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bright , ‘ zones ’ of desks for some of the aforementioned departments were interspersed with cosier areas of coffee tables for magazines – the latest Pro Installer and Clearview of course – and couches designed for quiet conversations . A row of more glass-walled boxes-cum-boardrooms partition the areas where more formal interactions may take place , however , there is no ‘ behind closed doors ’ in a transparent office .
Here , we bumped into Andy Jones , who has recently been announced as Made For Trade ’ s new Commercial Director . Andy has joined the company to – in their own words – ‘ add some new perspective on the business ’ strategy as it continues rapidly expanding out of the SME arena and becomes a larger enterprise ’; bringing an impressive 35 years of experience with him .
As we continued the tour , we stopped by the engineering department , complete with 3D
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printers to produce concepts and prototypes , once again echoing yet another of Made For Trade ’ s front-page features for Pro Installer on ‘ the engineers of fenestration .’ When working in the trade press , especially during the last year and a half of lockdown and restrictions , with no ‘ real-life ’
visits or shows , we have relied on companies providing their own literature or collaborating with them over the phone / via emails . Yet , to see the ‘ stories ’ from the past two years come alive in front of us really puts into the perspective the investment that we read about , the innovation that is taking place every day and the sheer logistics and practicalities behind operations in our industry . That ’ s to say that when
an article lands on our desk it is usually the ‘ end ’ of an event ; here we got to see the process before our own eyes .
To quote the above clipping from July this year : “ To keep creativity and design at the forefront of MFT ’ s business they have now built up a team of eight engineers
‘ up to for 400 Korniche Lanterns , 400 Bi-folding doors and 100 Visoglide Plus can be manufactured every single week
’ working from a dedicated research and development office at their Wynyard headquarters . They have some pretty impressive facilities that would be more at home in a full-blown test house . The team works using SolidWorks 3D CAD and analysis software and have 3D printing and workshop facilities to develop prototype designs ,” is one thing and then to see it happening right there in front of us is quite another .
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Leaving them to their work , we looped back around to aforementioned showroom and training area , through the large purpose-built canteen and on-site gym facilities ; the latter the best place to find Managing Director Bradley Gaunt first thing in a morning , we were informed .
The showroom featured the ubiquitous Korniche lantern – that many installers will recognise from the famous FIT Show stand , and of course from fitting them for their own customers . Here the lantern sits alongside a stunning Korniche Bi-fold and Visoglide Plus , and it is in this area that corporate and business visitors are welcomed into for Made For Trade to showcase their products and services .
A set of double doors into the factory offers a view into a hive of activity where up to for 400 Korniche Lanterns , 400 Bi-folding doors and 100 Visoglide Plus can be manufactured every single week , before being safely loaded
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onto that fleet of trucks and delivered all across the UK . Plans to improve on these numbers next year seems like a shock at first , but hardly surprising given the ambition of all involved .
Driving home from Billingham that afternoon , I remembered a piece of wall art that depicted the evolution of man into the brand new Korniche branding hanging proudly on the main office wall . I ’ d never seen anything like it – that works for both the art and the office . Earlier this year , Made For Trade released an article which included the words “ Made for Trade took the Origin of the product and evolved it into the next generation of bi-folding door , making it the buyers ’ natural selection .” I for one can ’ t wait to see what ’ s next In Made For Trade ’ s evolutionary process , and you ’ ll find it all here in Pro Installer too .
Madefortrade . co
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