Triax

Successful use of aluminium in antennas

Triax manufactures e.g. satellite dishes, antennas as well as brackets and arms for mounting both products. While the products are ideal in terms of receiving clear signals, Triax itself sends clear signals in terms of expectations for the suppliers of the company.

- We primarily use aluminium for our antennas, made almost 100% of aluminium, but also for the satellite dishes. However, there may be national differences, as they prefer satellite dishes made of aluminium in Great Britain, and in other countries they don’t. But we use aluminium for all the arms of our satellite dishes, says John Berg, Procurement and Logistics Manager at Triax.

- Of course, low weight and corrosion resistance is most important to us when we choose aluminium, as antennas are all about weight. A steel antenna would quickly fall down.

Stocking and purchase volume

For John Berg, it is not only interesting that Alumeco delivers aluminium in all shapes, profiles and varieties, required for the manufacture of satellite dishes, antennas and suspension arms. The value chain is also of importance, as to stocking and easy access to raw materials:  

- It is important to us that Alumeco can handle the stocking. If we would have to handle it ourselves, the inventory levels would be higher. Further, Alumeco has a much bigger purchase volume, says John Berg.

- All our aluminium products are special products, made especially for us. Thus, stocking and the option of day-to-day deliveries is vital. We are working within a field that is complex, since we use everything from small resistances to big coils, and we cannot know everything about all elements, which is why we need the knowhow of our supplier. Alumeco matches our expectations within this field, John Berg says.

- Alumeco has market knowhow and is a strong player and I want to utilise that. Thus, they often make enquiries in my name, since they know what’s happening on the markets.

Open partnership

At Alumeco, Mogens Levinsen thinks the same about the partnership with Triax:

- It is really an open partnership about the suppliers, which we recommend to Triax. It’s all about trust, when we have the position as the client’s “window” to the suppliers, says Mogens Levinsen and continues:

- We also regard ourselves to be a logistics solution and not just a supplier. It’s about prices, quality and reliability of supply.

The case was made in cooperation with Triax.