Founded by family

Today , Origin is the UK ’ s leading manufacturer of premium aluminium windows and doors ; that can be made completely bespoke to a customer ’ s needs , including bi-fold doors , sliding doors , front and garage doors , and windows , which are available as casement , fixed , dummy , bay , gable , and French windows . Origin was founded by cousins Victoria Brocklesby and Neil Ginger in High Wycombe in 2002 . Victoria and Neil remain at the company today , as COO and CEO respectively . The business has experienced phenomenal growth since it was established 18 years ago ; with an annual turnover of £ 37 million .

Conquering new challenges

In addition to navigating Brexit and a US election , the arrival of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown in March plunged businesses into a situation that none of us have ever experienced before . With our industry effectively on hold , we made the decision to shut the business down for three weeks and switch to ‘ survival mode ’. Fortunately , we were back to full capacity very quickly after the shut-down , and our unique manufacturing processes have allowed us to adapt to the ‘ new normal ’.

Protecting our people

At Origin , one of the biggest changes we have implemented is splitting our factory floor team into two and introducing shifts ; creating staff ‘ bubbles ’, helping tackle the challenge of sickness and quarantining should anyone

in the business become unwell . This was a major adjustment at first , but our team are adapting well , and our operations are now back to our pre-COVID levels .

Centred around customers

At Origin , we pride ourselves on the fact that all operations are centred around our customers , their business model , and their bottom line . We are always investing in innovation to ensure our products remain unmatched , so our partners can specify with confidence . We offer unrivalled levels of support to our partners too , including marketing help to grow their businesses , and our unique OSS system for quick , easy and accurate provision of quotes to customers and assistance with their admin . In

addition , we offer unbeatable lead times , helping customers to improve their installation scheduling , cash flow and project turnover .

Direction of demand

As with every industry , one of the biggest impacts that COV- ID-19 has had on the manufacturing sector is the ongoing uncertainty it has caused across all business function ; this will not end in 2021 . Origin has been fortunate because the number of building projects put on hold during the first lockdown created pent up demand for our products and service , so we have actually been incredibly busy . Our main concern has therefore been the uncertainty around our supply chain .

Speaking of supply

Many businesses will have had to shift their operations in order to weather supply uncertainty , by increasing the number of suppliers , or consolidating their supply chain and ring fencing stock . Our operational shift started in February 2020 - pre-lockdown

- as we import some parts from the EU , so we created a buffer of raw materials in our UK warehouse to account for expected delays . As time went on , we had to adapt further ; we refocussed our resources and prioritised building up a bank of materials and parts to weather the ongoing disruption . We also worked hard to create and store as much stock as possible in order to minimise disruption and allow us to deliver on time and in full , something that is more important than ever to our customers who are working hard to complete construction projects in the face of so much uncertainty .

Turning towards excellence in 2021

In typical Origin style , we are always looking forwards . 2021 will be focussed on delivering on our promises to our customers through excellent service , support , quality and adopting innovative new business practices . This will allow us to cater for the increase in demand caused by a backlog of building projects that were affected by lockdown restrictions . We will be bringing innovative new products to market , continuing to explore cutting-edge ways to reduce our environmental impact and , as always , supporting our partners .

I have no doubt that COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on the manufacturing industry . As the world gradually returns to its pre-pandemic state , I think we will cherry pick the aspects of our COVID-19 strategies that have worked well and continue to include these as part of our everyday operations .

as the world begins to recover , I ’ m sure the industry will grow in confidence once _again

For example , I believe that the pandemic has accelerated remote working by at least five years . We have all successfully incorporated new technologies into our everyday work lives and are continuing to feel the benefits of digital communications , such as video conferencing , which was something many businesses rarely utilised before this year . And , as the world begins to recover , I ’ m sure the industry will grow in confidence once again .

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