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AFC Europe is a specialist provider of engineered components and supply chain management solutions. Partnering with specialist manufacturers for niche products and tapping into a high quality global network of manufacturing partners, AFC can enable access to supply options through one single interface.
When it comes to sourcing the materials and components for your application, often the option of pre-fabricated sub-assemblies bring tremendous advantages, reducing the volume of components and eliminating substantial time and effort involved in assembling parts in-house. AFC Europe has substantial experience in providing pre-fabricated solutions, whether they be heavy engineered and welded sub-assemblies, manipulated steel tubing into sub-assembly frames, creative fitting of components together or custom CNC machined parts. The only limit to these possibilities are the awareness of what is possible – and our teams are expert in bringing creative solutions to assist your own manufacturing with the supply of specialist components and engineered solutions.
At the core of AFC Europe, since its inception in the early 1960’s, is the world of fasteners. The scale of purchasing power brings advantages in cost with AFC Industries (AFC Europe’s parent group) being one of the largest suppliers of fastener components worldwide. Expertise built over more than 7 decades, allows for insights that can streamline your bill of materials and ensure the optimum cost as well as highest quality to secure your own product.
Alongside component sourcing and supply, AFC Europe is a specialist provider of Vendor Managed Inventory systems. Deploying Kanban methodology to reduce the time involved in sourcing and supplying products, AFC’s systems use the best and most reliable technology to monitor and manage your on-hand inventory. Using a network of its own warehouses throughout the UK and in Europe, AFC ensures you have only what you need, when you need it. This reduces your working capital and optimises your supply to the extent that you never have to think about it again. Imagine having the time to focus on creating value within your own business rather than being distracted by day-to-day material supply challenges. AFC takes the pain away!
Throughout its growth as a key partner to manufacturers, AFC Europe has gathered some specialist and exclusive partnerships with specialist manufacturers. Smalley is a US manufacturer of Wave Springs and Retaining Rings and invented the wave spring concept. This is a spring that delivers an equivalent spring force to traditional coil springs, but using up to 50% less space and weight, making it the preferred choice for critical applications that demand performance as well as geometric and physical efficiency. From space-bound applications to deep sea drilling, the Wave Spring has been proven to be the best solution. AFC Europe has an exclusive partnership with Smalley that has run for over 40 years, with the engineering team at AFC equipped to support the design and development of spring applications and its network of supply centres carrying stock of the Smalley product, ensuring both technical support as well as ease of supply.
ARaymond connectors are another specialty for AFC Europe, partnering with this specialist manufacturer to support the efficient supply of components to manufacturers across Europe, complementing this large scale producer by providing logistics and stock holding support to allow manufacturers to access this technology more easily.
During the last 2 years, AFC Europe has expanded its supply capability for specialist seals by acquiring EAP Seals and SupaSeal, both well established businesses and capable of supplying a vast array of sealing products to suit your application. Coupled with some in-house fabrication capabilities, such as bonded cord rings (unlimited diameter O-Rings) and pressed gaskets from sheet material (ranging from carbon fibre sheet to all ranges of elastomeric material). Quality is paramount and here you can source your sealing products via AFC’s Seals & O-Rings division in the confidence that you are securing the best quality, most competitive sealing products available in the global market.
Furthermore, AFC Europe now has specialist CNC machining capabilities at its location in Gotha, central Germany. Bespoke machined parts suited to your application, manufactured with precision and skill that has been developed over several decades. Our CNC machined products range from small, high volume, to large batch produced or even single component manufacture, with the highest quality guaranteed.
By partnering with AFC Europe, you are partnering with countless supply solutions, tapping into a large range of niche products and technologies, from seals to springs, and opening up the possibility of saving money by allowing AFC to manage your inventory and your supply chain. Save money and release time to focus on your own business.
To find out more about AFC Europe, follow on LinkedIn, email at enquiries@afceur.com, call on 01435866011 and visit their website at www.afceur.com.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.