Eyes On...
Eyes on...
We talk to Managing Director Ian Drinkwater and Business Development Manager Carole Waite about 15 years in the lighting industry…….
A1: 15 years in the industry - CONGRATULATIONS! When and why did Applelec first begin?
Ian: Thank you. Believe it or not, Applelec began life as a metal fabrication business which was owned by my father. When I inherited the company, I recognised the machinery and workforce was adaptable to the production of bespoke fabricated signage, which forms a core element of the business today. We introduced LEDs into the product range as an illumination option for our signage and built-up letters and this led (no pun intended) to the development of LED Light Sheet. This lighting product is now utilised across the signage, display, retail, hospitality and interior design sectors and each panel is manufactured in our UK factories. We create each LED Light Sheet panel to individual customer requirements with units cut to a desired shape on one of our routers. This means we can accommodate 1 or 1000 panels with equal
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ease and ensures we can work on small, unique projects or high volume roll outs.
A1: Business has changed considerably in the last 15 years, especially with the current economic climate. How has this effected Applelec and have you had to make any changes in house to accommodate this?
Ian: Bucking the trend somewhat, Applelec has been in a growth phase over the last three years and this accelerated last year as we increased turnover by 44%. We now operate across three interconnected industries of lighting, display and signage, with many products utilised across these three sectors in different ways. With in- house manufacturing the majority of the projects we work on involve complex bespoke solutions. Carole: Applelec is identified in our
region as a high growth company and we’re continuing to generate jobs in both the manufacturing areas of the business and elsewhere. So, in terms of in-house changes, there’s a lot of new faces! We recently appointed an operations manager who’ll be looking at efficiency systems as we continue to grow and he’ll be implementing new production procedures including a job tracking system as his first objective in post.
A1: You have worked on some really high profile projects- what has been your biggest challenge?
Carole: That’s a really hard question as there are so many projects that spring to mind, particularly with LED Light Sheet. As this is a bespoke product, we’re continually working on unique project solutions and our work with shopfitters and other contractors following
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