Fastening the

road which lies

ahead
BKGM01-11 Entrepreneurial Challenge
09/09/2011

Jeremic Andjela, 360561,

andjela87@alice.it
Yuanyuan Guo, 362627, yuanyuan.kowk@gmail.com
Lennart Scherp, 363965, lennartscherp@gmail.com
Ioannis Panos, 363019,
cv1147@gmail.com

Introduction
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SUREFAS is dedicated to improve current fastening systems in textiles, with

wide ranging applications mainly within the marine industry. The marine
sector is known territory, as the original idea of the fastening products come
from an annoyance regarding the covers used on boats. The company started
a few years ago, but due to the current economic situation, the boat market
has dropped and as a result SUREFAS faces the challenge to maintain or even
increase their sales.
The main goal of this report is to address this challenge, by analyzing the
current situation, looking for opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and
from here on developing a strategy to conquer the future and kick-start sales.
The effectuation principles form the guideline (or method) and provide the
necessary tools to come to a solution. First of all, the bird-in-hand principle is
applied by looking at the current situation and identifying opportunities and
threats. When those are defined, the affordable loss principle can be used to
determine what the company is willing to risk and from here how these
opportunities can be pursued. As many direction are possible, starting with
the known and choose a certain direction gives more control over the
uncertain environment (pilot-on-the-plane principle).
A new direction is not walked alone, partnerships have to be formed to gain
even more control over the environment and at the same time gives access
to more knowledge / experience (crazy quilt principle). This could also lead to
new ideas and all kind of surprises as more opportunities are found, which
could be used to benefit the companys growth (lemonade principle).

Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................
1.

Market Definition...............................................................................................

2.

SWOT Analysis...................................................................................................

3.

Extend Current Markets.....................................................................................

4.

New Markets......................................................................................................

5.

Extend Product Line.........................................................................................

Conclusions & Recommendation............................................................................

APPENDIX...............................................................................................................

1. Market Definition
The first step in creating scenarios for the future of the company is to
determine its current situation. Here, the bird-in-hand principle is used to
establish the strengths (and possible weaknesses) of the company.
Furthermore a description of the products and the markets is given.
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Identity
SUREFAS is dedicated to improve current fastening systems in textiles, with
wide ranging applications from cars to boats. The marine sector is known
territory, as the original idea of the fastening products come from an
annoyance regarding the covers used on boats.

Knowledge
The knowledge / experience of SUREFAS ranges from technical expertise
(knowing how to create the fasteners) to the marine sector (knowing the
market).

Network
The current network is mainly within the marine sector; companies who
create the textiles (cover makers), boat builders, boat owners, distributors,
etc.

Markets
There are 2 main markets where SUREFAS currently focuses its attention on,
namely the New built (use it in newly created products) and Replacement
(replacing current fasteners) ones. Within those markets, the focus is spread
among individual boat owners, cover makers, boat builders, etc. The products
are sold at distributors worldwide, thereby also providing a larger coverage.

Products
The existing fixing systems on boats all use pins which protrude from the
deck, the products of SUREFAS therefore have some competitive advantages.
The main features of the products are:

Special grip design

No pins (only a male part on the cover itself)
Easy to attach fastener to receivers (even with cold and wet
fingers)
Highest quality plastic
No fragile parts
Current products can be replaced using the existing holes on the
deck and cover
Water resistance (no corrosion)
Color match (variety of colors available)

The PERFIX product is a combination of a plastic male and female part,

whereas the Q-SNAP product is made of steel and can resist higher forces
than plastic one. The CAF-316 product has the special feature of water
resistance.

Marketing
The marketing strategy so far is to focus most of the marketing of PERFIX on
the end-consumer, whilst Q-SNAP is more focused on cover makers (with
argumentation that a fast installation is possible). Distributors also provide an
additional part of marketing.

2. SWOT Analysis
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STRENGTHS
-

Special features (unique selling points): special grip design; no pins;

durable; tight; quick to install; highest quality plastic; no fragile part;
sea water resistance; replace the old one easily; color match etc.
Good access to cover makers and boat builders
Good partnership with distributors and wholesalers

WEAKNESSES
-

Limited to marine sector

No organization and less targetable in other fields
Less motivation for distributors to promote/sell our products

OPPORTUNITIES
-

Unsaturated marine market: potential growth by focusing on endconsumers and boat shows
New applications with products special features
Improved products with new applications

THREATS
-

Far less boats are being built nowadays

High price compared to competitors
Features cant explain price differences with competitors

Conclusion
As can be found in the SWOT analysis, the focus could be either on extending
the existing market, new applications and new products. As little is known
about the current marketing strategies, all of these possibilities have to be
addressed, mainly focusing on the new applications / new products (a more
unknown area).

3. Extend Current Markets

Because of the limited budget, the company will apply effective and
inexpensive marketing tools in order to extend current market. Priority will be
put on creativity and no waste of money.
The main focus of the market strategy is on the current targeted group (boat
owners, yacht builders, equipment manufacturers).

Marketing Techniques
-

Distribute flyers exclusively in boat areas around the Netherlands

(effective, inexpensive, clear and persuasive)
Participate in boat events: boat shows are one of the best methods to
meet dealers and manufacturers, to attract new customers and to
show competitive advantages of the products.
1. Marine equipment trade show in Amsterdam(worlds largest trade
exhibition of equipment, materials and system for the international
marine leisure industry)
2. Hiswa Amsterdam show
3. Europort marine vakbeurs Rotterdam (most complete maritime
exhibition in the world)
4. Botenbeurs Gorinchem
5. Hiswa Gebruikte Botenbeurs
Use boat owners database (www.yachtdatabase.com): Send products
information via E-mail; Put advertisement on the website for free
Put links on website related to maintenance or repair field
Publish impressive and persuasive video on the websites visited by
targeted group
Focus on online selling
- The current surefas webshop is not visited by many people, so the
company should attract more people to its website, listing its address
and web shop on all promotional materials (flyers, video etc)
- The company can also sell its products on other webshops such as
Amazon or Ebay

4. New Markets
Establishing partnerships is one of the key elements of turning a company
into a successful one. SUREFAS established quite some partnerships so far,
which give an opportunity to expand the market share, or possibly enter new
markets. Each partner brings new means to the venture, but also new ideas
for products.
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Discover new markets

Instead of focusing on partnerships within the known industry, trying to enter
unknown areas (or just create new ones) could be even more valuable. As an
example, mentioning the products of Surefas to a general foreman on marine
ships and yachts already gave him plenty of ideas how it could be
implemented (or how a slightly changed product could be very beneficial).
A few examples of companies:
-

KLM Engineering & Maintenance (http://www.afiklmem.com/).

This company focuses on maintenance, repair and overhaul. Or to
put it in other words: replacing parts, fixing broken parts, accessing
difficult areas. Nowadays mostly bolts/nuts are used in many
application, whilst the Surefas fasteners could provide a much
easier to use solution in some of their products. And with 14,000
employees it is not the smallest company around.
Amels (http://www.amels-holland.com/). This is a large yacht
builder, a smaller company then KLM E&M, but here also the same
applies: there are probably applications where the Surefas products
could be used.
Defensie Materieel Organisatie (http://www.defensie.nl/dmo/).
Similar to KLM E&M, but this company focuses on buying, selling
and maintenance of the Dutch army vehicles and planes.

This is just a grasp of the possibilities present to enter new markets for the
Surefas products. Of course, it takes a lot of valuable time to get in contact
with these companies / websites. Another option is to go to events where
people are seeking for new solutions for their applications, because many
company is present with the same interest. It is known that new opportunities
can be created from anything, also if it does not seem obvious. A few
examples again:
-

MRO Europe Conference & Exhibition

(http://www.asdevents.com/event.asp?ID=821). Europes largest
maintenance, repair and overhaul event. The goal of this event is to
provide a medium for companies to speak about the earlier
mentioned more efficient / new solutions to be applied in their
products or services.
Internationale Bouwbeurs (http://www.bouwbeurs.nl/). This
event focuses on companies from the construction sector.
Woonbeurs (http://www.woonbeurs.nl/). At this event, all kind of
companies related to houses are present. Great opportunities to
speak with people, giving them new ideas and possibly establishing
partnerships.
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Hobby en Vrije tijd beurs (http://www.hobby.wtcexpo.nl/).

Thousands of hobbyists present (especially quite some doing
modeling), searching for new materials for example.
HISWA (http://www.hiswa.nl/). No need for explanation probably.

Applications
Above, the environment for creating new applications is sketched. The liberty
is taken to already create some new applications from the knowledge present
at the authors, specifically focusing on the applications which are less
commonly thought of. Also with that goal in mind some small alterations to
the PERFIX button are made so that it could devise uses which wouldn't be
satisfied otherwise.

The first possible application is Q-snap button, which could be used in order
to produce couches and other furniture with changeable over coating.
Because Q-snap can be hidden in places that are not visible and it can
provide the required tension so that the textile is bound harmonically with the
supporting features.

Q-snap buttons can be

integrated to make the
coating exchangeable

Image 1: Couch with Q-snap buttons

The main advantage of this application is that there are a lot of small
industries produce furniture that can easily be accessed and a direct contact
with the manager/owner is feasible. Also, those small companies would
probably be eager to try new things in order to compete with big firms with
well-known brand names, as well as compete with shops like IKEA which sell
low quality products but in prices that SUREFAS's target group cannot
achieve. In order to stay at a competitive level, small companies must
continuously find ways to differentiate their products from others in the
market. So the assumption that they will at least take the time to consider
the implementation of SUREFAS's and the possible benefits they could reap
from cooperation could be very close to the reality. That would make it an
9

easy and at the same time cheap way of entering the market of furniture
companies.
For this particular application, directly addressing the end users (consumers)
could be a possible solution, because generally wood (which is the main
structural material for most furniture) is easy to work with. So they could
install the buttons themselves and that way conceal any sign of wear or
defect their old furniture have. The problem is though, in order to succeed, a
much broader and therefore more expensive marketing approach will be
essential.
For the PERFIX button there are four possible profitable new applications
that . The first proposition refers to the sacks used in industrial production for
the carrying of raw materials by the cranes. Of course all operations that are
performed by the use of sacks cannot be exploited, though in some cases the
sacks have to be opened through the bottom while they are probably still in
the air. This is where PERFIX can be applied. The advantage is that with
PERFIX a small second opening can be created at the bottom of the sacks,
which can only be opened by the workers. By controlling the opening they
can regulate the amount of the material that is used. Due to the fact that the
PERFIX buttons have excellent strength capabilities and provide the required
safety, the premature opening of the sacks can be avoided and they can
easily be used for a lot of purposes except scrap metal. Another big
advantage is that they can effortlessly be adopted to the sacks, providing
ease-of-use. Since the sacks probably have a limited life expectancy
compared to the buttons, we can assure the customers that PERFIX can be
extracted and reused until the failure of the button is imperative.

Image 2 (sack)

The proposed way of implementation to existing sacks can be divided into

three steps (as shown in the sketch). For the first step the required
dimensions of the hole mast be calculated so that the purpose is served
accurately and then implemented by creating a hole at the bottom of the
sack. The second step would be reinforcing the material of the sack around
the hole so that the hole will not induce a weakness to the structure of the
10

sack. For this purpose recycled elastic from used tires could be an realistic (in
both terms of cost and stress) option. At the same time for the hole cover a
material which can withstand greater forces than the sack should be used
(could be out of canvas) so that after the failure of the sack it can be reused.
The third and final step would be installing the buttons.
Unfortunately the entrance in this market will be very difficult since the cost
of the sacks is not very high and the benefits of the usage of the buttons
must be made very clear to the possible customers. Thus, a suggestion could
be trying to convince one or two small industries to use the product, probably
by supplying a lot of free samples or even by constructing for them some
prototypes that will allow then to test and assess the benefits. After that
going to the sacks manufacturers and presenting them the successful
implementation of PERFIX buttons, will probably make them consider a
change to their product, or maybe to introduce a new line of products.

Another application for PERFIX could be the creation of handles for

bags, suitcases or any other object used for the transportation of
goods that need to be carried (or lifted) manually. Therere two
categories, one with objects that always need a handle attached to them and
there is a possibility to be stolen (such as the bags people trust to the airline
companies for their transportation) and one that do not need a handle
because theyre used not for transportation but for the storage of goods
(such as boxes).

In the first case the handle should be fixed to the bag at one end and
have a PERFIX button at the other. This way longitudinal and rotational
freedom can be achieved as well as diversity by installing multiple C-C
receivers on the case. This will not only provide flexibility to the way to
hold the case, which can be affected by its weight at the time, but can
also help securing the case in mass transport as well as minimizing the
inconvenience induced by the handle. Also the ones that could
potentially inflict injuries to the user due to their location should be
covered with an elastic coating.

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Perfix receivers
covered with elastic
coating

Easy fastening at
poles of mass
transportation
means

Image 3 Suitcase

In the second case the handle is not fitted on the case so the user may
choose the type of handle that is most convenient for him. The bag/box will
have strategically located receivers on some or all of its sides depending on
its use and the user will be able to attach his handle on them. This can help
tremendously when storing boxes because the handle will not be on the way.
At the current time they either do not have handle or they have very small
and inconvenient ones that can be retracted.

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Uncomfortable
handle that can
be replaced
with Perfix
receivers

Image 4 : Tin container

Image 5 : Crate

Entering the market of bags and suitcases of course can be done by

approaching craftsmen and small manufacturers but probably this will not
succeed. The reason for this probable failure is that since the product will
mainly be used for its practicality and not for its design, the target group
should be big manufacturing firms with industrialized production and not high
end designers who produce a small number of pieces a year. As extra motives
for them will certainly serve the facts since PERFIX is made out of plastic they
will be able to color it according to their needs and it is lighter from a possible
metallic alternative. So probably the best strategy would be, coming in
contact with big firms in the area of luggage and presenting them with the
potential opportunity of using the product.
A Problem that someone can encounter in a car is that the carpets are not
fixed to their correct position, so they keep moving around when someone
sits or when baggage is placed on them. In some cars the drivers rug is fixed
but with a bolt and a nut which makes its removal very time consuming. The
solution could be the installment of PERFIX buttons in at least two corners of
each rug so that they will remain at their correct position. The fact that it will
be very easy to take them on and off and also the availability of different
colors will be a big advantage compared with companies that have used nuts
13

and bolts to address this problem. What will also work in the company's
benefit is that it is possible, with a minor change to the receiver, to provide a
solution for cars that are already in use.

Possible locations
for Perfix buttons

Image 6 : Car carpet

Image7 (new product for cars)

Probably as an entering strategy it would be better to try to sell to individuals

and repair shops than to car firms. The reason supporting this strategy is that
car firms have millions invested in factories and equipment and it will be very
hard to convince them to change their production line. On the contrary by
relatively small expenses it is possible to make the product known to the
people that service cars and individuals, thus easier to attract the attention of
the car manufacturers. Also, advertising to the local shops could be a good
starting point. Assessing the initial response to the product can play crucial
role on deciding whether expanding the marketing, focusing on individuals or
trying to intrigue the automobile companies will be the correct next step.
Last but not least a product that can come either by the production of the
whole product from SUREFAS or by the means of a partnership with a
company that produces belts. The idea behind the product is to produce a
multi-functioning belt. It will be comprised of a leather or textile belt and
14

PERFIX receivers and buttons already installed on it. Specifically, it will have 3
buttons at the beginning and numerous receivers after them. The first three
buttons will be used to secure the belt on the user, so they are going to have
unequal distances to facilitate the use of the belt from people with different
body builds. On the receivers of the belt it will be possible to fasten cases
with the necessary tools for any job. Belts with triple receivers can also be
made available if a need for extra shear or tensile strength is presented.

Simple Belt

Belt for high stress purposes

Protective coating

Image 8: Multi-function belt

The belts could be marketed through big chains of tool suppliers and local
hardware stores. In the beginning providing also universal cases for
screwdrivers and other tools will be essential but when the belt become
widely used the tool manufacturers will take up that task. Try to expand in
other activities that have necessary accessories such as hiking, fishing and
climbing will be important to expand the market.

15

5. Extend Product Line

With some small alterations of Perfix button, it is possible to address a whole
new range of applications.
By extending the length of the hooking part of the button and making a small
change to its tip, it can be used to connect two metallic sheets with each
other or two wooden sheets or to secure firmly something on a surface (like
panels on the wall). In some of those cases the button can be used even
without the receiver. The only drawback of this change will be the reduction
of the maximum stresses that can be applied.

New tip that

enforces the
deformation

Subtraction of material in
order to facilitate the
On metallic surfaces the receiver is not need as long asdeformation
the receiver-surface
can withstand the stress of the connection and the hole surface is prepared in
Sketch 1 : Connecting two metallic surfaces.

16

a way that will not damage the button. This can be used in metallic and
plastic cupboards and in securing thin metallic or plastic surfaces on other.
Obviously for wooden surfaces that are usually thicker, a hooking part of
greater length will be needed. Also some extra variations could be created in
order to skip the second part of the button because it will not be convenient
at that length. Instead, an extra hooking point could be installed at a position
that will differ and suit the most common wood thicknesses. Because most
wooden surfaces will wear off quickly either the receiver should be integrated
or screwed on the second surface or the area around the hole should be
reinforced with a metallic ring.

Second hooking
point

Sketch 2 : Perfix in wooden applications.

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Conclusions &
Recommendations
Conclusions
Thanks to effective and inexpensive marketing strategy and versatility and
competitive advantage of its products, SUREFAS can increase its sales and
attract new customers.
Starting with bird-in-hand principle, the company can exploit the
uniqueness and versatility of its products and enter new markets (furniture,
textile, automobile, wood).
Following affordable loss principle, the company can make marketing
decisions wisely, using inexpensive but effective marketing techniques
(flyers, boat events, boat owners database, impressive and persuasive
videos).
Considering the crazy quilt principle, the company can form partnerships
with companies interested in finding new ways to improve their efficiency and
win time using quicker products.
Creating partnerships the firm can bring new means to the venture, reduce
transaction costs and create unexpected contingencies (lemonade
principle). Every unexpected contingency can be the opportunity.
Applying these 4 principles, the company will get higher possibility to control
its destiny in uncertain environment (the pilot-on-the plane principle).

Company Recommendations
-

Focus on inexpensive but effective marketing strategies to

communicate advantages of your products and thus increase the
number of your customers.
Create tight relationship with customers and make them loyal
Exploit the flexibility of your products and apply them in new
sectors ( sacks, suitcase, multi-function belts)
Be insistent in searching new partners. New partners mean new
opportunities.
Consider the possibility that altering a little bit your product, you
can increase product attractiveness and enter new markets
( couches, crate, tin containers, wood

18

APPENDIX
As mentioned in part of extend the market, an impressive and persuasive
video is suggested to be used on the website to attract the target group. Here
is the detail of the creative video.

SCENE: Theres a person in the middle of nowhere, constructing metallic

skeletons (which are fitted with the necessary buttons)
The first and bigger one is going to have PERFIX receivers fitted on it and the
second one Q-SNAP receiver.
The person will bring a waterproof canvas and he will fasten it to the bigger
structure with PERFIX buttons. Then he will bring another one (more elastic)
and he will attach it to the second metallic skeleton and thus create a
trampoline with PERFIX and Q-SNAP buttons.
Finally he will come running. He will jump on the trampoline and then he will
jump from the trampoline into the pool.
PRODUCT VALUES: Strength Versatility Ease of use

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