Every day at Allflow Sales Consultant Jacob Lewis sells Hansen fittings to customers.
"We've been told we have the largest selection by far in our region," a claim customers have also made about Allflow's stock of galvanised fittings. "Hansen products have been on the shelves in our shop ever since we have owned it and the prior owners stocked it for years too.
"In fact, one of the Hansen sales reps told me Allflow stocks more than many shops in Christchurch."
Where other fittings are just called fittings, Hansen fittings are known as Hansen Fittings. Their distinctive black colouring is indicative of a New Zealand owned and operated company. They've been designing, manufacturing and distributing pipe fittings and valves since the 1950s.
Jacob says, "We have a great relationship with the sales team and the product information they supply is outstanding, really. They have a detailed product catalogue that covers everything anyone would ever need to know about the Hansen products. I'm pretty sure we carry nearly all of the products Hansen makes in our store. Customers can always get whatever they need."
General Manager Amos Lewis says he stocks the whole range for one simple reason: customers ask for it.
“We keep so much on stock because our customers want to buy everything they need in one go, they don’t want to have to come back or wait for a shipment. So we keep a large supply of most of the Hansen line in stock all the time. Our customers need to get their jobs done right now, and we make sure they don’t have to wait.”
Amos says customers don’t just buy one Hansen fitting, they’ll take five or 10 or more.
“They tell us they can’t get that quantity at any other local shop.”
Hansen’s Regional Market Manager David Highsted says, “Allflow sells the vast majority of the Hansen fittings line. Every year their sales grow and we definitely stay on top of stock to make sure Allflow’s customers can always find our fittings at their shop.”
“The team at Allflow are a great bunch of guys,” David says. “They are very experienced with our products and in the industry. I don’t have to recommend what products they should sell, they know their customer base very well and they have a deep knowledge of our entire product range.”
National sales manager Angela Wallace says she loves working with Allflow, "they are a fantastic team and store."
With the worldwide pandemic affecting Allflow's customers and supply chains from some overseas companies, it's a great opportunity to support and sell products from a New Zealand owned company.
“We've always focused our product line on the best products,” Amos says. “Hansen is absolutely the best at what they do. If you need a plastic fitting, Hansen is tops. But now that we want to help our customers support local and NZ companies, we've been more vocal about supporting local businesses.
"We appreciate when our customers shop locally with us and so we're paying it forward and making sure we take care of good businesses."
From a business perspective, the supply chain much more secure with New Zealand made products as well. Amos says Allflow can get any Kiwi-made product they need usually the next day. For customers ordering online, the same principle applies to quantity: buy as much as you need and it will be shipped out usually the next day.
