What’s Coming for UAP in 2021

UAP is set to start 2021 with a schedule of new product launches, international expansion and more stockholding than ever before thanks to strategic planning and investment to ensure we can meet demand in the year ahead.

We were quick to recognise the threat posed by COVID-19 and had begun to put measures in place to protect people and ensure operational continuity long before the start of the first lockdown. Thanks to that agile response, we have achieved record sales since September and have a clear growth strategy in place for 2021.

David Jennings, CEO of UAP explains: “We work closely with supply chain partners in China so we knew right at the beginning of the year that we needed to get ready for an extinction-level event. When I presented our business plan to staff in February it said one word: ‘survive’.

“We’ve achieved the plan, in terms of both protecting our team and maintaining our commercial health, but we’ve also done much more than that. By responding quickly to changing public health and commercial conditions, leveraging our assets and focusing on continued innovation, we have put ourselves in the strongest possible position to drive growth in 2021 and offer the best possible service to our customers.”

We began the process of enabling our team to work from home in February and revised our operations to allow uninterrupted dispatch of products on time, while introducing PPE, social distancing and team bubbles. We procured our own PPE supplies to ensure all items meet high safety standards, and have added the UAP Health Care Range to our existing door hardware, locking systems and locksmith machinery brands.

Tackling the safety, operational and commercial challenges of the pandemic was not our only focus in 2020. With the business adapted to continue serving customers while keeping everyone safe, our attention turned to new product development and security of supply.

David continues: “UAP has weathered two serious recessions before so we know that preparing for the recovery is critical and the only way to do that effectively is through investment. We also know that the pandemic, changes to the plating industry in China and Brexit are likely to affect supply chains as we begin 2021, so a key part of our investment has been in placing orders well ahead of time and increasing both our stockholding and warehouse capacity.”

“We have already created an additional 25,000 sq ft of warehousing space on site at our Greater Manchester HQ, with an additional 35,000 sq ft due to be added in early 2021. We will begin the year with £8million of stock in the UK and our additional stock requirements for the first half of 2021 are already in production or en-route.
We will launch two new major product lines in Q1 2021, announce our international expansion plans and extend our sales channels. We will also continue to grow by acquisition, with advanced talks already underway with two potential brands.”

David adds: “Like everyone, we have been on a journey through the unknown in 2020 but, by leveraging our strengths, applying our knowledge and putting people first we’re entering 2021 stronger than ever. We’re grateful to our team, our customers and our supply chain partners for helping us tackle the challenges of 2020 and get ready for an exciting year ahead in 2021.”