CEO Yves Derycke on Fabory's 2025 Strategy
In this 2025 outlook, Fabory CEO Yves Derycke discusses the priorities shaping Fabory's approach to supporting OEM and MRO customers. From reducing Total Cost of Ownership and using technology more effectively to strengthening sustainable partnerships and developing specialist expertise, the focus is on helping customers build more efficient and resilient operations.
Reducing Total Cost of Ownership for OEM and MRO Customers
For industrial customers, the purchase price of a fastener represents only a small part of its true cost. Procurement, stock management, handling, assembly and unplanned downtime can all have a much greater impact on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Fabory's approach is therefore focused on understanding the complete customer process rather than simply supplying products. By identifying opportunities to simplify procurement, improve product availability and optimise inventory, Fabory can help OEM and MRO customers reduce unnecessary operational costs.
This requires close collaboration with customers and a detailed understanding of how fastening products move through their organisation. The right product must be available in the right place at the right time, without creating excessive stock or additional administrative work.
For Fabory, this means combining specialist fastening knowledge with supply chain expertise and solutions such as Fabory Logic. Automated replenishment and smart stock optimisation can help reduce manual inventory management while improving availability at the point of use.
As customer priorities change, the focus increasingly shifts from individual product prices to the overall efficiency and reliability of the supply chain.
Technology, Automation and AI
Technology continues to play an increasingly important role in improving efficiency across manufacturing and maintenance environments.
Automation can remove repetitive processes, provide greater visibility of inventory and help organisations make faster and more informed decisions. Within Fabory this includes both customer-facing digital solutions and technology used throughout its own operations.
Artificial intelligence also creates new opportunities to analyse information, improve forecasting and support decision-making. The objective is not to introduce technology simply because it is available but to use it where it creates measurable value for customers and employees.
Digitalisation can also make specialist knowledge easier to access. Customers increasingly expect technical information, product data and procurement tools to be available quickly and through the channels that work best for their organisation.
The combination of human expertise and technology is therefore important. Automation can improve speed and consistency while experienced specialists remain essential when customers need support with applications, standards, product selection or more complex fastening challenges.
This approach supports Fabory's wider ambition to make doing business easier while continuing to develop the services customers need as manufacturing processes become increasingly digital.
Sustainability and Long-Term Partnerships
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important consideration for manufacturers, suppliers and procurement teams.
Customers are looking beyond the immediate purchase of a product and paying greater attention to issues such as responsible sourcing, environmental impact, packaging, transportation and the long-term resilience of their supply chains.
Fabory's approach is to integrate these considerations into long-term customer and supplier relationships rather than treating sustainability as a separate activity.
At the time of this 2025 interview Fabory was preparing to strengthen its ESG reporting and expand its focus on a more sustainable product and service offering. Since sustainability programmes continue to develop readers should refer to Fabory's current sustainability information for the latest initiatives, commitments and reporting.
Long-term partnerships are particularly important because meaningful improvements often require collaboration across the complete supply chain. Working closely with customers and suppliers creates opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary activity and identify solutions that deliver both operational and environmental benefits.
The aim is to create relationships based on transparency, expertise and continuous improvement rather than focusing solely on individual transactions.
People Behind the Masters in Fasteners Strategy
Technology, logistics and digital solutions are important but specialist knowledge remains central to Fabory's strategy.
Fastening applications can involve complex requirements around materials, standards, coatings, mechanical properties and installation conditions. Customers therefore need access to people who understand both the products and the environments in which they are being used.
Fabory's Masters in Fasteners strategy reflects this combination of product expertise, technical knowledge and customer understanding.
Developing and sharing that knowledge across the organisation helps teams support customers more effectively. It also allows Fabory to combine local customer relationships with the resources and capabilities of a wider European organisation.
For Yves Derycke, continued people development is therefore just as important as investment in technology. Employees who understand customer challenges can identify opportunities that technology alone may not reveal and help translate technical possibilities into practical improvements.
That combination of expertise, technology and collaboration will remain important as OEM and MRO customers continue to face pressure to improve productivity, strengthen supply chains and control Total Cost of Ownership.
