WDS to Expand its Offering of Imperial Components to Meet Demand in US and Worldwide
WDS Component Parts Ltd. is expanding the range of Imperial sized components it offers, supporting its continued growth in those markets, regions and sectors that prefer non-metric dimensions.
While it has always carried Imperial products in its catalogue, mainly in the bolts and fastening section, now the company is making and supplying new version of studs, swing bolts and insulated hand knobs in Imperial dimensions and threads with plans to steadily expand its Imperial offering with new sizes of many of its metric products.
“We are already established in America, which is probably the largest single market for Imperial components, but we want to grow our presence there significantly,” explains John Marshall of WDS. “Interestingly, while most people think of the US as being Imperial, in fact they work with metric quite a lot too, sometime mixing both systems on one project! WDS is not only able to supply both types of product but we have considerable expertise in converting between the two and of using them side by side.”
Other regions that use Imperial measurements include large parts of Asia Pacific and parts of South America. It is also notable that some industries still have a need for Imperial parts, especially those that rely on long-life capital equipment, such as mine and quarry conveyors.
“It is a bit of a Euro-centric view that metric is the main system of measurement,” says John. “If you take a worldwide view, the balance between metric and Imperial is much more finely balanced.”
In the UK and Europe, WDS supports many heritage industries, including organisations that run steam railways and historic industrial sites, with Imperial products. John says: “WDS are popular with such groups because we provide them with exactly the same service levels we offer to our commercial and industrial clients.”
WDS has a very comprehensive range of engineering components, most of which are available in different sizes, formats, materials and configurations so suit many different applications. It holds high levels of stock in its central warehouse close to the M1 in Leeds, which is fully integrated with its on-site manufacturing operations.
Customers usually make purchases over the internet, using the clear and simple order process available or use the telephone order line. Orders are usually picked and dispatched on a same day basis and WDS has fast and efficient logistics in place for both national and international distribution.
