Director of the Month: Emma Arrell, Group Finance Director of Garnalex

FACTS AND FIGURES:

First job: Administrator at a Sheet Metal Work Fabrication company. I joined at 16 years old and was thrown in at the deep end, having been trained to complete the weekly wages during my interview to then being in the driving seat on Day 1!

Joined Current Company: I have worked with Roger Hartshorn since 2010 (then HL Plastics, now Liniar) following him to join Garner Aluminium Extrusions / Sheerline from the beginning.

Most useful/favourite Gadget: Anyone that knows me well knows I really do not like gadgets that much! My go-to most useful item would therefore have to be my notebook as I love working with a list!

Most useful website: It’s a very Accountant-y thing to say but I use Companies House a lot for work. Outside of work I’m more likely to browse ASOS or Ticketmaster.

Favourite restaurant for business: We are very lucky to have some wonderful country restaurants and pubs near to our site and one of these would always be my first choice.

Business person you admire: I really admire Steven Bartlett – his techniques are refreshing and his book ‘The Diary of a CEO’ is a fantastic read. Going back in history, Barbe Nicole Clicquot is an inspiration. She was a trailblazer for women, taking on her husband’s business when widowed at 27. Under her ownership, she fought to keep the company, as it was illegal for a woman to be the head of a business in 1805 unless widowed. She developed early Champagne using a novel technique and the business remains today as the renowned Veuve Clicquot.

Lessons learnt over the last 12 months: Plan to be agile, nothing ever stays the same!

Best Business Decision: I think for our company the best business decision was to choose to invest in Aluminium at the time we did. As a team we have a huge amount of experience across the various industries but especially within PVCu. Taking this business model and applying it to Aluminium makes us a real force to be reckoned with. I’m proud to be part of the Garnalex/Sheerline team.

Other Interests: Family and friends mean everything to me. I have a husband and two adult daughters who I am extremely proud of, especially for their individuality, kindness and determination. I love nothing more than taking long walks with my husband and our dog Rocket (especially if it involves a stop off at a country pub!) I exercise regularly as I believe that good health and wellbeing are the foundation for everything in life. I’m also a massive music fan and love seeing live music gigs. I’m most excited this year to be at the long-awaited Oasis reunion, having seen them in the 90s (including at Knebworth). It will be extra-special this time as I will be with both my daughters, who have become big Oasis fans growing up too.

Working Day: I try to start each day with 15 minutes of yoga. I find this sets a positive tone for my day, promoting mental clarity whilst cultivating a sense of calm. I’m sure it enhances my productivity and wellbeing throughout the day. A typical workday can be very varied. I oversee many activities from ordering to cashflow within the business. We have a clear strategy; it’s important to us to have simple systems and processes that both our colleagues and our customers can benefit from. I have been closely involved at Garner Aluminium / Sheerline from the very beginning, ensuring these processes and controls are well designed. As a Director, I’m involved in the strategic planning of the business, however, in an ever-changing environment we must adapt to what the world throws at us, which has certainly been a lot for all businesses in the last few years!

Working Location: Our offices are based at a beautiful countryside location in Nether Heage, Derbyshire – just outside of Belper. The majority of the site was built in the 1950s, but the offices were built to extend the site in the 1970s/80s, by the original LB Plastics business, the hugely respected company that first developed its own PVC-U window system in the UK. Some of our staff worked at this company back in its heyday and the offices have a distinct history about them. I’m lucky enough to have one of the original desks from that time – a very cool-looking 1960s desk and cabinet. The cabinet even has a space for a wine rack (those were the days!). Today, the cabinet is largely empty as we try and work in a paperless environment, but it looks great. Our plan is to expand into a new purpose-built site in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, enabling us to further grow capacity and become even more streamlined to meet our growth plans.

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THE INTERVIEW:

Here at Sheerline we are feeling positive. Our trading over the last 12 months has really gained momentum, with our existing customers seeing volume growth as well as some fantastic new customers joining the Sheerline journey.

Like all businesses, our cost base continues to increase; the increased minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions both having a large impact, then seeing a knock-on effect through the supply chain as most suppliers then have to increase prices accordingly. Energy costs are still too high. However, all these factors just keep us focused on continuing to look for more efficient ways to manufacture and work together as a team to keep costs down so that we can hold prices for our customers.

Positive outlook: Our expectation over the next 12 months continues to be positive, regardless of what further challenges may come at us from the outside world! We remain focused on what we are doing and will keep doing what we are good at, and should we need to adapt we will. The benefit of being part of a smaller leadership team is that we are great at being agile and proactive when it comes to tackling any challenges that lie ahead. Our sector has had a slow couple of years following the bounce-back after Covid – however, I believe that there is growth ahead. The UK housing shortage and the further reduction of interest rates have got to be good for fenestration. Operationally, we are ready for this growth and excited about what the next 12 months hold for Sheerline. Our original British-made aluminium window, door and roof products, certified by our recent King’s Award for Innovation 2025, are not only beautifully designed but also meet and exceed all the current building regulation standards. Together with our fully integrated manufacturing operation being able to offer these quality products in short lead times (5 days from ordering) we have a lot to be positive about.

I do feel that the aluminium market generally is changing, and we are at the forefront of this change. Aluminium customers have long deserved improvements to customer service in this sector, alongside great products. Our customers’ feedback so far is excellent and it’s great to hear that the goals we set out to achieve are benefiting fabricators and installers.

Advice to fabricators and installers: As Group Finance Director, one of my main areas of focus is cash flow, and I can’t stress the importance of this highly enough to any business owner. Positive cash flow is the lifeblood of any successful business. It ensures that you have enough money on hand to cover your day-to-day expenses (payroll, rent, stock etc) whilst giving you the flexibility to invest in growth opportunities when they arise. Without a healthy cash flow, even profitable businesses can struggle. I’ve seen many companies able to generate strong sales on paper, but which run into trouble because they can’t collect payments quickly enough to keep up with their outgoings. Monitoring cash flow regularly allows you to spot potential shortfalls before they become critical, enabling smarter decision-making and better financial resilience.

Maintaining positive cash flow means being proactive – tightening up credit control, managing inventory efficiently, and planning for seasonal fluctuations or unexpected costs. It’s also about understanding your numbers – knowing when your income is due, what your fixed and variable costs look like, and where your cash is being tied up. Many business owners focus heavily on profit and loss statements but neglect their cash flow forecast. A shift in mindset to treat cash flow as a priority can make a significant difference to companies large and small – not just to survival, but to long-term success.

Sheerline can help customers with inventory reduction; our short lead times mean fabricators no longer need to hold more than 25% of their annual usage in stock – they can order what they need when they need it, often receiving payment from their customers before the systems company bill is due for payment – that’s great for cash flow!

Personal goals: Having worked with Roger to successfully navigate the challenges of a start-up and seeing Garnalex achieve unprecedented growth within the first 5 years of its existence, my next goal is to continue developing my role and to help steer Sheerline through the next phase of growth as we expand into our new purpose-built site and into the future.

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