Why the UK window industry’s most prolific brand is updating its image and website
An announcement that a company is re-branding and launching a new website is hardly earth-shattering news these days, when even the humblest business requires at least a half decent digital face to present to the world. But when a firm that can claim to have its products operating in almost 100% of the potential customers in its sector, it becomes more intriguing.
This is the case with Jade Engineering, a company best known for the machine tools that it manufactures by which the vast majority of the UK’s PVC-U and aluminium windows and doors are manufactured. Jade Engineering’s products are rarely seen although frequently heard. And their brand is well known amongst their core customer base.
So why bother now? The response from Sean Mackey, who with partner Adam Jones has taken Jade from back-street metal bashers to become the window and door industry’s de facto engineering partner, offers a simple explanation: “We are an engineering firm in the best traditions of good old fashioned, British metal bashers, even located in a Coventry industrial area that is peppered with references to ‘engineering’ and metals, in the facias of the firms based here,” he offered. “We have achieved success by producing precisely engineered products, consistently well and as and when required. Our tools are specified by every PVC-U systems house and used by every PVC-U fabricator in the UK, and now the vast majority of aluminium brands and frame makers too. But we also make so much more.” And thereby hangs the tale….
“Every fabricator out there knows the name ‘Jade’,” continued Sean. “But we are constantly told ‘I didn’t know you did that!’ from customers who find out about our other products and services, often by chance. So we decided to do something about it.”
Paradoxically, the process of re-branding, but especially designing and populating the website, has taken a somewhat lengthy 12 months or so, largely due to the complexity of the company’s product and service offer, explains Adam Jones: “As the new website illustrates, we now define Jade Engineering as three divisions: Jade Tooling, of course; Jade Machines, which includes our single application units such as end millers, corner cleaners and so forth; and Jade Consult, which is a fast growing but otherwise relatively unknown side of what we do. Working with our designers on this project was an interesting exercise not least because we had to define what we do, how we do it, before we could advise our designers. It’s been fascinating and very useful.”
For Sean, who trained as an accountant and for engineer Adam, marketing issues can have the substance of mist. But both understood the need for something that communicates everything that Jade offers, especially beyond tooling: “The tools are listed of course – it remains the most significant part of our business,” explained Adam. “And whilst our range of standalone machines are very popular, many of those are unknown, such as the Reverse Butt Weld Cleaner, for example. It’s neat, automates a laborious process and stops bottlenecks. It brings the classic response: ‘I didn’t know you did that!’”
The most intriguing facet of the company – and arguably that which is most difficult to communicate – is Jade Consult. Sean steps in: “This division grew from nothing. Whilst chatting with customers they might express a need for something or a problem they were trying to resolve…and we or our engineers would offer a casual solution…which the customer would immediately seize upon…and which we would then design and build for them,” said Sean. “We now design, build and implement whole production lines to order: give us objectives, a budget and we can do the rest.” Jade Consult now includes some of the industry’s most respected brands as customers.
The website is able to communicate some of Jade’s success stories through case studies which themselves are illustrated with high quality video and images, in a way only a good website can. As for the new branding? “We needed some new branded shirts and just thought we were overdue for a change,’ said Adam, engineer’s pragmatism clearly never far from the surface.
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