Getting Personal | Leveraging our Supply Chain

Ihab Abuaysheh, Senior Manager – Supply Chain, is in charge of the procurement at Havelock One Interiors. In his blog post, he writes about how the Company gets more out of its supply chain by choosing the right partners, like Tyrolit.

Nowadays, businesses need to stay ahead of the pack by delivering more value to their customers. In the manufacturing industry, this often leads to fierce competition on prices. To gain a competitive edge, we leverage new technologies and manage our supply chain strategically, in order to operate efficiently, control inventory, reduce operating costs and deliver projects on time and within budget.

Currently, we operate a 300,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Bahrain, comprising machining, polishing, assembly and upholstery workshops for retail and bespoke hospitality projects. We are also preparing for business expansion next year by building a second factory that will double our production capacity to support different fit-out projects in the GCC.

Finding the optimal balance

Our clients often ask us to deliver fast-track fit-out projects. That’s why we are always on the lookout for real solutions to increase production and to achieve the best possible products at the right price point, without sacrificing quality.

For instance, we started using Tyrolit as our new supplier of grinding and cutting wheels for our metal fabrication workshop. In turn, Tyrolit conducted a series of product safety trainings for our metal works team.

Working with metals safely

Metal fabrication can create a dangerous work environment. Angle grinders produce a large amount of noise, dust and sparks. Although not considered a major safety hazard, the sparks can be dangerous if inflammable materials or high-pressure gas cylinders are stored nearby.

In a conversation we had, Nitin Gopal, Product Manager for the metal trade division at Tyrolit, who also conducted the safety training, explained: “Usually, operators are aware of the direction of dust and sparks and able to work accordingly. A thorough inspection of the machine, ensuring that the wheels are not defective and using it according to its design and purpose are some of the basic safety measures.”

Compared to other tools, the wheels or discs of angle grinders rotate at a high speed. The surface speed of the cutting-off wheel can reach up to 80mps, which translates to 288kph.

“Considering the rotational speed, it’s important to ensure that the wheels or discs are not defective before starting a job. Any pullout or chipping in the wheel during operation can be potentially harmful, considering the high speed and tremendous centrifugal forces,” added Nitin.

Establishing supplier relationships beyond price

Exemplarily, the search for a new supplier of angel grinder wheels is a crucial part of our supply chain management exercise. On a regular basis, our production and procurement teams jointly conduct multiple product tests to find the most efficient and economical materials and supplies that can help us gain a competitive advantage.

In this case, our teams concluded that Tyrolit’s grinder wheels were of better quality and produced consistent results, with the metals getting polished better and faster. Their metal grinding wheels have also been lasting longer.

In addition to reducing our overall cost, we chose this supplier because of their product quality. They also provide after-sales service and – as previously pointed out – product safety training. The products are available in Bahrain and their local supplier can deliver promptly at any time.

Empowering our workforce

Nearly 100 metal fabrication employees attended our joint product safety training with Tyrolit. By establishing a good working relationship with our suppliers, we are able to continuously train and empower our workforce to improve the efficiency level of our manufacturing processes while maintaining a safe workplace.

Back to Blog