BUSINESS
WE SHOULD ALL LEARN FROM SYSCO’S DEMISE
» FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT
of the failure of systems manufacturer
Aperture Trading Ltd, Quickslide chairman
Adrian Barraclough says we can learn much
for the current times from the demise of the
company.
“Quickslide was a business partner of
Aperture Trading both as a supplier and
customer so we were well acquainted with
the business and the issues that it faced,” says
Adrian. “However, we were also a trading
partner of Synseal, the business from which
Aperture was formed and it’s worth bearing
in mind the qualities that company was based
upon and which made it such a success in the
early days: and why in due course it went so
wrong.”
Synseal is widely credited as being an
industry ‘disrupter’ when it brought its
first products to market. Says Adrian: “In
the hands of the company’s founder Gary
Dutton and his team, Synseal disrupted the
market not simply by undercutting everyone
- although initially this was a significant factor
- but over time the company grew and took a
significant share of the UK window and door
business for itself by showing a number of
admirable qualities.
“For any business to survive, let alone
prosper, in normal trading conditions these
qualities include good cash reserves, sound
financial control, continuous investment,
innovative and imaginative thinking, a
dynamic, structured management, great
products, a dedicated workforce from the
cleaners to the senior managers; and crucially,
shareholders that care passionately about and
who are involved with the business on a day to
day basis.
“My point is that during the extraordinary
circumstances being imposed on all of us
during the coronavirus emergency, companies
that show the qualities upon which Synseal
was based will be the ones that get us
through this crisis. I believe passionately in
those strengths and they remain at the core
of everything that we believe in and do at
Quickslide.
“We will continue to seek partnerships with
companies – suppliers and customers – that
also share those attributes because they are the
qualities that will not only help to sustain each
of us in the short term, they will also enable us
to flourish when things return to normal, as
they certainly will.”
www.quickslide.co.uk
Public sector suppliers urged
to seek help from local experts
Door and window manufacturers and installation
companies throughout the UK are being advised to talk to
their regional framework partners as quickly as possible
if they are struggling to deliver any public sector works,
have seen projects paused or are worried about payment.
» LHC, THE COUNTRY’S
longest running framework
provider, is sending information
to all approved suppliers on
its frameworks with updated
advice on how to manage the
risks arising from the current
COVID-19 crisis.
This follows the publication
of two policy notes from the
Cabinet Office, including one
which explained how suppliers
should be paid by public sector
clients as quickly as possible to
maintain cashflow and protect
jobs, and even paid in advance in
some situations.
John Skivington, group
director of LHC, said:
“The latest Cabinet Office
advice allows for a relaxation
of procurement rules in some
specific circumstances, and
encourages councils, social
landlords and other public sector
bodies to pay suppliers as quickly
as possible. You may even be
entitled to get up to 25% of
the project payment made in
advance.
“No appointed company
should need to struggle alone.
Through LHC’s network of
local offices we are uniquely
placed to provide region-specific
reassurance and to support
to our appointed companies,
including speaking to clients
on your behalf. Whatever the
problem, we can work it out.
Just pick up the phone and talk
to your local framework expert
– it’s at times like this that
these local relationships matter
most.”
Through its regional business
operations, LHC is also helping
over-stretched local authorities
to source approved suppliers for
emergency building repairs and
maintenance services. This work
is expected to provide a useful
lifeline to some contractors
whose other projects may
be cancelled or temporarily
paused.
Contact a local LHC office at:
https://www.lhc.gov.uk/get-in-
touch
C L E A RV I E W-U K . C O M » M AY 2020 » 67