When I think of Stauff Corp., a few things come to mind—maybe clamps, connectors and valves are foremost to me. So it was interesting to talk to the company’s president and CEO, Jeff Behling, at this week’s NAHAD convention in San Antonio … about some other products.
Behling told me that one of the company’s focuses right now is its line of tube assemblies. Stauff’s business model for tube assemblies was created in the U.K. market and but now is starting to spread it across the world.
“We have something we call Stauff Line. Stauff Line is basically port-to-port connectivity,” said Behling. “So now we’re doing two manipulations or two bendings—and we’re doing preassembled assemblies for customers. The concept is ‘port to port’ connectivity with Stauff core products including ball valves, test points, tube and hose clamps, DIN metric tube fittings, quick release couplings and now manipulated or precision bent tubing assemblies. We deliver to the customer’s point of use through our distribution partners or in collaboration with them.”
He explained that the company provides the clamps, the holes, the connections, the tubing.
“We make everything exactly the way the customer needs it,” Behling said.
The focus here, he said, is a quality process that is easily repeatable.
“We’re doing this in house; there’s an advantage to doing it in one place. Customer-made items didn’t have the same quality, as far as the bends. We’re able to have the perfect quality with the capability of doing that every time. And again, we are doing the whole assembly for them.”
John Hudson, sales director for Stauff, said that coming to NAHAD was important to the company, because Stauff is “well known for the core products that we’ve done for years.” But he wants to promote their other product lines, such as quick-release couplings, metric and tube fittings.
“Those products are relatively new for us in North America. And our distribution network may not be aware of it. So we are trying to get word out into the marketplace,” Hudson said.
Behling said that they see the first step in securing new distributors or customers is to start with tube bending or hose assemblies. Then, Stauff can use its other components as a value add, where they are able to build a more complete package.
For the year 2017, Stauff’s business is looking good, Behling said.
“Ag is picking up. Construction is picking up,” he said. “Oil is lagging a little bit and we don’t see much in mining so far. But, our incoming sales are up more than 35% over last year, globally. Our business is going according to plans so far. It looks like things are going to be okay.”
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