How Qimtek Helps ACORN Strengthen Its Supply Chain and Improve Margins.

Background ACORN Industrial Components is a UK supplier specialising in Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) solutions. By stocking and managing inventory on behalf of manufacturers, ACORN ensures customers’ production lines stay supplied without taking up valuable warehouse space.

Sean Blackburn oversees sourcing for both new component enquiries and ongoing replenishment. To support a wide customer base and a constantly changing mix of products, ACORN needs dependable UK machining, laser cutting and fabrication services who offer competitive pricing, reliable quality, and consistent lead times.

The Challenge

ACORN’s VMI model depends on a supply chain that is:

• Cost competitive
• Reliable and consistent
• Quality driven
• Fast and responsive
   

But sourcing custom components is complex, especially when stock levels change unexpectedly.

Sean often receives calls from customers asking ACORN to quickly add or replenish stock. Traditionally, this could take hours of research, contacting multiple suppliers, collecting quotes, and manually comparing options. And with custom parts, there is no off-the-shelf price. Quotes can vary dramatically.

“When you're dealing with custom parts, there’s no standard price. It’s surprising how much quotes can vary for the exact same component, sometimes dramatically.” Sean Blackburn, ACORN

Past experiences with very low-price suppliers, not through Qimtek, also showed that the cheapest quote can result in costly quality and delivery issues later.

ACORN needed a way to benchmark prices quickly, verify quality, and source reliable UK machinists and fabricators without spending hours per enquiry.

The Solution

ACORN uses Qimtek’s free sourcing platform to find trusted UK machining and fabrication suppliers quickly and efficiently.

Sean uploads drawings via the Drag, Drop, Source tool and receives a few competitive quotes within 24 to 48 hours. This gives instant visibility on:

• Market pricing
• Lead times
• Materials and options
• Supplier capabilities
   

What previously required several hours of outreach and spreadsheet work is now completed in a fraction of the time.

“Qimtek is easy to use and super fast. We upload a drawing and get quotes back within 24–48 hours. Everything’s in one place, it saves us a huge amount of time.” Sean Blackburn, ACORN

Through Qimtek, ACORN discovered a few new suppliers, the latest two that are worth mentioning are:

• T S Henderson & Co Ltd - A precision engineering business located in Hay-on-Wye (Herefordshire), specialising in CNC turning/milling, sliding-head turning, conventional machining and fabrication across multiple materials.
   
• Computech Turning Ltd - A precision engineering specialist based in Ashton Under Lyne (Lancashire) offering CNC turning, milling, fastener modification and broaching services.

“T S Henderson have supported us with a wide range of machined parts, and their technical ability really stands out. They’re flexible, accurate and consistently deliver exactly what we need.” Sean Blackburn, ACORN

The platform not only saves time, it has helped ACORN improve margins by revealing price differences that would be difficult to discover manually.

The Results

With Qimtek, ACORN has:

• Built a dependable network of UK machinists and fabricators
• Improved profit margins on stocked components
• Reduced sourcing admin from hours to minutes
• Accessed a clear price range for custom parts
• Strengthened its VMI supply chain
• Quickly benchmarked both new and repeat work
• Established long-term supplier partnerships discovered via Qimtek
   

“Qimtek saves us time, gives us competitive pricing, and helps us find reliable suppliers. It’s helped us improve our margins while keeping quality high.” Sean Blackburn, ACORN

Summary

Through Qimtek, ACORN has: 

✅ Strengthened its machining and fabrication supply base 

✅ Improved margins through clearer price benchmarking 

✅ Reduced sourcing time from hours to minutes 

✅ Gained fast access to a wide range of UK suppliers 

✅ Maintained quality while keeping costs competitive 

✅ Built long-term supplier relationships

For ACORN, Qimtek has become a strategic tool — supporting profitable growth, responsive stock management, and reliable UK supply chain performance.