Dean Bradley, Sales Director, Glazpart Group
FACTS AND FIGURES
First job: Fresh out of university, my first role was as a marketing coordinator for a company called Parker International then part of the Harcros (builders merchant group),
When did you join current company: Jan 2012
Most useful/favourite gadget: My smart phone or my walking poles!
Favourite/most useful website: Facebook Market Place Facebook Marketplace
Favourite restaurant for business: Miller and Carter – great steaks!
Business person you admire: I don’t think there is one, but I have worked for and with some incredible people.
What lesson have you learnt about business over the last 12 months: Liquidity is king.
Best business decision: Joining Glazpart
Interests: Rugby has been in my DNA since my earliest schooldays. Beyond that hillwalking/trekking in the great outdoors and kayaking down some fast and wild rivers have been keen pass times.
Personal goals and aims: Walking the Pennine way. Or if I were to win the lottery then I’d like to travel the world in style and of course enjoying the great outdoors. I would someday like to do the North Coast (NC) 500 and enjoy the ultimate road trip enjoying the full 500 miles of the rugged North Scottish coastline.
Working Day: No two days are the same, but generally they can vary from meetings and briefings with my team to spending a day with a customer to being at an event or exhibition through to being in an industry and senior management meeting. On average I work between ten and eleven hours per day. A lot of my time is spent driving to our head office and factory in Banbury and to customers premises or meeting venues. It’s a busy life but I love the role and challenges the sector presents.
Working Location: Being on the move a lot, my car is my office which is why it is so tidy and comfortable. I am in my office in the Glazpart HQ in Banbury roughly two days per week. Our offices are part of our overall factory complex from where we manufacture, store and distribute. It’s always very handy to have the whole operation under one roof and our premises are a very modern manufacturing plant with state-of-the art machinery.
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THE INTERVIEW
Like practically every other industry, it’s been quite a rollercoaster for our sector since early 2020, when first we had to deal with the announcement of coronavirus pandemic followed by the lockdown restrictions on both business and on our personal lives. Then as time moved on the full and tragic impact on our society and then on our businesses started to be fully realised.
Glazpart was one of the fortunate companies that could continue to stay open and try and operate as normal as possible. In addition, we used the time to plan our future ready for when business fully got back to normal. One of the major areas we looked at was the potential regulatory changes and in particular at the Building Regulations around ventilation (Approved Document F) and thermal performance (Approved Document L).
This extensive research has paid off as working collaboration with industry experts and customers we identified the areas for product development and sales growth. We put our plans together and invested in state-of-art machinery and retained our long serving staff and their expertise, all in time for the regulatory changes in June 2022.
Our forward planning has meant that the last two years have seen great success in terms of productivity, sales, product development, brand awareness and customer services and along the journey we have enjoyed some unprecedented industry recognition.
Facing multiple challenges
Though we are experiencing success, the last 12 months have not been without challenges and issues for most in our industry.
Firstly, there has been a decrease in the installation volumes of replacement windows and doors – some estimate it’s as much as 25% down. Then there’s the homeowners’ available disposable income. During the pandemic lockdowns, people were spending less and were staying indoors more. This saw a rise in home improvements as the home was being used for work, rest and play. However, as the lockdowns have been lifted this has now changed and things are returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The decrease of consumer spend has been compounded by volatile inflation and interest rates, the rising cost of living, and the cost of borrowing. All that plus consumers are back to spending again on holidays, cars, and hospitality instead of home improvements.
The increasing concern in the trade over customer liquidity has also been a challenge in the last 12 months as we’ve some big brand names and established companies go into administration and even liquidation. This can unsettle the supply chain and damage consumer confidence.
The other big challenge is the changing landscape of Building Regulations. At Glazpart, we are constantly reviewing consultations and where regulations can and will likely change. Like every other business we have to ensure that contingency plans are in place ready for any changes.
The next 12 months trading will remain difficult until the second half of 2025 but at Glazpart we are optimistic that our growth will continue.
Finding product solutions
One of Glazpart’s great strengths is our close and long-standing relationships with our customers. Their feedback is positive and constructive. Listening and learning from them is critical to our success. For example, the Link Vent 4000 has been one of our most popular products in the last 18 months and this is because our customers help us identify that it was a much-needed vent size for smaller rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Another example is when earlier this year we acted upon the feedback we received from our customers on order quantities of our premium link vents. Acting upon their concerns, we introduced a special minimum order quantity of 10 vents or canopies for premium finishes to enable fabricators to add the premium finishes to their range without having to order the standard 100 per box. This new order quantity means companies can order the vents as and when they need them for specific jobs. It saves them tying up cash in high stock levels.
Over the next 12 months, our constant research and development will be focused on product improvements, evolving our glazing accessories ranges and focusing on custom product development and new niche target markets.
Glazpartners gathering momentum
As well as the great success of the Link Vent and its supporting campaign, our Glazpartners initiative has been an unprecedented success. Launched at FIT Show in May 2023, when we exhibited over 30 Glazpartners’ windows and doors in a unique product display, the programme has gone on to greater heights with over 50 companies becoming Glazpartners and gaining promotion, in the trade media, online, in social media and at industry events such as Glazing Summit and Interplas.
In 2023, Glazpartners enjoyed incredible coverage in the trade media with over 120 trade press articles published on the marketing initiative which won the best “Customer Support Programme” at this year’s Installer Awards in Manchester.
Staying alert and relevant
For the rest of this year and into 2025, we advise all our customers to keep up to speed with the regulations and to try and understand the implications of what is coming down the line that will impact the industry. Our account management team are always happy to help in this area and we make sure our customers are informed with the most accurate and up to date information ahead of any changes either in our product ranges or in building regulations that may affect our production and most importantly our customers business.
It is also important for companies to be aware of companies (suppliers or customers) in the supply chain that may be struggling. Liquidity is key and networking is so important to build contacts, increase company and personal profile and to hear others’ views and gain information on what’s going on around the industry.
Glazpart has benefited from the multiple opportunities of networking in the industry. Participating at events, awards, exhibitions and meetings with key trade bodies has proved extremely fruitful. As well as sponsoring and attending the PiGs (people in Glazing Society), this October, we will be at both Glass Conference and Glazing Summit and in 2025, we will be at FIT Show where we will kick off our 40th Anniversary celebrations.
We have big plans for Glazpartners in 2025 and we invite all fabricators and installers to become Glazpartners and gain the advantage of the marketing benefits we offer to all our Glazpartners.
