Clearview 254 - January 2023 | Page 42

Annual Predictions

Looking ahead in 2023

DARREN RHODES , MD ( NORTHWEST DIVISION ), GLAZERITE
» WE ’ VE POURED REGULAR INVESTment into areas that will make a real difference to our customers , from machinery to additions to our fleet of vehicles . Quality is a fundamental part of this , and it ’ s already driving OTIF improvements . Ultimately these areas impact positively on our service and capacity , which will help us to keep pace with an increase in demand .
IT is another channel critical to our business and our customers and it ’ s a real area of focus for us in 2023 . Our IT team has doubled in size , enabling us to strengthen our IT Infrastructure , systems , and services , with a focus on security , compliance , and processing efficiencies . To this end , we are introducing handheld remote scanners for our delivery drivers along with new despatch and delivery software developed by Business Micros ,
with an emphasis on delivering even better service for our customers .
Over the last 12 months we ’ ve strengthened our team with new faces and promotions which has bolstered marketing , procurement , sales , customer service , and health and safety . This follows senior appointments in procurement , IT and technical , which has given us strength in knowledge and numbers and will ultimately benefit our installers .
As part of our Continuous Improvement plans , we are committed to developing the skills and knowledge of our people , as we work to multi-skill and up-skill employees across all areas of the business . Sharing best practice across Glazerite ’ s Divisions will be a continued focus for us as we further embed lean processes .
There is no doubt we are all facing a difficult 2023 , with rising costs for manufacturers being driven down the chain and homeowners finding themselves with less disposable income . We ’ ve worked hard to align our processes and efficiencies as part of a Group-wide improvement programme over the last 12 months . Thanks to this , and ongoing investment , Glazerite is in a great position to kick off 2023 .
www . glazeritewindows . co . uk

Sustainability … the only logical , sane goal for our future

COLIN ST JOHN , COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR , FREEFOAM
» A MIX OF COVID-19 , WAR in Ukraine and the lingering impacts of Brexit have pushed climate change and sustainability onto page two . But as we move into 2023 , they will inexorably move to the top of page one .
There is no escaping the stark warnings coming out of COP27 . All global emissions must fall between 2020 and 2025 and the reality is they are still increasing . Opening the talks , Antonio Guterres , United Nations Secretary General , said : “ we ’ re on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator .”
He ’ s not exaggerating . The challenge is as big as it gets . It ’ s
so big , most companies haven ’ t got their heads or hearts around it and are responding inappropriately with incomprehensible gobbledegook , empty soundbites , and token gestures . But today ’ s savvy consumers have seen this for what it is : misleading Greenwashing .
As a leading manufacturer , Freefoam is taking the challenge seriously and acknowledging our duty to monitor and reduce the impact of our business activities on the environment . By applying Circular Economy thinking and carbon reduction approaches to all elements of our day-to-day work and projects , in conjunction with ‘ Lean Manufacturing ’, we ’ re delivering sustainable solutions for customers .
We accept the responsibility to demonstrate our credentials to customers as we continue our transition from a linear to a Circular Economy company . What does that mean ? It ’ s a call to action to reduce , reuse and recycle , which means enabling the re-use and circulation of resources , retaining economic value , and eliminating waste .
During the next 12 months we will demonstrate this by sharing our outcomes as we expand the scope of our drive towards circularity to include :
• Carbon reduction initiatives
• Collaborative projects between suppliers , converters , distributors , installers , and end users
• Shift to EV ’ s
• Ensuring the Circularity of PVC via investments into reducing , reusing and recycling
• Building this culture at Freefoam
Our prediction for 2023 ? Sustainability and carbon reducing initiatives will have a massive impact on our product sector supply chains .
www . freefoam . com
42 JANUARY 2023
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM