Reorganisation at Allan Brothers factory helps company keep pace with rising demand

A reorganisation at Allan Brothers’ factory in Berwick upon Tweed is helping the company to increase volumes and keep pace with the rising demand for its handcrafted timber windows and doors.

Workflow has been transformed within the 6200m² factory, enabling Allan Brothers to increase output without compromising on the distinctive craftsmanship which has been its trademark for more than two centuries.

The reorganisation is being overseen by Christian Petersen, a production specialist who has joined the Inwido Group company from one of its subsidiaries in Estonia. There, Christian has helped to deliver a 36% increase in output in three years without expanding the workforce, and he hopes to achieve something similar at Allan Brothers.

Factory manager Robert Frost, who is carrying out the implementation, says that the workflow changes have been embraced by the whole team because they are making it so much easier to reach daily production targets. He says: “Simple things like painting workflow routes in different colours on the factory floor and relocating my office in the heart of the factory have had an almost instant effect. We can see already how further improvements can be made as well, without impacting on the core quality strengths which have always characterised the factory.”

Christian Petersen is the third key figure to join Allan Brothers recently as the Inwido Group makes significant investments in the business. His appointment follows Wolfgang Gorner, who joined as Sales Director at the start of 2017, and Mattias Andersson who was appointed Managing Director in August last year.

With the new senior management team in place, the company is poised for a significant period of expansion during 2018 with new product ranges and new service initiatives to be announced soon.