From 15 Weeks to 4: How Qimtek Helped Armorgard Reshore & Strengthen Its UK Supply Chain

Armorgard is a leading UK manufacturer of secure site storage and manual handling solutions. Known for its robust toolboxes, battery charging units, and on-site safety products, the company prides itself on innovation and reliability.

Tom, an Inventor at Armorgard, works within the product design team to take new concepts from sketch to production. As Armorgard’s product range continues to grow, fast prototyping and dependable manufacturing partners have become essential to keep projects on schedule.

The Challenge

With manufacturing traditionally handled overseas, Armorgard often faced long lead times, waiting up to 10–15 weeks for prototypes and components to be delivered.

“A lot of our parts are made overseas. It’s cheaper, but when deadlines are tight, we have to switch to a UK manufacturer and that’s where Qimtek really comes into its own.”

As new product development accelerated, Tom needed reliable UK manufacturers who could respond quickly while maintaining high standards of quality and communication.

The Solution

By uploading his engineering drawings and project specifications to Qimtek’s Drag, Drop, Source feature, Tom knows his projects will be matched with relevant UK suppliers who respond directly with quotes and lead times.

Having multiple competitive quotes from active UK subcontractors helped Armorgard reduce prototype lead times from 15 weeks to just 3 to 4 weeks.

“Using your system, we’ve found some great contacts. It’s been very good for getting prototypes made quickly, helping us to cut lead times from 15 weeks to just 3 or 4. Sure, the price is higher than overseas, but we’re happy to pay that to shorten the time to market.”

The Results

Today, Tom has five or six regular suppliers sourced through Qimtek and goes to them directly for most new projects and only returning to the platform only when new capabilities are needed.

“Once you’ve built those relationships, you can go direct. However, sometimes they cannot help or might not be able to offer the lead time we require so it’s great knowing Qimtek is there when I need to go to market again.”

Many of the suppliers Tom now works with directly were first discovered through Qimtek. Over time, these introductions have developed into strong, long-term partnerships with UK manufacturers who consistently deliver quality, reliability, and great communication. For example:
G & A Precision Engineering, part of Metspin, a long-term Qimtek member since 2012, is a precision engineering company based just 14 miles away from Armorgard in Hampshire. 

They specialise in stainless steel, mild steel & aluminum sheet fabrication and assembly work, supporting Armorgard with full production runs when overseas capacity was limited.

“We were buying from thousands of miles away, but little did we know we had a neighbour offering better quality and lead times. G & A have become a key manufacturing partner for us who offer great communication, are reliable and right on our doorstep.”

Simon at G & A Precision Engineering adds:

“It’s been great working with the team at Armorgard - they’re a forward-thinking company and a pleasure to deal with. We first connected through Qimtek, and it’s grown into a really solid working relationship.”

And then there is Engineered Fabrication Solutions (EFS) based in Somerset and a trusted Qimtek member. EFS provides high-quality fabrication, welding, and assembly services to a range of industries. Known for their responsiveness and technical know-how, they’ve become one of Armorgard’s key suppliers for ongoing sheet metal components and prototype work.

“Peter at EFS is brilliant! He’s a like-minded engineer who helps resolve issues quickly and gets our products into production faster.”

Peter at EFS adds:

“Armorgard is one of a few great customers we’ve met through Qimtek. We now supply them with ongoing sheet metal components and prototypes. What makes it work is that we can talk directly with the buyers like Tom and have real engineering conversations — that’s how good relationships are built. Going direct is key to how we operate, and Qimtek makes that possible.”

What would you say to other buyers Tom?

“Qimtek is a no-brainer when looking for custom parts in the UK. Whatever your criteria, whether it’s lead time, price, quality, or communication - you’ll find it here. It saves a huge amount of time and money, and it costs nothing to use.”

Summary

Through Qimtek, Armorgard has: ✅ Reduced prototype lead times from 15 weeks to 3 to 4 weeks ✅ Built a network of trusted UK suppliers across fabrication, machining, and assembly ✅ Maintained control and speed on new product development ✅ Saved time through dedicated support from a sourcing advisor.

“Qimtek has given us solid UK relationships and helped get products to market faster. It’s one of the most valuable supply chain tools we use.”