Pulling up into the car park , and the site looks pretty standard for a fenestration fabricators . The electric car charging point ( plus various electric cars ) just outside reception gives a glimpse into the eco efforts — more of that later — and , just like many other door or window factory , we entered through a showroom attached to the ‘ shop floor ’.

Unlike most other factory tours however , we weren ’ t expecting to see not one but four fully functioning factories ; one for PVCu , one for aluminium , one for bifolds and another where a

team is fabricating all the orders for just one job ! When we were whisked off in Production Director Mark Knowling ’ s truck to another two sites currently under construction , on a brand-new industrial estate , this ‘ unheard of fabricator ’ is sure to get tongues wagging soon .

But , beyond the bulging boundaries of the ever-growing BSW , what else did we learn on our trip to Yaxley ?

System split

PVCu from Linear , aluminium from Sheerline and Smart Systems , BSW really does have

the solutions when it comes to systems . The two profiles ( as in PVCu and aluminium ) work really well side-by-side for the fabricator too ( across the different units of course ) with MD Rob Morley pointing out that while it was closer to a 70 / 30 ; PVCu majority split to begin with , it ’ s much closer to 50 / 50 now and indicative of the changing demands of the market , when it comes to taste , cost and sustainability efforts , to name just three reasons . Of course , BSW work across domestic and commercial projects , and while the main remit is ‘ East ’ in Sales Director Gary Hancock ’ s words ; from Hull to Suffolk-ish , with online sales through their trade partners ( aluminium heritage are the door du jour , at the moment ) there are BSW products bought and delivered all over the UK ; albeit not always directly from the Broadway site itself .

Line of duty

With a team of 120 staff already , it ’ s likely that BSW is one of ( if not the ) biggest employers in the area already . Within this workforce , across the factories especially , Mark was keen to point

out the opportunities available for professional development . Most often , employees will begin on the PVCu production line , where they are trained on the job if needed . From here , workers can transfer to the more complex and involved aluminium line , to QC roles and to supervising positions . Mark says it ’ s really important that staff can see the scope of their career by watching their peers move through the ranks or across to other departments to give them that extra incentive . On a personal note , the mentorship and camaraderie was clearly evident during our visit , with staff helping out other members of the team ; more experienced staff clearly helping out newer team members . From a production point of view , with various sites

and multiple systems in operation , it just makes good business sense to have a team that is well-trained across as many lines as possible so that people can be moved across the manufacturing facility wherever and whenever they are needed .

So very solar

At the top of the article , we mentioned sustainability , and an effort to be more energy efficient . This drive was evident as soon as we saw the electric car charging points , before we ’ d even caught up with Gary . With about 260 solar panels already installed and provided almost half of the power to the current factories , the two new sites will double the volume of panels . Throughout our conversations , these efforts to be eco-friendly clear to go beyond what is required and there ’ s a real enthusiasm on display . In fact , industry newcomer Graham Hancock — from the marketing department — was in the midst of signing off a sustainability piece , so look out for that in our June issue .

www . bsws . co . uk