SECURITY DOORS AND WINDOWS
Ancora House, a child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit in Chester operated by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and designed by Gilling Dod Architects. The aluminium CleanVent sliding bedroom window features electric interstitial blinds and a patient lock.
new-build and replacement schemes. The acquisition really opened up business for us in, for example, security for the mental health estate, both in the public and private sectors – and in work for the Ministry of Justice, in the latter case with the growing need to upgrade the prison estate. Of course, post-Grenfell, the whole construction industry is continuously reviewing the fire rating of both new and existing buildings.”
JB: “How many people does the Crittall Fendor business employ today, and has that number contracted or expanded since the Fendor acquisition in 2017?” GE: We currently employ 47 across the Crittall Fendor business, a staffing level very similar to that of the two businesses we purchased during 2016/17. We are beginning to add new staff and factory operatives as we move forward into 2020, with new opportunities being developed as we seek to grow the business by 30-40% in the coming 18 months.”
JB: “That’s encouraging news, Graham. Has there been any significant investment at the Fendor site in Washington, Tyne and Wear, in the past 2-3 years, either in personnel, or buildings/equipment and, if so, what was the rationale behind it? Equally, are there any plans for further investment in the short-to-medium term?” GE: “Investment initially has been into securing assets post-acquisition, and we are currently looking at improvements to both our IT systems and CNC machinery. We have also invested time and resource into developing a Barless Window for the Ministry of Justice, for use in its upcoming construction of several new Category C prisons. Additionally, we introduced the T60 Thermal Break product in 2019, and have invested heavily on marketing it, and in improving our overall website offering.
22 JANUARY 2020 | THE NETWORK
“We continue to invest heavily in R&D to meet the changing requirements of our customers, and have two staff dedicated to Product Design R&D.”
JB: “The Crittall Fendor website describes the company as ‘arguably the most progressive innovator of specialist fenestration products in Europe’. Can you elaborate on what makes the company stand out?” GE: “I would say our portfolio of IP /
trademarks across a range of products targeted at all the major specialist sectors, coupled with the extensive technical knowledge and experience in technical sales, product design, and installing products in secure environments, that several of our key senior staff possess.”
JB: “To what extent has the Fendor acquisition boosted Crittall’s existing geographical reach, in terms of enabling the Group to reach new territories?”
Left: Crittall Fendor’s headquarters in Spire Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear. Below: inside the manufacturing facility – the company is aiming to grow its business by 30-40 per cent over the next 18 months.
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