Rob McGlennon, Sales Director, Deceuninck
First Job: My first job was as crew member on a 90ft yacht, sailing between Reykjavik in Iceland and Gibraltar – Yachtmaster Offshore at 18. My first job in the window industry was 25 years ago.
Favourite gadget: Most people that know me will understand that I’m a technophobe but since getting my iPad it’s become the most useful tool of my life.
Favourite website: BBC Weather! Especially in the summer months because of my yacht so I can see when I can take her out.
Business person I admire the most: The cliché answer to that would be someone like Richard Branson, but I admire successful window fabricators as a whole. They are entrepreneurial figures in the industry and have done a masterful job during the recession to see it through.
Recommended hotel for business: Cotton’s in Knutsford – it has everything – location, ambience, great food. Everyone that knows it will agree.
Favourite UK restaurant: Spice Bizarre in Dartmouth, which is where my boat is moored and where I spend most summer weekends! It’s a beautiful town and a great place to eat.
Best business decision: Joining Bernard Vanderper, Director of Deceuninck, North West Europe, and Roy Frost, MD of Deceuninck UK. They have a unique outlook on the industry and a great vision for developing market-leading propositions. Just wait and see!
Other interests: Sailing and rugby. In the summer I love sailing my yacht up and down the English Channel with family, friends and customers. In winter months, it has to be watching rugby, particularly the Six Nations. The final day of that championship this year was the best day of rugby we’ve ever encountered. Even though the best team came third!
Working Day: I always get up early, but that’s an age thing! But as I like my job it’s never a problem to drive anywhere to see anybody at any time. I’m at our office in Calne on a Monday or Tuesday and spend the rest of the week visiting customers and new business prospects. As we’re engaged in growing our market share, a great deal of my time is spent with people looking to change their system supplier. And I’m happy to say there are more people looking now than I’ve ever experienced before.
Working Location: Our UK operations in Calne, Wiltshire were set up in 1983, over 30 years ago. We produce our own tooling to ensure full control over the quality of our products. But we also work very closely with our team in Belgium and I visit regularly. They are extremely supportive of our product development and fully involved in helping us stay ahead in the UK. In fact they are more supportive than anyone else I’ve ever worked for.
Rob McGlennon. Sales Director. Deceuninck. Gloucestershire. United Kingdom.
The map of the industry is changing, says Deceuninck Sales Director Rob McGlennon. As Sysco mergers unwind, you’re in for change. But on the upside, the market is set for long-term growth; homeowners can’t get enough of pretty windows and innovative doors. And they’re falling in love with colour. As No 1 in colour, we love that! “When you’ve worked through a few acquisitions, as I have, and felt the inevitably painful effects on customers and the acquiring company as the businesses merge, you take acquisition puff, superlative-laced rationales and promised upsides with a pinch of salt.
In my experience, merging follows sometime after acquisition. But it happens, because cutting stock, people and ‘spare’ systems, and sometimes service or support to generate savings is what acquisitions are about. Whatever the acquisition puff says about short cuts to faster growth, short cut gains are usually short term: 2 + 2 usually equals less than 4! And when it happens, the effects are disrupting and painful for fabricators and their customers.
The map of the industry is changing. Systems companies (Syscos) are digesting their acquisitions, and names and systems are disappearing. Some fabricators are told their system is being dropped so they’ll have to use another. Others who’ve endured out of stocks and wonky quality from 20+ year old systems can expect the teething pains of a new system in 2016. Just when you think you’re through the worst of it… We’ve read of a new Sysco being financed and formed. Another Sysco warns, in its annual report, it may acquire before it’s refinanced and sold again. You’d think fabricators can’t get enough of disruption, and that enforced change is good for growth!
Being a fabricator in the middle of a merger isn’t fun, but not every systems company is for sale or threatening to buy one and disrupt its customers’ business. I joined Deceuninck because it’s a 77-year-old publically listed company that’s No 3 in most major world markets, and No 1 in a few. It’s a PVC-U leader that aims to be No 3 in the UK. And it doesn’t intend to get there by short cuts. That’s why Deceuninck announced in 2013 that we’d not acquire to grow in the UK: we’d grow by helping customers grow. That means long-term partnerships and joint marketing. Our co-marketing ad campaign explains: ‘Building your brand, builds ours’, while our customer brand ambassadors say ‘Why Deceuninck?’ in their own words.
I’ve worked for three systems companies in my time, and what these customers say and the passion they say it with have opened my eyes. When I joined Deceuninck, I said it was the best kept secret in the industry. I think many fabricators and installers have begun to realise that something special is going on here. If you’ve been around the industry for a few years, you take everything with a pinch of salt. I know I did. But seeing (and listening!) is believing. It doesn’t get much of an airing, but the quality is special. Deceuninck works to tighter tolerances than the industry standard: +/-0.2mm height and +/-0.3mm width rather than +/-0.3mm height and +/-0.5mm width and aims to produce the flattest profiles. That’s a big difference and fabricators will know that means reduced wastage in fabrication, especially when used in high productivity cutting centres.
Deceuninck is obsessive about designing without compromise. Even our triple-glazed windows look pretty. And we make it easy for customers to sell our A* energy rated, Secured by Design pretty windows. If you are selling industry standard lookalike windows and you’re up against a Deceuninck installer get ready to discount heavily because it’s the only way you stand a chance of getting the order! We also make it easy for customers to sell colour by keeping 18 foiled colourways in stock, along with matching cills and ancillaries. If you order a single length of profile you can have it, on your next delivery. Not surprisingly, our customers sell 50% more colour than the average fabricator because installers can sell it knowing they won’t be let down.
Now we are increasing it to 26 colourways with a new premium Heritage Colour Collection. All in stock (all the time, mind!) with matching ancillaries. There are more than 100 colours actually available but we are stocking the bestselling 26, it’s a unique proposition. Our customers will have a field day! Beautiful homes start here, as it says on our customer-tailored consumer brochures!
To grow with Deceuninck call Rob McGlennon, Sales Director, on 07818 383385
