Summary
• W Howard is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
• Managing director Jonathan Grant is the fifth generation to be involved in the timber industry.
• The company started MDF moulding production in 1995 and now has four lines.
• W Howard joined The Timber Trade Federation this year.
Since its move into MDF mouldings in 1995, W Howard has not looked back. The company, which is marking its golden anniversary, can also celebrate year-on-year sales growth, substantial staff increases and a reputation for supplying quality products through its Primer Mould brand.
It’s a far cry from the day 50 years ago when Billy Howard started supplying timber to the local community and farmers from a small rural site in Astley, west of Manchester. When he retired in 1969 he sold the business to Alan Grant, a man whose family had been in the timber business since the 1870s.
Having incorporated the business as W Howard Ltd, Alan Grant set about developing the site into a sizeable timber merchant, importing and supplying redwoods to national housebuilders and the joinery trades across Manchester and Stockport and as far afield as Liverpool and Preston. An on-site DIY showroom was added in the 1970s, offering call and collect business, but the arrival of the big sheds eventually put paid to this.
Mouldings move
Mr Grant senior was joined in 1986 by son Jonathan, fresh with a degree in timber technology, who began in the yard and on the road before backing a diversification into mouldings in 1988. The next 10 years proved pivotal. Jonathan succeeded his father as managing director in 1994 and, with the business starting to lose market share to MDF mouldings, took the bold step to start MDF mouldings production the following year.
Initially, line one was only half a line, with mouldings having to run through twice and, though immediately successful, the new business had its drawbacks. Although W Howard was now trading in both timber and mouldings, it was impossible to expand both; and customers were beginning to feel the company was competing with them for similar business. The way forward was clear – withdraw from timber and focus entirely on MDF mouldings, branded Primer Mould.
“It was a dramatic decision,” said Mr Grant, “but we realised we were just another small timber merchant and importer between Liverpool and Manchester; we needed to be something a little bit different. We looked for something that could separate us from the competition, and it just took off from there.”
Over the next two years, the company stopped buying timber and began a period of development which continues today. Line one was doubled to become the current line two, including beam saw and Weinig moulder. By 2001, line three, a smaller line for specials, was up and running, and soon after came the high-speed new line one, capable of turning round mouldings at up to 80m/minute.
Multi-million pound development
Current capacity was completed in 2006 with the commissioning of line four. This was part of a multi-million pound development of W Howard’s production and distribution facilities which included a new 15,000ft² warehouse and next-day collection of split pack stock orders.
New bays dedicated to completed customer orders now speed up the picking, entry and exit of vehicles. A new £100,000 canopy will further enhance service and the working environment and assist order preparation.
“We’ve always been ahead of the game and invested heavily in new equipment in order to maintain a competitive edge,” said Mr Grant. “Our last major investment has set us up nicely to keep us efficient and prepared us for future expansion.”
To underline the changes at W Howard, you need only look at the figures. When Alan Grant bought the business in 1969, annual turnover was £16,000. By 1995, while the company was still trading in timber only, it had grown to £1.6m. At the end of 2007, sales of Primer Mould MDF were running at £16m.
Mouldings range
The original range of mouldings spanned just 40 stock items; today it has grown to almost 140, including specials. Employee numbers have risen from 16 to 100.
The company also takes its environmental responsibility seriously and, to underline its accreditation to FSC, this year W Howard joined the Timber Trade Federation.
“It gives us the opportunity to take a more active role in supporting the industry and reaffirm our position on FSC certification, encouraging everyone to adhere to responsible and renewable practices,” said Mr Grant. “We’ve done this at regional and trade level alongside our customers; now we can also do so nationally.”
Despite a challenging market, W Howard is not a company that will rest on its laurels. “We will never stand still,” said Mr Grant. “We are always looking at ideas to help our customers and want to remain proactive in the market place.”
