The Beginning
The history of Olympus Global goes back to 1880 when Henry Halstead set up a company in Blackburn manufacturing steel bolts.
Nearly 100 years later, in 1974, Henry Halstead (Fasteners) Ltd, now a thriving distributor of all types of industrial fasteners was acquired by Ray Watson and Peter Gudgeon. The Blackburn-based company was moved to new premises in Bamber Bridge, Preston and a Midlands branch was set up in Strawberry Lane, Willenhall. Having gained its independence from the Preston branch in 1983, the newly incorporated Henry Halstead (Midlands) Ltd, re-located its operation to larger premises on Gravelly Industrial Park in Birmingham.
Strategic Changes
In 1987 a further strategic change, which facilitated the cutting of all remaining ties with Henry Halstead in the north-west, allowed the formation of Olympus Distribution Ltd together with its new trading name Olympus Global. Sustained growth over the next 10 years meant that larger premises were now required and so in 1998, Olympus Global moved from Birmingham to brand-new purpose-built premises in Great Bridge, Tipton. Over the ensuing years, Olympus Global steadily increased its presence in Great Bridge and now operates out of a total of 74,000 sq.ft. of prime warehouse and office space.
New Opportunities
In its early years, Olympus Global specialised in the distribution of standard industrial fasteners to OEMs in a range of sectors including the lock industry and telecommunications. Development of Kanban and stock consignment systems helped further grow the business and greatly expand its product range. The acquisition of Abbey Fasteners in 2005 opened up new opportunities which allowed Olympus Global to begin its journey into the specialist supply of tier 1 and tier 2 customers within the automotive industry.
The acquisition of AJS Fasteners in 2009 further accelerated this automotive sector growth and Olympus was able to invest heavily in the people and infrastructure that are essential for success in this arena.
Branching Out
The Brexit vote in 2016 created more challenges for Olympus Global and it soon became apparent, that in order to efficiently and competitively supply its customers within the EU, a presence would be required to bring its goods into free circulation. A Hungarian branch was set up in 2021 near Budapest followed by a Spanish branch near Valencia in 2023. Olympus Global is now able to service customers in all parts of Europe and as a result its business there has flourished.
150 years of history has helped give Olympus Global the depth of knowledge and expertise to provide an outstanding service to both its automotive and industrial customers.