Union Industries
Q: When was your company founded?
A: 1972
Q: How many staff do you employ?
A: 61
Q: What is your firm's turnover?
A: £3.43m
Q: How did you get started?
A:
My husband Paul Schofield started the firm. He was non-executive director for a tarpaulin company. That went out of business and then he started Union Tarpaulins, which later became Union Industries.
Q: What are your main products?
A: Our main products are the market leading Matadoor range of hi-speed industrial roller doors and Eiger freezer doors with crash-out and auto-reset.
Other products include dividing systems to prevent heat loss or to retain the spread of toxic particulate, decontamination units for nuclear, chemical and asbestos abatement and also flags and banners.
Q: How do you sell your products?
A: Through our own team of technical sales engineers, via the trade counter/internet and by reputation.
Q: What does your job involve on a day-to-day level?
7:00 Sit quietly reading sales figures and checking phone log.
7:30 Whiskey coffee with engineering manager to discuss production programme and any potential problems.
8.30 Sit in on design department's daily briefing.
9:00 Deal with post.
10:30-1:00 Deal with outside agencies: patent agents, auditors, PR company, advertising company, customers or builders.
1:00 Check invoices and sign cheques.
1:30 Prepare drawings and work instructions for the many bespoke products ordered through the general trading division. Work on personal projects. This includes developing and launching new products, preparing new procedures and addressing new Health & Safety requirements.
6:00 Informal management meeting over a glass of whiskey.
6:45 Work on special projects until I can no longer function properly.
Q: How would you describe your management style?
A: Firm, fair and fundamental.
Q: What differentiates your company from your competition?
A: Attention to detail, innovation and design expertise. We are willing to spend the time, effort and money making sure that the quality of our products and the service we give our customers cannot be surpassed.
Q: What are the biggest challenges your business faces?
A: The advances of headhunters constantly trying to lure, tempt and bribe our key people.
 Union Industries website
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Barneyz
Q: When was your company founded?
A: 1991
Q: How many staff do you employ?
A: 20+
Q: What is your firm's turnover?
A: £2.75m
Q: How did you get started?
A: Barney and myself started originally as steel stockholders, buying and selling steel. In 1994 we decided to try our hand at manufacturing and started with base plates.
Q: What are your main products?
A: Base plates (over 1.5m this year, a record), scaffold fittings, loading bay gates, post pallets, steel pole ladders.
Q: How do you sell your products?
A: Barney is probably the best salesmen I have ever worked with. He is constantly on the phone or sending faxes.
Q: What does your job involve on a day-to-day level?
A: Trying to ensure that everything runs smoothly: from manufacturing the products to handling all the finances.
Q: How would you describe your management style?
A: Off the cuff.
Q: What differentiates your company from your competition?
A: We all work hard to ensure the customer gets what he wants.
Q: What are the biggest challenges your business faces?
A: Making sure we get paid.
Barneyz website
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