FIT and ready to go.

We talk to Avocet’s managing director, Dr Sachin Saigal, who discusses demand during the pandemic, hints at what to expect for the FIT Show and suggests that diversification will be key once consumer demand starts to return to normal.

With the 2022 FIT Show a matter of months away, Avocet Hardware Group is looking towards the show with anticipation, and it would appear, has been working very hard developing new products for the NEC in May. We had an opportunity to speak to Avocet’s managing director, Dr Sachin Saigal, about the upcoming exhibition.

“It was the right thing to do, to postpone FIT until we were all comfortable about getting together again,” remarked Dr Sachin Saigal. “The delay, I feel, actually helped many businesses concentrate on steadying their respective ships during the pandemic and then allowed us to focus on FIT 2022 with a much more positive view.”

With regards to what Avocet would be showing at FIT, Dr Sachin kept his cards close to his chest: “Firstly, I want to say something about the last two years which has been challenging on so many fronts.

“When you consider that, collectively, there has been a 140% rise in demand for our products from consumers who have been eager to spend their disposable income on home improvements rather than holiday abroad – I genuinely feel our industry deserves a huge pat on the back!

“That increased demand has stretched us all, with supply chain issues, freight costs and raw material price increases. But we made it and that’s something we should all be very proud of. FIT show will give us all a chance to celebrate and that’s something we all need.

“With regards to FIT, we’ve been working extremely hard on developing a unique set of products that only Avocet can supply,” he continued. “It has meant challenging the concept of traditional hardware and it has sent our R&D team into overdrive over the last 18 months. We’re very excited by what we have produced and look forward to seeing the reaction we get from the FIT Show attendees.”

When asked how he sees the industry performing as we exit the pandemic, Dr Sachin replied: “I think it would be naïve to assume we could sustain this level of demand once people have holidays, nights out etc to spend their money on.

“It’s natural that consumers, who have had their liberty restricted for the last two years, will look to resume their normal lives as soon as possible. That’s why we need to prepare for the inevitable drop in demand.

“In my opinion, the key to remaining busy is diversification. Developing new products, adopting new technologies and staying ahead of the curve will help us maintain our successful business. This is something we’ve been focusing on for 18 months.”