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Looking forward to the future at Forward 600 |
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 by Jerry Cook
If there is one simple message that Robert Jamieson wants to get out into the market it’s that his new company, Forward 600 Tools and Machinery, Mississauga, ON, is definitely open for business.
“Our goal as a company is to be the largest independent machine tool
distributor in Canada,” says Jamieson, president of Forward 600
(formerly Forward Precision Tools). Forward 600 was created by Semcan
Inc.’s (Forward’s parent company) recent purchase of a substantial
portion of the assets of 600 Machine Tools, Mississauga, ON from United
Kingdom-based 600 Group PLC, the parent company of 600 Group.
The purchase price of $2.98 million includes 600 Machine Tools’
inventory, 18,000 sq. ft. facility in Mississauga, and a licensing
agreement which allows Forward to use the “600” name and become an
exclusive importer and distributor for 600 lines of equipment including
Colchester-Harrison, Clausing, and Kalamazoo in Ontario and Quebec.
“This is only the beginning of our cross Canada expansion phase. We are
going to be opening up either through acquisition or through organic
growth new branches from coast to coast across Canada. It is our
intention to have a store in every region and every major market
sector,” says Jamieson.
At the same time, Forward 600 will continue to sell and distribute
existing lines of products and equipment previously offered including
the Forward private label line of milling machines, lathes, and cut-off
saws; precision measurement and calibration equipment; and a full range
of accessories, coolants, lubricants, and more. In addition, Forward
600 will continue to be the exclusive distributor of the Amera-Seiki
line of equipment in Canada.
Jamieson emphasizes that Forward 600 is much more than merely a machine
tool distributor. “We are not just a resale distributor. We are
basically 600 Group’s Canadian operation. For example, we are moving
into the retail side and we are setting up a retail walk-in counter
next to the showroom at this location so that customers can come in and
pay with a credit card for items such as tooling, accessories and
lubricants.
“We will also be offering in-house, and third-party lease financing. As
a result, we will be offering the full range of accessories, tooling,
lubricants, service, leasing, and turnkey installation. You can lease
or buy a machine, install it and get trained on (a machine purchased
from Forward 600). We are totally independent and we can offer many
different brand names at various levels of the market. During the last
few years, industrial supply has become much more retail (oriented),”
he notes.
Continues Jamieson, “Another trend is the move towards integrated
supply and vendor managed inventory purchases. We are certainly open to
dealing with our larger customers on a contract basis where we will
supply lubricants, tooling and machines as part of a managed plan for
that large customer.”
According to Jamieson, one important aspect of the purchase agreement
is Forward 600’s ability to continue using the 600 name in the Canadian
market. “Obviously, the Colchester-Harrison, Clausing, and Kalamazoo
lines are mature, well-established brand names and we wanted to
capitalize on that. In particular, the Colchester-Harrison name is a
respected brand which still carries cache in the market.
“Previously, with the Forward products, the demographic was for owner
operated, smaller job shops. The 600 lines give us (an ability to
penetrate) the larger corporate accounts. We want to address both ends
of the market and I believe we have the product now to do that,” he
says.
Looking ahead, Jamieson says that one market that Forward 600 will be
targeting is the oil and gas sector in Western Canada. “We are moving
very quickly to establish ourselves in Western Canada. The oil industry
isn’t going away anytime soon and it is generating a lot of spin-off
business. For the next 10 years or so, I think the oil and gas business
will have to be on anyone’s radar if they are in the industrial
equipment business.”
forwardprecision.com
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