By Vincent J Curtis
Marc Beaudoin has taken Hudson Supplies a long way. Begun in the early 1960’s by C.H. Hudson, the company became Hudson Luggage in 1979. Beaudoin acquired the company in November, 2002, changing the name and the focus of the company to Hudson Supplies.
He found Hudson’s sales declining for the previous five years, and it was an industry Beaudoin was not familiar with. This was precisely the challenge he was looking for.
“My strength is business development. I have a creative mind when it comes to ideas for increasing sales and market share. I’m also pretty good at organizing events and connecting people. I like the challenge of growing the sales of an inactive territory, or a company that needs revenue.”
He describes how he came to Hudson this way. “On a previous job, we had a success story for an event I put in place, but was never able to pursue the development because 9/11 happened. After that, I decided it was time to own my own business, and ideally, find a company that had a good challenge in business development. This is where I found Hudson Luggage.”
“It took a few years to learn the business, and we made a paradigm shift to focus on first responders and the primary defence sector. It was a problem to stock plastic buckles in minimum order quantities in different military colours. I had to open the American and International markets to make it work economically. Now, we sell worldwide to large OEM manufacturers world-wide, and in Canada, without MOQs.”
“In order to serve the American market, you need to have Berry Compliant buckles. These buckles are made of Acetal, which are perfect for winter conditions and recommended for high-performance applications. We also offer repair buckles, where you can repair your backpack without sewing. We are known as the Buckle Headquarters as we carry a large inventory of buckles in many colours.”
Hudson now has its own brand name of buckle, and of a magazine holder, Fastmag®.
“‘Buckleman’ became a trademark and nickname for me.”
Because of sales volume, Hudson has had to move into larger facilities in St.-Laurent, QC.
However, business has not been all sunshine and roses for Marc Beaudoin since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the now prevalent supply-chain disruption.
“At the peak of COVID in 2020, from April to July, we were able to generate a high volume of sales, mostly in North America, because we had all the components for medical manufacturers and face masks in stock. There were many problems sourcing these much-needed components in the industry – and we had plenty of stock in our warehouse. There were, however, many problems shipping across international borders, many of them closed due to COVID, and so we were not able to ship to many countries.”
“In 2021, we are very affected by the insane price increases on shipping containers, resulting in price increases in shipping and raw material.”
Hudson is the exclusive importer of Tasmanian Tiger line of products in Canada. Concerning supply chain disruption, Marc Beaudoin relates that it used to take about twenty days to receive a shipment from its place of manufacture in Vietnam. But delays in ports to due COVID and a recent shipment was delayed by a couple of months, and the container freight bill amounted 12 times more expensive then previously.
Tasmanian Tiger describes itself as “a leading global supplier of premium, professional military tactical and police equipment.” Founded in 1999, TT claims to have “redefined the meaning of quality” through its “commitment to functional design detail, rigorous pre-production testing.” Emphasizing functionality, TT products are manufactured in their own facilities with no sub-contractors. TT also claims to have very tight quality control, from “purchasing material, to cutting, and throughout manufacturing.” In addition, “independent test centers are utilized to make certain that we meet or exceed all international standards.”
TT also boasts that, in addition to its high manufacturing standards, it is proud of the excellent social conditions of their factories. They have an OPEN FACTORY program, where outsiders can come to observe work and working conditions for themselves.
Tasmanian Tiger offers what it calls a universal combat backpack in a new, modular configuration. They are said to be comfortable, lightweight, and mission-modular. But TT also offers pouches, bags, and medical pack for the medical services, which are quick and easy of access. The design of TT equipment is to minimize weight while at the same time maximize the amount of equipment carryable.
Marc Beaudoin and Hudson Supplies, representing its own products as well as Flashbang magazine, is expecting to be an exhibitor in the 2022 SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade) show, which will run from January 18-21, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, and is projected to receive over 61,000 attendees. It is the largest exhibition for the shooting sports, hunting, outdoor recreation, and firearms manufacturers in the United States.
Expanding and developing the Hudson Supplies business is nearly, but not quite, an all-consuming passion for Marc Beaudoin.
