05 May 2012
Jubilee® Clips chose the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show (24-26 April) in Birmingham to unveil a new product launched in response to customer demand. The latest addition to the Gillingham-based manufacturer’s expanding portfolio is a constant velocity (cv) boot clip, which it is offering in convenient packs of 15 (10 x 40-110mm plus 5 x 25-50mm).
The world’s oldest manufacturer of worm drive hose clips, Jubilee® Clips does not deal directly with end-users but sells through a network of automotive wholesalers. Nevertheless, the company appreciates the opportunity the Commercial Vehicle Show presents to meet truck and van operators and gain useful feedback on how its products are being used in workshops, as well as identify potential new opportunities.
Managing Director Ian Jennings explains: “This event gives us a chance to talk directly to our many of our customers’ customers, so as a market research exercise it’s invaluable.” It was during last year’s CV Show at the NEC that he and his colleagues realised there was a gap in the market for a constant velocity boot clip sold separately to additional, expensive components which are not always required.
“Some of the operators we spoke to were becoming quite frustrated so we went back to find a solution and our new CV boot clip pack is the result,” he says. “It’s an effective solution to a specific problem and underscores our reputation as a ‘one-stop shop’ supplier to the automotive aftermarket. “We’ve already secured our first order, which was for 500 packs, while the general feedback from visitor’s to this year’s CV Show was extremely positive.”
Jubilee® Clips’ parent company L Robinson & Co was founded by Commander Lumley Robinson RN – Ian Jennings’ great-grandfather – who took out the patent on his original worm drive hose clip in 1921; it is now widely acknowledged as a design classic.