Quality FORTAPS
Fortaps is an international company and we have been in the technical plastic injection molding industry for more than 25 years. Since our beginnings, our goal has been to obtain the highest quality and excellence in the products we offer, always hand in hand with innovation and the latest technologies.
In addition, we differentiate ourselves from our most direct competitors because we always have available stock of those models with a higher demand from our customers and, therefore, we work directly with distributors of industrial supplies and hardware store countertops. In this blog article, we will explain everything you need to know about our product and processes in this sector of activity.
Distribution of hardware supplies and ferrules in hardware stores
Thanks to our experience in the sector, many of our customers have trusted Fortaps for the distribution of our products through industrial supply distributors and hardware stores. We also work with other types of customers, such as purchasing centers or those engaged in the sale of pipes for metal carpentry.
Our customers in this case are resellers, who are responsible for delivering to the end customer, who in turn are usually other professionals, a basic offer of the products that are most in demand in stock. We also have customers who are resellers for the B2C market.
Therefore, if you are one of these businesses, you should know that at Fortaps we are committed to the availability of permanent stock. And what does this mean? It means that we have the capacity to give an immediate response to the recurring needs of hardware stores.
Our factory in Constantí stores more than ten million pieces and, once we start working with a new reseller of our products, we use a predictive system based on the history of demands. That is, once we register the regular orders that are taking place, we will automatically keep that stock always available to be able to meet future recurring needs in record time.
The ferrules in hardware stores have a very limited supply and are available as part of a basic offer, and usually consist of metal tube sections of 40×40 mm, 80×40 mm, Ø 30, etc., which are sold at retail, with other complementary products for these sections.
However, your commercial advisors are prepared to contact us as manufacturers to provide a solution to your needs. In this way, if the order involves punctual products, they can also be obtained quickly and in a very short period of time, with a close and personalized service. Within a maximum of 24 hours, any reference and quantity can be shipped to our customers.
Differentiating features of Fortaps ferrules
Each company in the sector has its own differentiating characteristics. At Fortaps, after more than two decades in the injection molding sector, we have managed to position ourselves and become a benchmark.
It is clear to us that professionals in this field are looking for a service that is, firstly, agile, as they cannot afford any kind of delay. Secondly, this service must be personalized and close, with commercial advisors who accompany the client at all times and resolve any type of doubt.
All our products are manufactured according to the certified quality standards set in Europe. To ensure that these standards are met, we manufacture our products in-house, so quality and standards are the norm at our facilities.
This, in turn, allows us to keep a permanent stock of ferrules in hardware stores with the parts in greatest demand, while, at our own facilities, the availability of our catalog is more extensive. Customers with more specific needs can also obtain the parts they require directly, since, as we have indicated, we rely on a forecasting system that makes use of a history of demand.
At Fortaps we are characterized by a personalized attention to our customers, both directly and in the case of the mats in hardware stores and other physical stores. In addition, we guarantee the reliability, tracking and traceability of all our materials and final products, and we directly manage the expedition and delivery in very short periods of time, both nationally and internationally.
From our website, you can access all the technical information of our references with three-dimensional images for greater precision, but also request samples or a quote for the material you need for your business.
Quality FORTAPS
Unevenness of the floor can lead to difficulty in placing and using furniture, and shorten its life span.
To address this problem, Fortaps has come up with screw-on end caps, which offer much better results than the leveling feet currently available on the market.
If you want to know more about screw-on end caps, their features and the progress they have made at Fortaps, make sure to check out this blog.
What are screw-on end caps?
Leveling feet are the components currently used to level out the different heights of furniture legs, which are mainly caused by poor leveling or unevenness of the floor. In this way, they serve both to counterbalance the impact and disruptive vibrations, and to distribute all the weight between the legs to keep them vertical. They are mainly used for tables, cupboards and shelves.
To achieve this result and to prevent the furniture from losing its life span or tipping over, the leveling feet are equipped with screw-on end caps. These are inserted into the metal tube that would rest on the floor. However, at Fortaps we identified a problem and developed our own system to address it.
Fortaps screw-on end caps development
The majority of the screw-on caps available in DIY stores have a metal nut inside that screws onto the leg. After review by our technical team, we came to the conclusion that, for several reasons, this system could be improved, and we started developing a more effective solution for furniture and metal structures.
The results of this research are as follows:
- Leveling feet tend to break easily, due to the tilt caused by the threaded ends not fitting properly on the tube.
- The metal nut itself does not ensure the strength of the structure, and the thread is only a few millimeters thick, which may not be enough to support the weight of the furniture and what is placed on it.
- Because of this, the screw ends tend to break, and the leg ends up sinking into them. The result is a completely unbalanced furniture.
Fortaps’ solutions to this problem were to reduce the diameters of the tube to ensure verticality, to incorporate thick reinforcing ribs throughout the structure of the component, and to cold thread the component directly, so that the threading could reach the entire height of the component and thus prevent the foot from tipping.
Characteristics of Fortaps screw-on end caps
With the identified problems to be solved and the objectives in mind, Fortaps already has high quality screw-on end caps; solid parts injected in virgin HDPE (high density polyethylene) that fit perfectly on the pipe.
In order to avoid significant differences in their diameter, several references are available in our end caps catalog, each one tailored to a different tube thickness. In addition, the flexible fins have been minimized as much as possible. As for cold threading, it has been demonstrated that this methodology offers the same resistance as metal inserts and allows the thread to be much longer.
To achieve this successful result, at Fortaps we are committed to the highest level of conception, design and manufacturing, since our standards require us to comply with all current regulations; the development of a product that adapts to the needs of our customers; a selection of non-toxic polyethylene raw materials (peld, pehd, pa6. 6, abs, sbs/sebs), which excludes PVC for sustainability reasons; the use of our own molds with calibrated steels; the implementation of the latest technologies in computerized mechanization and process control for continuous improvement.
For more information about our products, please contact us.
Quality FORTAPS
Our society is moving from all sectors and areas towards a way of life in which digital media are increasingly present. At FORTAPS, we are aware of these changes in two ways: the natural evolution of sales channels and the needs of our own customers. In this article we want to address the change in our business strategies to adapt to this new environment.
Different data sources lead us in the same direction
As the saying goes, ‘all roads lead to Rome’, and that is what has happened in studying our different sources of information. Since the pandemic, online shopping has skyrocketed and the e-commerce sector continues to grow, this means that competition is no longer only at the national level, but that borders disappear.
Some of our clients are what are known as pure e-commerce players, which means that they work solely through digital channels, while others remain on the traditional route with a physical space, but they are starting to complement their services with digital channels. In addition to these, there are the statistics that we can read on the Internet from time to time.
All these avenues share the same conclusion, which is that customers, both the B2B and B2C environment are increasingly turning to online sales channels, as their cost and time advantages are far superior to physical ones.
At FORTAPS we have also decided to adapt our commercial strategies for the sale of our ribbed inserts and end caps. Otherwise, we would fall behind and become uncompetitive. But what steps have we taken to do this?
New business strategies at FORTAPS
In general terms, we can say that FORTAPS is expanding in three different ways. Firstly, we have incorporated e-commerce websites among our clients. As their presence becomes more and more important, it is a growth opportunity for us to be a supplier of the products they offer to their customers.
Secondly, we also work on specialisation within the sectors we supply, such as hardware and industrial supplies. We have multiple advantages that make us stand out from our competition, such as the wide variety of end caps and end caps; a minimum order of one container, which also means penetration of a niche, and deliveries in a very short period of time, amounting to 24 hours in Spain and between 48 and 72 hours for France, country we work with on a regular basis, but also for the rest of Europe.
Our current third channel is a combination of the two previous channels, as it is the online distribution of industrial supplies. Customers in this area are the classic trade with online sales; online shops that do not have stock, but rather order it from another company, known as dropshipping, and sales platforms.
The advantages of our commercial strategies in this area are the constant availability of stock; the ability to respond within a maximum time of two hours; detailed descriptions of all our products, with pictures, text and diagrams; delivery to third parties on behalf of the intermediary customer; tracking of all shipments; monthly invoicing and deliveries in record time, which are again 24 hours in Spain and between 48 and 72 hours in Europe.
Our aim at FORTAPS is to continue to meet the needs of our clients and to continue to adapt to changes in the sector and in society as a whole in order to maintain our competitive advantage.
Quality FORTAPS
Technological advances and the advent of e-commerce have completely transformed the way consumers and businesses interact. With the increase in Internet presence, which now covers three quarters of the population, this is becoming the main tool for communication. For this reason, at FORTAPS we have decided to say goodbye to paper catalogues.
The fusion of the physical and the digital: phygital
Our day-to-day life, both as businesses and consumers, has been modified and we no longer understand our reality without smartphones, tablets and other devices. This has changed the way we shop and the way we use information.
This is known as phygital and consists of merging the physical world with the digital world, with the aim of offering customers a more complete experience in line with their new needs. Its emergence has caused many companies to rethink the channels they use for communication or advertising. One of them is paper catalogues, and in the case of FORTAPS, we have taken the decision to dispense with them as a communication tool.
Why paper catalogues are no longer adequate as a communication tool?
Although they could be used as a complement to face-to-face customer relations, they could be used as a complement to face-to-face customer relations, the analysis of our data has shown us that the most cost-effective decision is to dispense with printed catalogues as a communication tool altogether. Our main reasons have been the following:
Cost reduction
Printing such a large number of colour documents is very costly. However, the lifespan of the catalogue is very short, because once the purchase decision is made or if an alternative is found, we dispose of them. By stopping printing, transport costs are also reduced and contributes to the care of the environment. Therefore, it also becomes an Environmental Social Responsibility (ESR) action.
Improving customer experience
Paper catalogue is static, as it is a finished product with only the images and text provided. However, on the digital pathway, the options that can be used are increasing, since multimedia content appears. As the catalogues are on the website itself, it makes it easier to find more information and contact the brand.
Updated information
When a product is discontinued, a modification is made or new items arrive, it is not possible to make such changes when using the paper catalogue as a communication tool. But when the information can be viewed in digital form, editing and making the necessary changes to bring it up to date is facilitated.
Knowledge of our customers
While competitors should not be overlooked, it is important to keep an eye on, each company must take the decisions that are best for it, in FORTAPS, analysis of our search history or the ways in which quotations are requested has led us to the conclusion that the paper catalogue no longer fulfils its function, because consumers prefer digital media.
For all these reasons, 2019 was the last FORTAPS paper catalogue, which is still available online; and that the pandemic highlighted the growing need for change. If you want to consult our products and services, just go to our website.
Quality FORTAPS
Hospitals are places where silence is important. Not only in order to promote rest and recovery of patients, but also to enable staff to carry out their work properly and to be able to communicate quickly. Therefore, the furniture to be used must be equipped with systems to reduce or prevent noise. Do you know the types of end caps available?
Features of the types of hospital end caps
When choosing between the different types of hospital end caps, the features of them have to be taken into account, in such a way that the material used or the hardness allows the objectives to be achieved. The aspects to be evaluated are as follows:
Noise level to be reduced
In hospitals, a large part of the furniture uses castors to make it easier and quicker to move around and to be able to use equipment and instruments quickly. However, in all rooms and surgeries there are always visitor chairs and some elements that are fixed. These, when moved, cause noise that can be annoying to those around them.
Since noise reduction must be total, as it’s not just about who is on the same floor, but also who is on the same floor, but also noise through floors and ceilings, when choosing between the types of end caps, maximum noise protection should be sought.
Soil type used
Another relevant aspect is the type of flooring in the rooms, as the level of friction varies. But so does the compatibility between materials or the damage that the mats may cause to the ground. The more delicate this, as in the case of wood, the harder the end cap must be, the more likely it is to be scratched. In addition, rubber should be used, as it is the most suitable material.
In the case of ceramic floors, the resistance they present is much higher, although this is not the material used in all areas. The finish should also be assessed, which can be smoother or rougher. And when it comes to synthetic flooring, it is recommended to use virgin materials, as they prevent static electricity from building up, which encourages the accumulation of dirt.
Cleaning
As mentioned above, some of the materials used in some types of mats encourage the accumulation of dust and dirt. This is often the case when plastics are chosen and combined with flooring that does not offer the best compatibility. It should be noted that, in hospitals, hygiene must also be maximised, and the mats themselves can either contribute to this or be a hindrance.
Slippage
End caps are an intermediate point between the sliding of the furniture so that it can be easily rolled and the excessive movement that could lead to a fall. In hospitals, it is important to have anti-slip properties, for which rubber is customary, but at the same time allow smooth and noise-free rolling, for the reasons detailed above.
Durability
The flow of patients in hospitals is constant and continuous, so the wear and tear on the furniture is high. When it comes to manufacturing it and choosing the right types of mats for it, we must also focus on materials that offer good strength and increase durability, with bases that are kept in good condition. And in addition to this, also the position, because all too often we see parts that, due to weight and movement, move out of place.
At FORTAPS, we specialise in the manufacture of mats and, thanks to our long experience in the field, we are able to offer a wide range of products for each furniture and space. If you need advice, contact us!
Quality FORTAPS
The rising cost of electricity and gas is putting the spotlight on the installation of solar panels as a more economical and sustainable alternative. At FORTAPS we have joined this initiative and we share the benefits we have obtained with an environmentally friendly vision.
Energy situation in Spain
No sooner have we emerged from the pandemic than we have already been plunged into a new crisis. Energy prices have soared in recent months, due to petrol prices. These problems have been exacerbated by the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and by the unstable geopolitical situation in the Maghreb, which, together with the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, have resulted in an inflation rate of 8%.
The planet has been warning us for years about the appropriate and urgent measures to take. However, it seems that initiatives must come from the individual household or company. That is why we at FORTAPS want to bring a halo of hope, which is accompanied by some figures relating to the electricity grid in our country.
In 2021, almost half of the energy generated will come from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power. This figure was less than half just 15 years ago. This is followed by nuclear energy and, finally, gas and oil.
However, until a new regulation by the government materialises, the reality for consumers is one of constant fluctuations in the price of energy, which has become one of the highest costs for both households and business. In turn, this instability means that any estimate a manufacturer makes is only valid for two weeks. A sudden increase would be capable of rendering production unprofitable.
Installation of solar panels as a sustainable alternative
From FORTAPS, we want to share our experience with renewable energies, with the aim of motivating other consumers to bet on them. Specifically, we are referring to the installation of solar panels, which, although it has been booming for years in countries such as Germany and Poland, its full potential is not being exploited in Spain.
Unlike them, who enjoy just 900 hours of sunshine a year, in our country they can get up to 1,900. This means that their installation not only allows a quick return on investment, but also enables energy self-sufficiency.
This independence from market fluctuations and crises is what we have experienced at FORTAPS, since the installation of 85 kW solar panels in 2019. We have managed generate 60% of the energy necessary for our activity, with a reduction in CO2 emissions of 89 Tn per year.
For 2022, we plan to install solar panels in a second phase. The extension includes panels with a capacity of 58 kW, which will bring us closer to the aforementioned energy self-sufficiency and a reduction in emissions of 136 tonnes per year.
How the installation of solar panels affects our customers
Fluctuations and increases in the price of electricity have a direct impact on the final price of products. Why? Well, because their production becomes more expensive, as mentioned above. The production of mats is no exception.
However, at FORTAPS we follow a company policy that pursues sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. But which also help us to be independent of external fluctuations, so that we can maintain stable prices for our customers.
We take this opportunity to share our experience with the installation of solar panels. To be a benchmark in our sector and to ensure that the manufacture of our products aims to be as sustainable as possible.
