Quickslide’s managing director Ben Weber explains how the company is gearing up for growth with a staged investment of £2 million in products, production and people.
Quickslide has developed an enviable reputation over the years not just for the quality of its product portfolio, but also for the strength of its service, attributes that have been made possible through continuous investment in production facilities and infrastructure as well as a commitment to the careers and wellbeing of all its employees.
Following on from the summer of 2019, which marked the introduction of a new range of products and improved colour offering from Deceuninck (including the G Award-winning Heritage flush sash and doors) we launched our next generation Legacy VS.
Developed in partnership with Spectus, and boasting a wealth of highly authentic period detailing, including seamless Graf welds or fully mechanical timber look butt joints plus a comprehensive colour and foiling options list, Legacy was heralded as the ‘finest replacement vertical sliding box sash available in the market’.
We had a fantastic response to the new products that we introduced throughout 2019 and thanks to the introduction of double shift patterns across all our factories, we were ideally placed to respond to the increase in demand and maintain good lead times throughout the busy periods.
Fast, efficient service is vital to any successful business, and is at the core of our operations at Quickslide. As a result, we are constantly looking at ways in which to fine tune our offering and have recently partnered with Morley Glass as a response to an increase in enquiries for integral blinds.
We have taken on Morley’s ‘C System’ and ‘SV System’ which offer cord operated and cordless blinds, in an attractive range of colours. As the Morley Glass factory is less than 10-miles away, the improved product offering is also combined with shorter lead times and a faster turnaround.
The investment that is required to sustain both our high output (we are now manufacturing around 1,000 frames a week) and corresponding levels of excellent customer service, is substantial. We are currently managing an overall staged investment of £2million that has included £350,000 at the end of 2019 on the purchase of two Urban corner cleaning machines and two quad welders, plus £280,000 at the start of this year on new trucks and vans to upgrade and improve our fleet of delivery vehicles.
We also have a new cutting and machining centre that is currently being installed, that will further improve our capacity, not to mention quality and efficiency, and that alone represents an investment of £850,000.
Improved equipment, better vehicles and new products are all essential elements to Quickslide’s future, but they do not come at the expense of the people that make it all happen. Planning for growth means the addition of new staff over the next 12 months is to be expected, but all the employees, old and new, will have the benefit of the latest HR and health and safety systems, including a Bupa Employee Assistance Programme, which has been introduced to offer a confidential mental health and wellbeing service with 24-hour counselling to all employees – and members of their household – should they need it.
Combine this with our outstanding training and development initiatives, and it’s perhaps not surprising to learn that 95% of director and senior manager roles are filled by individuals who have grown with the company.
For a company that prides itself on its reputation in the heritage sector, one that’s inspired by the aesthetics of the past, Quickslide is very much an organisation that has its sights set firmly on the future.
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