Providing good customer service is essential if a company is to retain existing business and win new clients. All companies say they do it, but how many take a detailed look at the methods they employ and how effective they are?
Grange Interiors of North Shields has done just that. Established as a kitchen retail outlet by Eric Steven in 1973 – a time when fitted kitchens were a relatively new concept in the UK – the company began manufacturing in 1979 and expanded into contract work in the early 80s.
Today the family-owned business designs, manufactures and fits kitchen and bedroom furniture for both contract and retail markets. Underpinning its success is the work that has been done to restructure the com-pany from a sales-led operation into one that is focused on customer service.
‘Fundamentally, our products are similar to others – it’s how you service customers that makes the difference,’ said managing director David Steven.
‘We have concentrated on developing better and faster two-way communication processes, both within the company and with our customers, suppliers and sub-contractors. Once that structure was in place we invested in an extensive training programme for junior management, to ensure that everyone understands the company philosophy of service and is able to communicate that effectively to customers.
Of course, top quality and efficient production is an essential element of customer service: ‘Investment in new machinery is key to the success of any company,’ said Mr Steven. ‘Given the rapid development in technology and software for woodworking operations, it is foolhardy to hold on to older machines. New models bring benefits in terms of economy and flexibility of production as well as better quality, and we have always invested regularly – every three to five years.’
Most recently this strategy has seen the company install three of the latest machines from Biesse Group UK – the Rover 22 CNC machining centre, Selco EBT120 beam saw with integrated lift table, and Polymac’s Ergho 9 edgebander.
The partnership between Grange Interiors and Biesse began in 1993, with the purchase of a Selco EB110 beam saw.
‘We had identified panel sizing as a bottleneck,’ said Mr Steven. ‘Our existing saw was 12 years old and the quality of cut was less than we wanted.
‘With FIRA‘s help we looked at the market and concluded that it would be a false economy to go for a budget machine. We bought the Selco EB110 because it was the best choice in terms of value for money – and it is still delivering excellent performance today.’
As demand grew, Grange Interiors saw new opportunities to increase turnover, but needed more manufacturing capacity. In 1998 additional buildings were purchased to house another production line – increasing total manufacturing space to 50,000ft2 with capacity for 50,000 units a year.
‘The first thing we needed was a machining centre,’ said Mr Steven. ‘With our established relationship with Biesse it was natural to buy from them again.
‘Biesse was about to launch a new model in its range of machining centres – the Rover 22 – and the UK team took us to Italy to see it. The Rover 22 is well targeted as a mid-range machine, offering high capacity but without being ridiculously over-specified with extras we would never use.
‘We talked to Biesse about the overall development of our business and it became clear it could be beneficial for us to take a bigger step than we had been considering. We were shown a prototype of the Selco EBT120 beam saw that was about to enter production and we bought the first one in the UK; we also saw the Polymac Ergho 9 edgebander and bought that as well.
‘We set out to buy one machining centre and came back with all three machines we needed for our new production line.’
In addition to contract work – primarily for the newbuild sector – Grange Interiors also has its own retail showroom.
Although retail is less price-sensitive than contract work the volumes are much lower, and to ensure economic production of furniture for both markets the company needs machinery that combines high capacity with the flexibility to handle short runs.
‘With our previous point-to-point machine we had lots of downtime, but the Rover 22 has eliminated this,’ said Mr Steven. ‘It is faster, more efficient and more compact. The control software is user-friendly and it has bar-coding capabilities, which we will start to use this year.
‘The EBT120 is a machine for the future – it is perhaps over-specified for our present needs but gives us plenty of scope for our planned expansion. I am very impressed by the overall engineering of the machine, which cuts at 130m/min and has a new carriage drive system that improves accuracy and finish. It’s designed for small batch, medium volume production, with the integrated rear lift table allowing us to load packs of panels while still having the flexibility to load single sheets or small stacks from the front. Like the Rover it also has bar-coding facilities.
‘To complete the line we wanted quality 3mm PVC edgebanding capability to meet rising demand for cabinet doors with contemporary edge details. The Ergho 9 is fully specified and is faster than our older edgebander. It meets our current needs and has capacity in hand.
‘All three machines can be linked on-line – and that is important because we plan to move all design and programming work to an office PC and download data to the production line.’
Grange Interiors is determined to continue its organic growth. ‘We are planning additional retail outlets in the north-east and Scotland, and are discussing a move into the south-east,’ said David Steven. ‘We are also expanding our contract work – with a recent contract to refurbish two motels for Days Inn [formerly Welcome Break[, another six on the cards and more next year.
‘The new Biesse machinery gives us the capacity we need to increase our production of quality furniture… and our focus on communication will ensure that we continue to provide excellent service and value for money to customers throughout the UK.’
