Mila maintains supply from Ukraine

Mila has made clear its ongoing support for Axor, its tilt and turn hardware partner based in Ukraine. Axor is located in the eastern city of Dnipro, which was the target of Russian attacks early on in the conflict.

However, with the Ukrainian government urging businesses there to stay open as much as possible to help support the ravaged economy, Axor has largely been able to maintain production at its extensive purpose-built factory.

Richard Gyde, Mila’s managing director, said: “I’ve visited the team in Dnipro several times since we added their hardware to our range in 2018, and I’ve only ever been impressed by the whole business set up and by the warmth and welcome they’ve shown to everyone at Mila.

“We offered our unconditional support to them from the outset. In line with that, we have been continuing to place orders and have facilitated new shipping and delivery routes via a massively expanded warehouse they have set up in Poland to ensure continuity of supply to our customers in the UK.

“We knew that fabricators would support us and, while we have made it clear to them that we have contingency plans in place to offer alternative tilt and turn hardware if supply is disrupted in the long term, all our customers buying Axor products have welcomed our approach.”

Melton Mowbray-based PVC-U fabricator, TruFrame, is one of the biggest users of Axor tilt and turn hardware in the UK and its project director, Patrick Firmager, added: “We’re really pleased that Mila has made it possible for us to continue buying from Axor. We give our wholehearted support to the incredible team in Ukraine who are working tirelessly to continue operating, in spite of the incomprehensibly difficult situation their country is facing.

“We’re very impressed with how Mila has managed the supply chain, which has not only ensured a continuous flow of product but has also mitigated risk further by safeguarding back-up stocks in case of future interruption to supply. There’s very little risk that our customers will notice any drop in service levels which, given the circumstances, is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Axor’s tilt and turn hardware range is suitable for windows from 400mm to 1,520mm wide and 370mm to 2,390mm high and includes heavy duty hinges with a weight capacity of 130kg as standard. Fully quality tested and performance and security accredited, it is said to be ideal for the price sensitive social housing sector and comes with a 10-year mechanical operation guarantee.