MEMBERNEWS MEMBER FOCUS: TRENT COVERS
Nottingham-based industrial textile manufacturer Trent Covers has been a prime example of how businesses have pivoted and innovated during Covid-19 to continue trading effectively. Owner Ben Lovejoy (pictured) explains to Business Network how he’s grown his firm and joined the coronavirus fight.
Tell us what your company does and a brief overview of its history? I started Trent Covers in 2013. It’s an industrial textile manufacturer based in Lenton, Nottingham, mainly making curtains and covers for lorries – as well as thermal and acoustic speed doors for factories, and covers for engineers, both locally and internationally. We have grown fairly rapidly over the past couple of years due to our innovative outlook, attention to detail on our products and our commitment to customer service.
What is your role in the business and what does your day-to-day role involve? I was a one-man band up until 18 months or so ago but we’re now a team of seven. I run the accounts and marketing side of the company on a daily basis, but my main passion is for product development and innovation. Our plan for the future is to continue to seek out products in the technical and industrial textile sector, and find ways to improve them.
‘We’re fortunate to be in a position to quickly and easily alter our product range to meet the challenges head on’
How have you fared during the Covid-19 pandemic? When lockdown happened, our order book plummeted, practically drying up overnight. My focus was on launching new products and, after a week or so, we received large upholstery orders and we manufactured more than 1,000 units of medical upholstery. This meant we joined the fight against coronavirus by supplying hospitals, including the Nightingales, with medical-grade seating to aid the efforts with infection control. When that production line was
set up, we brought over material from Germany and manufactured comfortable face masks, as well as importing FFP2, FFP3, Type IIR- grade face masks and visors that were CE-rated. We’re fortunate to be in a position to quickly and easily alter our product range to meet the challenges head on.
Entrepreneur supports
members marketing success A Nottingham entrepreneur and marketing expert is offering free support to Chamber members to help them survive and thrive in the latest round of Government lockdowns. Touchpoints Marketing owner Victoria
Prince (pictured) is looking to help others by offering five free places on her specialist marketing course, which gives first-hand advice to SMEs and entrepreneurs. Victoria’s Marketing MOT course is a 22-step checklist for auditing what is currently working in your business and looking at marketing methods with the greatest return on investment and prove most effective in reaching goals. Victoria said: “Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time
testing and trying out techniques which would most effectively reach my target audience,” said Victoria. “I have worked in a variety of industries and seen businesses grow anywhere from six to ten-fold from my advice. Marketing isn’t about doing more activity – it is about getting the right targeted approach which offers maximum results.” To help fellow Chamber members navigate the current climate, Victoria
is offering a series of free marketing support tools, including five free places on her online Marketing MOT course, which usually costs £195.
Sign up at
www.vip.touchpointsmarketing.co.uk From this, we were pitched a
new material that kills coronavirus on contact. Our initial scepticism was soon quashed when we saw the research, test results and the first samples. I’m very proud to be the Midlands distributor for Agivir, the surface fabric tested to kill coronavirus on contact by 99.5%, and even prouder to be the first company in the UK to manufacture with it. We fit out retailers, offices, public transport – pretty much anywhere that high volumes of people congregate without staff having the chance to clean the shared surface before the next person comes along. Having a very different product
range to our industrial base, the brand Medicova was launched and we’re extremely pleased with how well our coronavirus killing- products are benefitting businesses opening up to the public safely.
NEW MEMBERS
In November and December, the Chamber welcomed 47 new members:
• 1284 • Action Coach Chesterfield • ActionCOACH Derby & Burton • Anisha Parmar London • Aristotle Financial Planning • Arthur Civil Engineering Limited • Audiotel International • AV Industrial Products • BusinessWise Accountancy and Tax Limited
• Chemex • Chesterfield Escape Rooms • Colcrete Ltd (international member)
• Derbyshire Autism Services • Digital Networks Fire & Security • East Peak Countryside Associates CIC
• Empowering Insights • Equip Outdoor Technologies UK Limited (international)
• Evergreens Groups Ltd (international)
• Gigabit Networks Ltd • Grid Hosting Limited • HHMusic LLP • In Enterprise Hub Limited • Inklusive CIC Ltd
• Intelligent Vending Ltd (international)
• ITCSkills • Jisp • Katapult Limited (international) • Key Fleet Derbyshire • KIT365 Ltd • M&E Accident Repair Ltd • Move for Wellbeing • Peak Human Resources Ltd • Peak UK Kayaking Co Ltd (international)
• Pink Elephant Group Ltd (international)
• Porsche Centre Leicester • Premier Hearing • Resume Foundation • Robinson PLC (international) • Rompa Limited (international) • Starling Learning Solutions Ltd • Structural Investigation Services • TCE Transmission Limited • Training and Assessments Consultants Ltd
• Virtual World Studios Ltd • Wilsons Workwear • Workforce Solutions Group Ltd • WORLDFIRST
business network February 2021 23
What are the company’s plans for the future? Alongside the medical industry, we are about to branch out into shading, and have developed parasols and awnings, using commercial-grade materials with a long warranty at an affordable price. The material is tested to protect from UV rays with a UPF rating of factor 50.
How long have you been a member of East Midlands Chamber, and which membership products do you use? We only joined the Chamber recently and see opportunities in connecting with others. First and foremost, to network with potential customers, but also meeting people with expertise who might support my own – and our team’s – development in HR, legal, finance and marketing.
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