Resilience in British manufacturing [BLOG]

Resilience in British manufacturing [BLOG]

A blog by The Safety Letterbox Company...

While we all find ourselves in such unprecedented times, we are all doing what we can to try to flatten the curve. In our case, it involves our office teams from all departments working remotely at home, and our factory is temporarily on ‘pause’. At the same time, we prepare to work in line with customers requirements returning to a skeleton operation with our existing segregation, adhering to the 2-metre law and with maximum protection for all workers in line with government guidelines.

Our company is currently in its 35th year, and we have been through many challenges as a British manufacturer, including the recession in 2007-2012. One thing is sure, we lead from the front, we are firm and transparent with our approach, and we are resilient. We genuinely care about our team, community, customers and the values of our business.

Our ongoing challenges

As a British manufacturer, we often have to compete with imports. Its a fact of modern life; however, these usually are not like for like and can drive down quality in our market. They are often highly price-driven as sites look to make savings and operate with tight budgets. We are passionate about producing products that are durable, functional, sustainable and offer longevity; this fits with all of our Corporate Social Responsibilities. Occasionally we supply sites to replace an imported product that was first bought cheap, removing and replacing products within a year or two with our products, causing waste of money and materials for the customer.

Buying British is not just about placing an order, it’s a much bigger picture, it’s about jobs, the UK’s prosperity, supporting our economy, resulting in a more prosperous environment for us all. It’s about responsibility and ensuring we have quality pipelines of product produced ethically and sustainably.

It doesn’t mean a customer should pay much more for a product if buying from us, our products start their life ‘specification driven’, and we then offer the most competitive pricing. We produce over 180 models of mail and parcel boxes in 3 main price groups; budget ranges, classic ranges and our bespoke range which demonstrates the very best of our capabilities.

Reevaluating the future of the supply chain

I hope that companies and their specifiers and buyers take the time now in such severe circumstances to pause, re-evaluate and consider the impact of their decisions and about the bigger picture, to recognise the considerable impact that buyers can have on our UK economy. That companies like us are here through difficult times and are wanting to support our customers and pull together more than ever to get through such challenging situations.

For example, we often would work an extra shift to help a site that’s under pressure or produce a new product to satisfy an unusual request. We have had teams coming in on Christmas Eve or during a night shift to support customers deadlines with virtually no notice. We are resourceful and here to help. Every person in our organisation believes that we are here to do the best for our customers and each other, it’s our ethos. It’s because we care about our business, its reputation and our economy.

Businesses working together

Now, more than ever, it is a time to support one another, to communicate and stand firm. We are doing all we can to use this time positively, allowing us time to develop further projects we have been unable to complete due to demands. New products we have unfinished, and in time we will once again further invest in additional machinery for our factory and in-line with our continuous improvement environment and looking at ways to be even more efficient in all aspects.

While since 2012 we have been part of the European Group Renz, Europe’s leading mail and Parcelbox manufacturer, employing over 800 personnel and factories throughout Europe, still around 96% of our products at The Safety Letterbox Company are made in our factory in South Wales.

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The Safety Letterbox Company

The Safety Letterbox Company

The Safety Letterbox Company Limited was founded in 1986 and is the UK's leading manufacturer and direct supplier of mailboxes and accessories. Clients include architects, developers, contractors, The Post Office, government buildings, and schools and...
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T(01639) 633525
F(01639) 646359
Econtact@safetyletterbox.com
WVisit The Safety Letterbox Company's website
 Unit 1B, Milland Industrial Estate, Milland Road, Neath, West Glamorgan, SA11 1NJ

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