Door Industry Journal - Winter 2018

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 24 THE door industry journal winter 2018 Industry News Onwards & Upwards As JD UK and Alutech Systems continue to go from strength-to-strength, General Manager Paul Hargreaves shares the secret of their success and how the companies plan to maintain this upward trend… Our customers say one of the main reasons they choose us is our personal approach to customer service and the growth of both businesses is testament to the hard work and attitude of all our staff in delivering that. Our teams have a fantastic ‘can do’ attitude and never settle for second best. To maintain this in a rapidly growing company, staffing levels are constantly monitored and adjusted to meet the increasing demands, with continuous training offered and personal development encouraged. We now have a combined UK workforce of over 30 people, with apprenticeships forming a major part of our strategy. To date, we have taken on 4 apprentices with another one due to start soon. We believe a balance between industry experience and fresh ideas from the new guys allows us to develop and deliver everything our customers need. We have great staff retention, with some being with us from the very beginning and the new people we recruit choosing to stay. This provides consistency and allows us to develop a personal relationship with each of our customers. That’s why it’s so important as an employer that we create an environment where our employees can thrive and are happy in their work. Our last social event to the races at Haydock in September was well attended and everyone had a great time. We’ll also be having a Christmas party in Leeds at the end of November. Further strength has recently been added to both the finance and marketing departments and I’m delighted to introduce Craig Wilson who joins us as Finance Manager and Becky Taylor as Marketing Assistant. Their skills and activities will cross both businesses and I am truly excited with their future involvement at JD UK and Alutech Systems. Craig brings his experience in previous finance roles to provide extra resource and guarantee efficiency continues as the companies grow. Becky has an industry background and will support our customers and business development through marketing communications. The scale and size of the businesses have changed dramatically over the last 4 years. From having 2 trucks when I first joined, to 7 trucks now and another 7.5 tonne vehicle on order for early 2019 to accommodate increased order volume and allow us to offer fast, reliable delivery. New customers are attracted to the high quality we offer at a highly competitive price and they stay with us for the personal, responsive service. We treat all our customers as partners, with a view that we can work together to support them in the growth of their business to the mutual benefit of our companies. “The last 4 years has been an amazing time, and the next 4 is shaping up to be equally as amazing.” JD UK Ltd and Alutech Systems are key UK distributors of the Alutech Group, offering UK-based service and support to fabricators and installers from a world-leading designer and manufacturer of aluminium systems, including; sectional and roller garage doors and garage door automation, aluminium windows, doors, façades, conservatory systems and internal partitioning. For more information visit www.jdukltd.co.uk and www.alutechsystems.co.uk Opening doors for GEZE UK throughout Scotland GEZE UK has strengthened its Automatic Door Systems team with the recent appointment of John Clark, who joins the renowned manufacturer of door and window systems as area sales manager, covering Scotland. Supporting GEZE UK’s planned growth north of the border, John will focus on developing first-class customer relationships, analysing and proposing technical solutions from the company’s extensive automatic door range and providing first-level contact for incoming enquiries. With a strong track record in automatic door sales, including experience working for Gilgen Door Systems, DSS Automatic Doors and Record UK, John joins GEZE UK’s team in Scotland at a pivotal time of change. In his own words, he hopes to: “strengthen existing relationships and nurture new company friendships to form longstanding reciprocal business opportunities.” www.geze.co.uk