In a year blighted by travel restrictions and lockdowns, the leading manufacturer of surface treatment technology beats all previous sales records. The period since the first lockdown began in April 2020 has had a major impact on world trade and the way companies do business, so Vetaphone is more than happy to report a huge boost in orders across the board that saw it return a year-end total that will not only surpass expectations but exceed all previous years in the company’s long history.

Speaking for the company, VP Sales & Marketing Kevin McKell explained: “We were quick to assess the situation and adapt our sales and marketing approach to suit the new trading conditions. With travel either impossible or severely limited we had to find alternative ways for face-to-face contact with customers, and the actions we took have clearly worked well!”

With trade fairs being cancelled on a rolling basis, Vetaphone took the bold decision to withdraw from exhibiting at all future events, whether large or small. Instead, the company officially opened its new Showroom and Demo facility in May that is fully equipped with working corona and plasma technology and offers both in-person and online appointments via a video link. Allied to the adjacent Test Lab facility that it opened in 2020, Vetaphone now has a permanent trade fair stand of its own that is available 24/7, if necessary!

“We’ve had great customer response to the new showroom and the fact that we can actually demonstrate the equipment – something we could never do at Drupa or Labelexpo – and it’s really started to pay dividends in terms of orders secured. We know that many of our customers are unlikely to ever visit us in Denmark – now we can take our technology to them wherever they are in the world,” he added.

The new trading conditions also had an impact on how the company promoted itself and publicised its activity. Marketing Director Jeannette Woodman explained: “We quickly switched our focus from a ‘broad-brush’ approach to one that is far more zoned in on the different sectors and parts of the world. By refining our use of the latest in computer and electronic communications we have been able to impact target markets with information that is specific to individual requirements – and at a fraction of the cost of attending a major international expo!”

For Vetaphone, the new trading conditions have opened new business opportunities, and in addition to reporting a record sales year, 2021 has seen the company move to the No 1 spot worldwide in surface treatment technology. As Kevin McKell put it: “We were the first, so to be at No 1 in our 70^th year is a fantastic achievement. Bring on 2022!”