Essex-based Samac Fixings have been well known as a supplier of nails to the merchant sector for many years. “Prepacked nails. That’s what people have known us for,” says managing director Simon Robinson. “We have relied very heavily on word of mouth and on the work of the external sales team to get our name and our products out and about. However, a formal marketing strategy hasn’t really been something we’ve done.”

Think you can use the same wood screw for every job? Think again. There’s a surprisingly large amount of engineering in a performance wood screw and compared to the standard multi-purpose screw. Here are five problems you may have if you use a sub-standard screw:

Founded in 2004 and best known for its range of pre-packed nails, Samac Fixings now prides itself on a range that is much more than “just nails”.

We are all told today that the brand is king. But why would you want to sell someone else’s brand when you can sell your own? Fixings expert Samac specialises in own branding and tells us why own branding is a wise choice for merchants for five great reasons