When multinational engineering group LoneStar needed someone to manage a huge consolidation and relocation project in the West Midlands they knew exactly who to turn to for help – FBX Solutions.
LoneStar manufactures and supplies high-performance fasteners, sealing and precision-engineered components for the global energy markets and the company wanted to combine three sites and a head office into one. And the brains behind the move were FBX, who project managed the whole process from start to finish.
The result was a new £7.5 million, 115,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution centre of excellence at Universal Point in Steelmans Road, Wednesbury, near junction 9 of the M6 which saw PRD Fasteners, Eurofast Petrochemical Supplies and Triplefast International form LoneStar Fasteners Europe.
Set up in 2012 by Managing Director Frank Blahuta, FBX provides a unique service to help small-medium sized businesses in the manufacturing and logistics industries get the maximum value out of their facilities, whether through relocation or optimizing their current one.
They were approached by VABS (Value Added Business Solutions) to project manage integrating the company’s three existing sites in the West Midlands – two at Willenhall and one at Bilston – plus a head office in Wednesfield, all operating under one roof.
“It was quite a significant process taking three limited companies on four different sites and bringing them under one company’s management on a single site. We had to look at the size of each space, how they utilised that space and how efficient the companies ran to what they needed. The work included the consolidation of repeated functions across the three limited companies, including HR departments and finance departments, so there was a lot of work to do,” explained Frank.
“Then running parallel with that, we were asked to look at the prospect of relocating LoneStar to a new site, so we looked at brand new builds and existing builds and how much space they would need. We needed a 115,000 sq ft facility and there was one that had just come onto the market – the old Dreams For Beds distribution centre just off the M6. So, we put a plan in place with architects, designers and a construction company, leased the building and managed the whole design and redevelopment of the new site,” he continued.
FBX then picked up and managed the whole move into the new premises, which saw 268 staff move in over two floors.
