we have realised that the only way to truly ensure this is to build our own.

“Developing our own manufacturing base in Delhi represents a significant investment of both time and money for our company, but in return we will ensure the quality and continuity required for us to retain our position as industry-leaders for years to come”