Posted: 13 Oct 2017
We recently expanded the staff in our Head Office in Ewell, Surrey; with the addition of a new member of the Sales Support team – Aston. Because we feel it’s important for every member of staff to know the rest of the company. Therefore, we took Aston for a trip to our factory and main showroom in Ashford, Kent. It was a great opportunity for him to put some faces to names; and to see first-hand how the blinds get made.
So we asked Aston, in his own words, to describe his experiences going through our factory for the first time: “I was very impressed walking around the Ashford factory, a place that had only existed in my mind. After studying the brochure, it automatically raised my expectations as the company has already portrayed a remarkable reputation of specialising in blinds; and by attending the factory, I expected nothing less.
As we approached the entrance, my eyes lit up wide I noticed the familiar logo which states; ‘Britain’s favourite family owned specialists.’ A family run company who swears by their product and service.
The Factory
I walked upstairs into a modern and fully equipped factory. Here I got greeted by the Contracts Manager, Sean, a familiar voice I instantly recognised; after having various conversations with him when handling customer enquiries. Beside him sat another familiar name, Sam, who works as the Contracts Assistant. I greeted her with a warm handshake and introduced myself. It was lovely to finally put a face to the name.
The Showroom
I instantly noticed how remarkable the showroom looked; it looked as if a lot of time, effort and consideration put into the project. The first floor displayed 5 whole conservatories full of every style of conservatory we tend to work on; along with every single blind you could think of. Tom, the factory manager, then greeted me. Upon introducing himself, he began checking one of the main display blinds to ensure it was functioning correctly. As we instruct all our customers to keep their blinds maintained. He instantly gave me the impression of an expert craftsmen; who has the inside knowledge of the blinds at his disposal. He took me around the entire factory where I saw everything from how the materials first arrive; to the finishing end where I saw the colour painted on to the blinds. This proved that every single blind we provide to the public is exactly what we list in the brochure. A handcrafted design. It showed quality over quantity and, just as important as, efficiency. Everyone seemed to take pride and care into what they were actually doing.
Factory Admin Department
We then met the factory admin department; where I was introduced to Ion, who carefully designs all purchase orders using CAD software. This is down to the rail designs, fabric designs, and also the electronic side; and where the exclusive ‘puresolo™’ product get produced. It amazed me at the puresolo™ design which gives customers the ability to control up to 99 blinds; what more can you ask for? They cover all aspects. The team showed nothing but hard work and dedication, along with great loyalty and pride with their everyday work.” You can look at many of the parts of the factory Aston mentions in our factory tour video, and if you’re interested in seeing our factory and showroom for yourself, you can always contact our showroom to arrange a time to come over.