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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - JUNE 2013
S
INCE THE DAY
AFL Display
started business in 1983, the
company has been driven by its cus-
tomers. The company says that the
“
essence of our success is the success
of our customers,” and President Brian
Mandelker echoes the sentiment when
discussing AFL’s past, present and
future.
AFL Display is one of the most
enduring, successful and diversified
store fixture providers in the country.
The company began as an aspiration
by Mr. Mandelker to be self-employed,
in control of his own destiny so to
speak, and has since grown to be a
leader in the industry.
“
I always wanted to run my own
business,” Mr. Mandelker recalls. “In
my previous employment working
with acrylic and having access to the
store fixture industry, I learned about
the materials and means to build store
fixtures. At that point in my career I
was working in Montreal. However,
once the decision was made to start a
business in the store fixture industry,
I relocated to Toronto with my family,
where the head offices of major retail
companies were, the larger chains.”
Mr. Mandelker started AFL Display,
originally called Acrylic Fabricators
Limited, the hard way – organically
-
making phone calls and setting up
meetings with major retailers, and pro-
pelled the company forward.
AFL Display’s first customers
were Canadian Tire and Eaton’s. “With
the company’s first order, we were on
our way,” Mr. Mandelker says. Now,
AFL Display is one of Canada’s fore-
runners in the store fixture industry.
The company can create retail store fix-
tures in different materials, including
acrylic and other plastics, wood and
metal; all the while employing various
manufacturing techniques. The end re-
sult is a vast array of store fixtures and
displays.
PRODUCTS AND MARKETS
Thirty years later, Canadian Tire
is still a customer, and AFL Display
handles over 30 per cent of the retail-
er’s store fixture demands. The compa-
ny has proven its breadth of expertise,
showing that they are able to do large
production roll-outs and small custom
runs as well. The company strives to
“
help clients sell more products and
provide bottom-line profitability.”
AFL Display integrates many
different materials into their products,
and uses custom manufacturing to
create what works for customers. The
company employs advanced processes
and technical staff, and has complete
design and engineering departments
to support its manufacturing of custom
millwork, acrylic fabrication, vacuum
forming and printing. Each AFL de-
partment is equipped with computer
controlled and state-of-the-art manu-
facturing equipment.
Although the company does busi-
ness with some U.S. clients, AFL Dis-
play considers Ontario its largest mar-
ket, driving the business from its home
base in Concord, a location offering
ideal proximity to a hub of store fixtur-
ing supplies and trades.
The AFL Display production fa-
cility is 76,000 square feet, and houses
a 50-person staff. The company in-
tegrates the latest design trends into
their products, ensures that custom-
ers’ budgets are met and maintains
quality as its number one priority. A
significant amount of time goes into
AFL DISPLAY
