The origin of Armorgard
Our journey:
Armorgard is now an established market leader with offices in 5 countries and 6 product ranges, but 34 years ago we were just a small startup with a team of 2!
Armorgard, formerly known as ‘Fabcraft’, is a family owned business, founded in 1989 by Paul Mitchell, aka ‘dad’. Paul saw a gap in the market for secure storage boxes that could be used to lock away costly tools and equipment, protecting people from theft.
After setting up a sheet metal company, the team set out to design and build their first ever product; the ultimate secure storage box.
1995-1997
Demand for product was high, and the business started to grow; Paul first recruited his eldest son in 1995 and moved the business to the Castle Trading Estate. In 1997, a range of boxes for safely storing hazardous goods was manufactured.
2005-2009
Due to products becoming so popular, we began subcontracting manufacturing to enable further growth in the company. Our reputation in the market grew, and we became a key partner for the national tool hire trade, which we still largely supply today!
2008-2009 was a great year for product launches, as we launched: FlamStor, TransBank, TuffCage and BarroBox ranges - all of which still stand!
2010-2013:
It was in 2010 that Armorgard bought the unit next door so we could double our office and warehouse space, to make room for the growing team and storage of products.
In order to drive forward the business and keep the flow of product innovation moving, the business invested further into the R&D department in 2013. This allowed us to develop new products to ensure that it would survive, and thrive in the market!
2017:
Soon after, Armorgard took the plunge and moved into what is now our global HQ: Fareham Industrial Estate. Within this time, Armorgard France was also launched!
2020-2022: Taking it global
Armorgard ventured down under in 2020 with the launch of our Australian office! We welcomed our welfare range in record time, in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
2021 brought the launch of Armorgard New Zealand… This meant that we could share our range with a lot of new customers, and have more coverage over Australasia.
In 2022 we went overseas and launched in North America! This came with a new product range launch, SiteBoss. A range of boxes designed for jobsite storage, including the most sure locking system on the market: UltraLock
Paving the way for change:
After 34 years, we are now market leaders, a team of 60 with offices in five countries! We’re working harder than ever to bring about change, and increase user safety on sites across the world with our innovative solutions.
Stay tuned to see what our next move is…