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Pearls of wisdom
» IN THE EARLY 1990S , AT THE END OF a recession , one man had the shell of an idea to help homeowners with out-of-warranty windows and doors . Now , a month shy of that company ’ s 30th anniversary , UPVC Maintenance operates two trade counters , has a growing online following of its ‘ how-to ’ tutorials and is about to launch its own hardware line . How did that grain of an idea turn into such a successful business and which three words supported three decades in industry ? The Locksmith Journal had to find out …
In 1992 , David Earnshaw noticed that many homeowners had been left without warranties on their UPVC windows and doors as companies went of business during the recession . In terms of work experience , David had previously worked as an installer , surveyor and installations manager for various window companies around the UK ; in terms of life events , a toddler daughter and baby son – and a converted garden shed meant that he had a great business plan and the opportunity for great work / life balance .
Thirty years later , David ’ s ‘ toddler daughter ’ is now Director of UPVC Maintenance with a baby girl of her own and her soon-to-be husband , Nathan Brown , works as the business ’ Sales Manager . Celebrating three decades of business is certainly no mean feat , but far from resting on their laurels as they approach that pearl milestone , UPVC Maintenance is putting its own pearls of wisdom from the last 30 years to even better use by launching its very own Springwell line of door and window hardware …
“ From the very beginning , the three things that have defined UPVC Maintenance have been Knowledge , Service and Inventory ,” explains Emma Earnshaw , when The Locksmith Journal caught up with Director and daughter of the company ’ s founder ahead of the impressive business anniversary .
“ Even though my dad ’ s first business premises was our garden shed , his knowledge of what the market needed , the service he provided and the astute inventory he kept laid the strong foundations of UPVC Maintenance as we know it today . When more and more people approached him to help them source the hardware they needed for
their own maintenance and repair jobs , he quickly realised that he needed a bigger space to further enhance and enforce this three-point ethos .”
The shed turned into a lock-up , which then grew into a trade counter in Pudsey , before relocating to the current HQ on the Springwell estate in Batley ; opening a second trade counter in Rotherham on their 20th birthday . Having a large space is essential for the vast portfolio of products on offer – although each is still carefully researched and sourced as if David himself would be using it for one of his own repairs back when he was ‘ in the field ’. A second reason for needing easily accessible and spacious locations though is that it is not unknown for installers to bring entire door slabs to the trade counter to ask for assistance when it comes to identifying certain hardware parts …
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JUL / AUG 2022
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