Vetaphone has reported a record trading period, which saw the manufacturer of surface treatment technology beat all previous sales records in a year blighted by travel restrictions and lockdowns.

The period since the first lockdown began in April 2020 had a major impact on world trade and the way companies do business, as Kevin McKell, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing 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.’

A consequence of this has been a ‘huge boost’ in orders across the board that has seen Vetaphone return a year-end total that will not only surpass expectations but exceed all previous years in the company’s 70-year history.

In the absence of in-person trade events and expos – which are known for their lead generation potential – Vetaphone opted to withdraw from exhibiting at all future events, whether large or small. Instead, the company opened a new showroom and demo facility in Denmark during May of 2021 that is fully equipped with working corona and plasma treatment technology, and offers both in-person and online appointments via a video link. This is allied to the adjacent Test Lab facility that the company opened in 2020, giving Vetaphone de facto access to a permanent trade fair stand of its own that is available 24/7.’

Mr McKell continued, ‘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, and now we can take our technology to them wherever they are in the world.’

A change in its promotional activities further benefitted the company. Vetaphone marketing director Jeannette Woodman said, ‘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.’

Accumulatively, these actions and new trading conditions have opened up business opportunities to Vetaphone, which in addition to reporting a record sales year has seen the company now claim top spot worldwide for surface treatment technology.

Mr McKell concluded, ‘We were the first, so to be at No 1 in our 70th year is a fantastic achievement. Bring on 2022.’