It has just employed a second sales rep to enable it to service both the North and South Islands fully, a move that makes it a completely nation-wide knife sharpening service and distributor of quality knives and finishing products.
Kevin Wall joins David McKenzie at ASL and the two salesmen will service new and existing customers nationwide, dividing the country between them.
Kevin is a fully qualified saw doctor with 30 years experience in sales and marketing, having served a number of years on the shop floor at the practical end of the knife sharpening industry initially in the saw milling trade. David MacKenzie comes from a manufacturing background and has been with ASL for 18 months.
Based in Silverdale, just north of Auckland, ASL has built up an excellent reputation in the printing and finishing industries for its knife sharpening service and the quality of its 'IMMORTAL' brand of guillotine blades, trimmer and binding knives, cutting sticks, slitters, perf wheels and paper drills. It services the finishing industry with round and flat stitching wire in a range of colours and wire bookbinding closures which are available in spools and pre-cut lengths, also in a range of colours.
Director Karen Andrews says the move to another distribution service and an additional sales rep means that their South Island clients in some cases may be able to receive same day service.
The new centre will mean faster distribution times all round, an important factor in an industry ruled by quick turnaround times, she adds.
"Often with the bookbinding closures, size and colour requirements are not finalised until the day the job comes in. With our three centres now open, we will be able to offer a very quick delivery service to help with their deadlines."
Another development in the New Year will be the arrival of a new high tech knife grinder. This machine is specifically designed to grind TCT and HSS paper cutting knives to extremely high tolerances using the latest developments in micro-honing technology.
The accuracy is achieved through CNC controlled Servo motors, this enables the operator to accurately control the amount of material removed during the sharpening process and will extend blade life as well as giving a sharper edge, which equates to longer cutting life and a better cut surface.
