DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
SPEAKING FREE-LY WITH AIDAN HARTE
The first Director of the Month for 2021 , coincides with 30 years of Freefoam . Therefore Clearview caught up with MD Aidan Harte to chat about lean practice , work-life balance and keeping up with the Times ( that ’ s the Irish Times ) and the modern marketplace …
» I JOINED FREEFOAM IN 1993 AS Financial Controller . It was a small business at the time , with about 25 employees and one extrusion line in Cork , Ireland . Since then we ’ ve grown to a team of 307 across Europe , with 14 extrusion lines in Cork and 16 lines in the UK .
The UK is now the backbone of the business , but we also have a strong presence across Europe , with distribution centres supplying customers in France , Germany , Belgium , the Netherlands , Spain and Sweden . No two markets are the same but our approach in each country is unchanged . We ’ ve built the Freefoam brand around quality , product choice and support and we work closely with customers to give them the products they say they need to sell more in their markets .
Describe your working day ( from the time you leave the house , etc .)
My working days are varied , but I have regular meetings and catch-ups with production , operations , finance and the sales team . I usually get to the office shortly after 8am and I work until about 6pm . I ’ m a strong believer in the work-life balance , and I think if you get enough downtime you work more effectively .
I ’ m based in our Cork head office and manufacturing facility , and in normal times I travel frequently to Northampton , where we have our UK manufacturing and distribution base , and to Continental Europe . Like the rest of the world , most of these meetings are now taking place online .
What is your workspace like ?
We have a clean desk policy at Freefoam as part of our commitment to lean work processes and it has proved a great success . It is such a change compared to the days when offices were full of paper . The same is evident in our production facility where lean work processes have had a very positive impact on the work environment .
First thing you do when you get to your desk ?
No two days are the same , but I always check the sales and production numbers for the previous day when I get to my desk . Obviously , these figures can set the tone for the rest of the day .
FREEFOAM BUILDING PRODUCTS - 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING
1990 Freefoam formed , 1 Extrusion line Manufacturing Fascia and Soffit , Tony Walsh , founding owner . |
1998 Plastops brand introduced - colour matched Pins and Nails introduced . |
1999 UK Trading Operation Established in Northampton . |
2005 Extrusion introduced to UK plant , 4 extrusion lines . |
2007 Internal Panelling range Introduced . |
1993 Aidan Harte joins as Finance Director . |
1994 Cladding introduced . |
2001 Colin St John joins as General Manger UK . |
2004 Freeflow Rainwater co-extrued range introduced . |
2008 Geoff Barnett , joins as Production Manager . |
20 » JAN 2021 » CLEARVIEW-UK . COM