News - Events
Business Awards (including ISO)
Our CROMWELL German catalogue was released for issue in April this year and would not have been possible without the supreme efforts of company IRW Technik GmbH, based in Stuttgart and our Marketing team. Mr Roland Kocsis and his staff (Ulrike, Oskar and Anita) have been our main partner for sales of product to domestic German customers since 2006 and this partnership continues to grow year on year. CROMWELL Sales Manager Jason Hiscocks was pleased to present Roland on the 18th May with a "Händler des Jahres 2009" award in recognition of their achievement which will take pride of place in his showroom area. IRW Technik GmbH hold stocks of our products in a region of Stuttgart that has over 1500 small, medium and large manufacturing companies and associated businesses.
IRW Technik GmbH is one of the leading suppliers of metal fabricated items to KARCHER, carbide tools to the MAGNA group and personal protection equipment to many of the automotive companies in the area. After the decline in the German auto sector during the financial crash of 2009, IRW maintained its profile through diversification of products, aided by CROMWELLs product strength and wide scope of supply. During this time they improved and added to their on-line webshop and catalogue pages www.irw-technik.de which now widens their customer base into other areas of Germany.
In a difficult and quality concious market, Roland's team is proving that hard work, confidence in products and company ability, linked to a competitive pricing structure does indeed give a winning formula.
World Distribution Conference
The 4th Cromwell World Distribution Conference took place in June this year at Cromwell’s Headquarters in Leicester, it saw us play host to forty-five overseas customers, distributors and branch managers.
The seven day event started with the delegates visiting a number of venues in the UK including Supply Point Systems, Cromwell Nottingham & Donington Motor Research & Test facilities, before spending a relaxing evening at the Great Central Steam Railway in Loughborough.
The morning of the second day was spent visiting major Cromwell customers in the Midlands area, before arriving at Head Office for a tour of the facilities and a presentation from MG. That evening the delegates, along with a number of Cromwell staff, stepped back in time; to enjoy the merry making and festivities of a medieval banquet at the Coombe Abbey Monastery. This is one of the social highlights of the conference for many of our Managers & their guests from overseas, when everyone can relax, quaff a few pints or in some cases bottles of mead, make new friends (you know who you are) and possibly in the process make a complete fool of themselves!
The third day (Assuming people had recovered from the night before….) saw the delegates visiting the historic city of Cambridge before moving onto the National Air Museum at Duxford after which they gathered at Rutland Manor for a lakeside BBQ.
On the final day all of the delegates made an early start too get to London to take in the sights of the capital, before making their way to Heathrow to fly home to the fifteen different countries from whence they came, that didn't include the ten Cromwell overseas branch managers who returned to the head office in Leicester to prepare for three days of intense training, awareness & business reviews before flying home.
Thank you to all who attended and the support we received from our customers and staff who helped the conference run smoothly.
Cromwell Group joins Sunday Times Top Track 250
The industrial supply company, Cromwell has leapt into the Sunday Times Top Track 250 list of medium sized, privately owned companies.
The list is compiled based on sales as reported in the companies' latest accounts and includes organisations of every kind, from property developers to Biscuit and snack food manufacturers.
The entry into the listing, at number 221, is based on turnover up to year end August 2006 and reflects a highly successful year for Cromwell. Based at it’s 250,000 square foot World Distribution Centre and Head Office complex in Wigston, Leicestershire, it offers a vast range of products including cutting tools, powertools, hand tools, garden tools, PPE equipment, stationery products, welding equipment, janitorial hygiene and cleaning products. The company supplies all types of customer from sole traders and small machine shops to national utility companies and international corporations. Cromwell’s customer list spans all sectors of industry and include such prestigious names as Airbus, Ford, Transco, the MOD and the UN. These and many other well-known organisations look to Cromwell to supply products as diverse from drill bits and spanners to duvets and snow shovels.
Cromwell is the largest British owned industrial distributor and in 2008 has over 1600 employees. The company is unique in having: 56 Distribution Centres Worldwide - 4 specialist companies and an export division operating in 37 countries and 5 continents - a team of “time-served” sales engineers in each region - global product research - product analysis unit - a team studying production methods worldwide; unique daily inter-company delivery system enabling rapid access to products, services and information.
The Company intends to continue extending its branch coverage across the UK and is already preparing for several new branches to open during 2008/2009 at various locations.
AUTOEXPRESS Top Screwdrivers Test
September 2008
AUTOEXPRESS magazine tested 2 of our products in their recent product evaluations and YAMOTO / KENNEDY claimed the top 2 podium places for value, quality and usefulness.
The Test
They looked for a wide spread of flat tips, plus Phillips and Pozi crosshead and used each tool on a selection of screws to check how robust the tips were, handle grip, comfort and strength of fixture to shaft. Extra points were earned by tools that could also be driven by sockets, spanners or bars, and price also played a role.
YAMOTO YMT-572-2080K has eight ’drivers, all well made, with handles that are very easy to grip. AUTOEXPRESS said "this Best Buy set is an absolute bargain."
The KENNEDY KEN-572-6030K has additional tools, a couple of extra features and a carry case.
Final results saw 1st and 2nd place
- Yamoto YMT-572-2080K
- Kennedy Professional KEN-572-6030K
Kennedy Professional KEN-572-6030K
AUTOEXPRESS gave this set a 4 STAR rating and said "you won’t feel shortchanged if you buy this great selection".
To read the full article click here