Meet the Exhibitor: Alex Furtak from DART Supplies
With the Cornwall Business Show now just weeks away, we’re getting to know some of the brilliant businesses you’ll be able to meet on the day.
This week, Hannah Buck, Marketing Manager at Four Front Events, sat down with Alex from DART Supplies for a chat about what they do, the businesses they work with and why ordering all those everyday workplace essentials might be costing businesses more time (and money) than they realise.
And when we say “business supplies”, we’re talking about a LOT more than pens and printer paper.
Cleaning products, PPE, workwear, washroom supplies, printer cartridges, stationery, catering products, packaging… and even those slightly random things you’re never quite sure where to buy.
So, over to Hannah and Alex…
Hannah: Alex, let’s start with the obvious one. For someone who hasn’t come across DART Supplies before, tell us a bit about what you do and who you work with.
Alex: DART Supplies is the business supplies division of Dart FM Services Ltd and we support organisations across Cornwall, Devon and the wider South West.
And honestly, it’s a real mix!
We work with businesses and organisations across healthcare, education, offices, hospitality, automotive, industrial, facilities management and plenty of other commercial sectors.
One customer might be a small independent business where one person looks after all the purchasing. Another might be a larger organisation with several sites, departments or different people involved in ordering.
Our systems can work around both.
For us, it’s not really about the size of the business or even the sector they’re in. It’s about understanding what they need and how they prefer to buy it.
Hannah: So what sort of problem normally makes a business come to you in the first place?
Alex: One of the biggest things we see is fragmented purchasing.
A business might buy its cleaning products from one hygiene supplier, PPE somewhere else, workwear from another company, printer cartridges online, washroom products from another supplier…
Hannah: …and then Amazon for all the random things that don’t fit neatly anywhere else?
Alex: Exactly!
And technically, that works. But somebody has to manage all of it.
You’ve got different suppliers, websites, accounts, deliveries and invoices. It all takes time.
What we try to do is help businesses consolidate more of that purchasing through one supplier and one point of contact.
We take the time to understand what a customer regularly buys, the quantities they need and what they’re currently paying. Then we can search across our different supply routes for either the same products or suitable like-for-like alternatives.
Once we’ve agreed the products and pricing, we can create a personalised contract list within their DART Supplies online account.
So instead of searching through our entire catalogue every time they need something, they log in and see the products relevant to their business, at their agreed pricing.
We can organise those into Cleaning, Washroom, PPE, Workwear, Toners, Stationery – whatever makes sense for that particular business.
It’s really about making the whole process simpler and reducing the time and admin that goes into buying everyday essentials.
Hannah: Okay, so give us an idea of the range. What’s something people might be surprised to find out you can supply?
Alex: Probably that our website doesn’t define the limit of what we can source.
We already have thousands of products covering cleaning and janitorial supplies, washroom and hygiene consumables, PPE, workwear and uniforms, printer toners, cartridges and drums, stationery, catering, packaging and general workplace and facilities products.
But every now and then somebody needs something really specific that isn’t listed.
And that’s where the personal service comes in.
Send me the details of what you’re looking for, the quantity you need and, if you’ve bought it somewhere else before, send me a link or product reference.
I’ll investigate it through our different supply routes and see what we can do.
I’d much rather someone asks me, “Alex, can you get this?” than assumes we can’t because they haven’t spotted it on the website.
Hannah: It sounds like there’s actually a lot more personal service behind the website than people might expect?
Alex: Absolutely. That’s probably the one thing I wish more businesses knew about us.
We’re not trying to create a relationship where somebody goes onto a website, buys a box and we never speak to them.
The technology is there to make purchasing easier, but communication and understanding the customer are at the centre of how we work.
I want to know what you’re buying, what matters to your organisation, where you’re experiencing problems and where we might be able to help.
Hannah: And we have to talk about price too. Everyone wants to know whether they could be getting a better deal!
Alex: Of course. Price is an important part of it.
From comparisons we’ve carried out across a range of products, we’ve found examples where DART Supplies has been 12–23% cheaper than Amazon, around 15% cheaper than specialist hygiene suppliers and approximately 8% cheaper than traditional stationery suppliers.
We also have several sourcing routes for printer consumables, so toners, cartridges and drums can be a particularly competitive area for us.
But I’m not going to sit here and tell every business that we’ll beat every single price they currently have.
My approach is much simpler:
Show me what you’re buying. Show me what you’re paying. And give me the opportunity to see what I can do.
Hannah: I like that! So basically… challenge Alex?
Alex: Pretty much!
Send me a few things you regularly buy and let me take a look.
Hannah: Is there a common mistake you see businesses making when they’re ordering supplies?
Alex: Assuming that because something is easy to reorder, it must still represent good value.
Prices change. Businesses grow. Requirements change.
But it’s incredibly easy to keep ordering the same thing from the same supplier simply because that’s where you’ve always bought it.
The other mistake is looking at products individually rather than looking at the overall purchasing process.
Saving £1 on a product isn’t particularly useful if somebody is then spending hours every month managing numerous suppliers, websites, deliveries, accounts and invoices.
We look at the bigger picture: product, price, service, delivery and how easy the whole process is for the customer to manage.
Hannah: So if I put you on the spot, why should a business choose DART Supplies?
Alex: I think the difference is that we genuinely want to build a partnership with the businesses we supply.
We combine the systems and product access you’d expect from a larger supplier with the personal service of being able to speak directly to somebody who understands your account.
We’ll listen to what you need, look at what you’re currently buying, source products through our supply network, agree pricing and then create an ordering system around your organisation.
And then we keep supporting you.
Requirements changed? Tell us.
Need another product adding to your contract list? Tell us.
Can’t find something on the website? Ask us.
Suddenly need something unusual? Give us a call.
Reliability is important too. Currently, around 95% of our deliveries take place the next working day.
For me, a successful DART Supplies account isn’t simply one where somebody regularly places orders. It’s one where there’s good communication and the customer knows they can come to us when they need help.
Hannah: What’s your favourite part about working with businesses here in the South West?
Alex: The relationships we get to build.
Being based in the South West means we’re not trying to operate as a faceless national catalogue company.
I enjoy learning how different organisations work, meeting the people behind them and gradually understanding what they need from us.
Sometimes a relationship starts with somebody asking us to price just a handful of products.
Then the trust starts to build and before long we get:
“Can you source this as well?”
And that’s exactly the relationship we want.
We want to become a trusted supply partner that makes life a little easier for businesses across Cornwall, Devon and the wider South West.
Hannah: You’re going to be exhibiting at the Cornwall Business Show. What are you looking forward to most about the day?
Alex: I’m really looking forward to meeting businesses face-to-face and having some proper conversations.
So much of what we do starts with understanding how a business currently buys its supplies, what they’re ordering, where they’re getting it from and what’s working or not working for them.
The Cornwall Business Show gives us the chance to have those conversations in person.
I’m also looking forward to meeting other South West businesses, finding out more about what they do and hopefully building some new relationships.
And if somebody comes over to the stand with a product or a price and says, “Can you do anything with this?” even better!
Hannah: So who would you particularly like to come and have a chat with you at the show?
Alex: Honestly, any business that regularly buys the sort of everyday products we supply.
You don’t have to be a huge organisation with a massive purchasing department.
You might be a small business ordering cleaning products and stationery, a hospitality business getting through lots of consumables or a larger organisation buying PPE, workwear, washroom products and printer supplies across multiple sites.
I’d particularly like to speak to businesses that feel like their purchasing has become a bit fragmented, lots of different suppliers, lots of invoices and lots of time spent ordering.
And I’d love to meet anyone who thinks:
“We’ve always bought it from there, so we just keep buying it from there.”
Come and have a chat. Bring me a few examples of what you regularly order and what you’re currently paying, and let’s see if there’s a better way of doing it.
Hannah: Right, I think we need to make this official then. What’s the challenge for anyone coming to see you at the Cornwall Business Show?
Alex: Bring me something you’re regularly buying for your business and tell me what you’re currently paying for it.
Whether it’s cleaning products, PPE, workwear, printer consumables, stationery, washroom supplies or something a little more unusual – let me have a look.
Even better, bring me a few!
I’ll see what I can do.
Hannah: And what would make the Cornwall Business Show a really successful day for you?
Alex: For me, it’s not about coming away with a certain number of orders on the day.
If we have some good conversations, meet businesses we can genuinely help and start a few relationships that continue after the show, I’ll consider that a successful day.
Sometimes all it takes is someone giving us three or four products to look at.
We might start there and then, over time, they realise there are lots of other things we can help them with too.
That’s how we like to work, build the relationship and become someone the customer knows they can call when they need something.
Hannah: And you’ve got a special offer for businesses introduced to you through the Cornwall Business Show too, haven’t you?
Alex: We do!
For businesses introduced to DART Supplies through the Cornwall Business Show, we’re offering 10% off your first qualifying order of £50 + VAT or more with the code:
CORNWALLSHOW10
The first step is to get in touch and we’ll start by setting up your DART Supplies business account.
Ideally, send me details of some of the products your business regularly buys, the quantities and your current pricing.
While you complete the online account application, I can start reviewing those products and looking at the best options available to us.
Once we’ve agreed the products and pricing, we can activate your account and build your personalised contract list to make future ordering straightforward.
The 10% discount is a nice introduction, but ultimately we’re hoping it becomes the start of a long-term working relationship.
Hannah: Finally, Alex… if somebody wants to put you to the test before the show, how can they get in touch?
Alex: The easiest thing is to contact me directly.
Call: 01837 84715 and select Option 4
Email: afurtak@dartsupplies.co.uk
I’m happy to answer questions, talk about your current purchasing arrangements or simply look at a few products to see whether DART Supplies could offer you something better.
And if you’d rather have a proper conversation, I’m more than happy to arrange a face-to-face meeting, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams call.
A really useful starting point is to send me some of the products you purchase most frequently, the quantities you normally order and your current prices where available. That gives me something meaningful to work with.
And one quick heads-up: DART Supplies is a division of Dart FM Services Ltd, so our telephone system answers as Dart FM Services Ltd.
If you hear that when you call, don’t panic… you are in the right place!
Fancy putting Alex to the test?
We think Alex has given you a pretty good reason to come and find DART Supplies at the Cornwall Business Show.
Bring your questions.
Bring details of a few products your business regularly buys.
Bring your current prices.
You could even bring that weird and wonderful product that nobody else seems able to source…
Then ask Alex:
“What can you do with this?”
And remember, businesses introduced to DART Supplies through the Cornwall Business Show can also get 10% off their first qualifying order of £50 + VAT or more with code CORNWALLSHOW10.
Of course, DART Supplies is just one of the fantastic businesses you’ll be able to meet at the Cornwall Business Show.
It’s a day to visit, connect, discover new businesses, make new contacts and find opportunities to grow your own business.
So get your ticket booked, come along and get involved. Register for your FREE tickets today!
