One of the UK's leading suppliers of castings is warning buyers that choosing a supplier onprice alone can be costly.

Steve Cooper, Managing Director of Majorfax, the Walsall provider of machined and finished castings, says that it's time for the industry to move away cost and look at best value when deciding who to work with.

Mr Cooper sites recent contract wins as examples of where the attention to detail, advice and technical knowledge were much more valuable than the price per unit.

"We've recently won a new contract with JCB, the global manufacturer of construction, agriculture and material handling equipment.

"We established a relationship with the foundry and sent our UK representatives over to China to further develop the connection and pick up the existing supply chain. By developing strong links with the foundry we are now able to supply castings to JCB, which means that they don't have to worry about chasing parts or invoices.

"We've also managed to secure a new contract with a construction company to provide 3,000 units of counterweights per year, which we won based on the quality and consistency of our work for them over the past 20 years.

"So often customers come to us with a view of securing the cheapest possible price and that's fair enough given the economic situation but you also need to ensure you work with people who know what they're doing.

"As well assourcing three quotes, I'd like to see buyers looking at the wider credentials of the company they approach for castings. In my opinion they need to be asking about the true price of working with them. That's why we've launched our PRICE pledge. We'll show all prospective customers that we're Priced right, Reliable, offer Insight and have unparalleled Castings Experience. All of these factors must be offered if the industry is to move away from just cost per unit."