We are thrilled to share the highlights of our recent corporate day, “Allen Factory to Flotilla Fiesta,” held on the 26th of June. This event was designed to give our valued customers an inside look at our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Essex, UK, and provide a memorable sailing experience on the River Crouch.
Our day began with an exclusive tour of our warehouse and factory units. Our guests were able to see firsthand the intricate processes involved in producing our top-of-the-line sailing hardware. The tour included a visit to our designers’ resources, where all Allen products are conceived and developed. We showcased our advanced product load testing equipment and offered detailed explanations of how each piece of hardware is meticulously crafted to meet the highest standards.
Allen Brothers Sets Sail for Boot Dusseldorf, Showcasing Innovation and Excellence in Marine Equipment
Allen Brothers, a leading name in the marine equipment industry, is thrilled to announce its participation in the upcoming Boot Dusseldorf Trade Show. This prestigious event is scheduled to take place from the 20th to the 28th of January at the Messe Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre, bringing together industry leaders, enthusiasts, and professionals from around the globe.
Known for its commitment to innovation, quality, and performance, Allen Brothers has been a trusted name in the marine industry for over 60 years. The company specialises in designing and manufacturing high-performance sailing hardware, including blocks, cleats, and other essential equipment for both recreational and competitive yachts and dinghies.
At the Boot Dusseldorf Trade Show, Allen Brothers will showcase its latest products, highlighting advancements in material and design which cater to the evolving needs of sailors worldwide. Visitors to the Allen Brothers booth can expect to experience firsthand the precision and durability that have become synonymous with the brand.
Allen Brothers Welcomes Simon Potts to the Sales Team
Allen Brothers proudly announces the newest addition to its dynamic sales force, Simon Potts, who joins as part of the UK sales team.
With over 25 years of sales experience and an extensive sailing career, Simon brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the technical sales team at Allen Brothers.
“I’m excited to be back in the business I never thought I’d leave. To be involved 10 years later is quite something. Over the past few years, Allen has been able to extend its offer outside the dinghy and small keelboat sector due to significant investment and growth. The team have a very open and honest philosophy which makes working great fun. I’m looking forward to helping grow the business further, utilising the vast engineering capability offered in-house – watch this space…” – Simon Potts, Allen Sales Team, Allen Brothers.
Allen Brothers Welcomes XPO as Exclusive Distributor in France
Allen Brothers, a leading manufacturer of high-quality products for the performance sailboat market, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with XPO, a prominent distribution company, to serve as our exclusive distributor in France. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our global expansion and reaffirms our commitment to providing top-tier products and services to customers in France.
The partnership with XPO is a reflection of our dedication to delivering unparalleled value and excellence to our customers. XPO, known for its expertise in the marine industry, brings an extensive network, unparalleled market knowledge, and a customer-centric approach to the table. Together, Allen Brothers and XPO aim to enhance accessibility to our premium products while ensuring exceptional customer service throughout France.
METSTRADE, Europe’s biggest marine equipment trade show, is taking place over the days of 15th – 16th – 17th of November at Amsterdam’s RAI convention centre. Allen are extremely pleased to be exhibiting this year at the first “normal” METSTRADE trade show since the Covid pandemic. You’ll find the Allen team on stand 03-530.
At the Allen stand you will be welcomed by a friendly technical team ready to discuss a selection of new and existing products as well as advise on product selection, installation, stocking and custom hardware.
Allen 2022 new products which will be on display include the following.
COP26 is taking over news headlines around the World as countries are pledging to reduce carbon emissions and do more to reduce, reuse and recycle. So, what are we doing here at Allen to reduce our impact on the planet?
We are pleased to announce we have been working on some big projects for the marine industry over the past 12 months, one of which is production of 11-meter tapered masts.
The project to create a new tapered mast for the Dragon fleet came about after sailors and boat builders had started to notice the bend characteristics differed between each mast produced. Meaning, if you broke a mast and replaced it with a new one all the tuning and set up and measurements would no longer be valid. This also affected the continuity within the fleet, as each boat would require their own settings to get the most from their specific mast section.
Mast tapers are needed to get the best shape and performance from a sail. The basic technique to create a tapered mast requires the manufacturer to remove a “v” section from the mast, once removed the section needs to be closed – usually done with an internal mandrel, hammer, or clamp. Once closed it is held together with a weld. Straight forward it would seem, but it proves very difficult to achieve a consistent result. Each process has a possibility for small variation which will result in slightly different bend characteristics.
We have taken the difficult decision to close our foundry, resulting in the discontinuation of our YS range of fittings.
Whilst the YS range has been tremendously successful for many decades, sales have fallen recently as boat builders switched to a more modern alternative. We have also recently received the disappointing news that the company that completed the polishing and anodising of the fittings has fallen victim to Covid-19 and despite an extensive search, we have been unable to source a new supplier who can meet our quality criteria. The investment required in the foundry, anodising and polishing could not be justified for a shrinking demand. Sadly, we have therefore had to make the decision to discontinue this range.
We still have some stock of the YS range; you can find out what we have by contacting us.
However, some of the YS items will now begin a new life with new manufacturing methods and modern looks. The new AY range will be manufactured using our state-of-the-art VMC machines which will produce more accurate and reliable products. We also have the in-house design and machining capability of producing bespoke designs to a customer’s specification.
Allen renewed as official hardware supplier to the Swedish Sailing Team.
The Swedish Sailing Team has confirmed Allen as their official hardware supplier for another year.
The partnership between Allen and the Swedish Sailing Team was officially announced at the 2020 RYA Dinghy Show, and this extension of the supplier status will further enhance the relationship between the elite athletes and the performance hardware manufacturing company.
Allen manufacture many of the specialised parts for the one-design classes that will be used in the sailing events at Tokyo. The Swedish Sailing Team boasts an impressive 35 sailing medals with 4 teams selected to represent their country in the Finn, 470 men, ILCA Standard and ILCA Radial classes in Tokyo. So, it comes as no surprise that the Swedish team chose Allen as its hardware of choice before the games.
Managing Director of Allen, Liz Adams, commented proudly “We are delighted that the Swedish Sailing Team has extended its partnership with us as their official hardware supplier. By working closely with the elite athletes in the team we are able to further develop our products and ensure that their sailors get the best possible performance hardware to help them win a gold medal!”
Thomas Hansson-Mild of the Swedish Sailing Team stated “It is great to work with Allen and benefit from the 60 years of competitive sailing heritage that they bring to the table. We too have a proud heritage. We won our most recent Olympic medals in London 2012 when Fredrik Lööf and Max Salminen won the gold in the Star and Rasmus Myrgren a bronze in the Laser. We aim for more medals in Tokyo and the cooperation with Allen will greatly improve our chances.”
Around the world, we are known as a company that produces small boat hardware, but this isn’t strictly true.
Let us introduce to you to “The Big Boy” just one example of what we can do for bigger boats.
This new 150mm block has been designed to fit on the end of an 8-meter hydraulic ram and has a breaking load of 28 tonnes. The Big Boy weighs 5kg and has a plain bearing sheave with ball bearings to cater for side loads.
Here at Allen, we are much more than just marine hardware specialists. We are engineering experts who work with a wide variety of companies in different sectors, such as; medical equipment, automotive parts, window manufacturing, public and defence sector, theatre, advertising, aviation and much more.
We can work with such a wide variety of clients due to our multiplicity of in-house resources. Which includes our close-knit team of engineers and designers who can work to deliver premium solutions for custom or mass-production jobs. Allen is also an ISO9001 accredited business, which means we are capable of mass manufacturing high-quality products as well as ensuring a high level of craftsmanship is carried out for custom items.
“The marine sector, from small leisure boatbuilders to large commercial marine engineers all now face the same issue when outsourcing. We are all in the same boat,” explains Liz Adams, Managing Director of Allen. “Sourcing from anywhere outside the UK now carries a higher level of risk to business continuity than it has in the past. Sourcing from multiple suppliers carries the risk they are buying in materials from abroad. The only way to de-risk is to use UK suppliers who, in turn, source from UK suppliers. If you want to see how it should be done, we have produced a video showing how one of our blocks, the A2060Tii, has been designed and manufactured entirely using services we have in-house.”
As a British family-owned business, we ensure 100% of our products are designed, manufactured and assembled in-house at our factory in Essex. All our materials, where possible, are sourced from within the UK. We also guarantee a competitive and fair price for any job we undertake.
If you have any custom requirements, big or small, marine or non-marine, don’t hesitate to get in touch to see how Allen can solve your problems.
Christmas Opening Hours
Please be advised that Allen Brothers will close at 15:00 on 20th December and reopen on 6th January.
Orders placed during this period will be processed upon our return.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
