GB PLASTICS
digging information out, all the girls in the accounts department really rely on her, she’s worked at a trade counter, and she knows all the products.” But like all small businesses, there are still challenges along the way. “There isn’t a massive amount of multi-depo independents, but there are some in our area. Our biggest competitors are the nationals, even the PVC sector has been through that, like the industry has as a whole, especially the independent merchants. “There are some really big key players who are manufacturers as well, so the like of Eurocell and SIG are big competitors for us, but having said that I’d like to think that we do something a little different, we sell on our strengths. You’ll never hear us say that we’re the cheapest but it’s quality service at a value. We probably don’t have the buying power they have or the trade counter network, so we have to do something different,” explains Hill.
Training
ranges and are training staff so that we have a group of experts on specialist product range. All our branch staff know who has completed this training so they or the customer can call on them for advice if needed. Key training programmes cover our core ranges and additional individual product type trainings on fascias and recent training day at our Banbury
“The NVQ’s came about a couple of years ago and we had a bit of a sit down and said how do we ensure that everyone is well trained. We have high standards, everyone at counter
“We have identified key product ranges and are training staff so that we have a group of experts on every specialist product range.”
“
level has a training manual which gets ticked off as they work through. But we want to add value for the employees and give them something they can use if they chose to move on, so we started with the NVQ’s. New employees including the drivers have to have a minimum Level 2 NVQ in Customer Services, and if they don’t then it will be part of the recruitment process. We offer this to everyone who works for us, and it costs us nothing. We do lots of product training, some of which is in house and we often get our suppliers to come in, they do focus days and we get customers in also, which gives us a nice opportunity to build a relationship with them. For our more senior staff such as branch managers and department heads,
GBP’s Oswestry branch
we have a comprehensive interview and assessment stage, followed by a three month training programme once they start with us. This involves them visiting each of our branches to develop their understanding of how the branches to develop their understanding of how the branches operate day-by-day, which gives them a solid starting point and excellent knowledge from day one in their own branch and departments.”
The next generation of apprentices coming through, as Hill explains: “We started our and that’s a voluntary commitment to having 5% of our workforce as apprentices. We have four in total, plan to employ one in every branch, but the challenge now is that they’re We’re trying to devise a management apprenticeship scheme which will help us grow our team as well.” Despite a slow-down during the recession, General Building Plastics aim to go onward and upward, carrying on the family ethic and focusing on employees and customers, reaching for the “ultimate aim, to be the known brand for PVC building products in the central region.”
BMJ June 2017 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
