VIEWPOINT


KEEPING ONE STEP AHEAD


James Beesley, commercial director at Beesley & Fildes, discusses the importance of investing for the future and staying ahead of customers’ needs.


THE PAST TWO years have been challenging for all businesses, creating ongoing uncertainty and for many, a focus on survival. Against this backdrop, investment can feel high risk but without it, a business stands still and in the builders merchant industry, this risks failing to keep up with customers’ demands. When considering an


investment in your business, there is inevitably, a tricky balance to strike between risk and opportunity. However, with some strategic planning and a focus on the future and its impact, the rewards are vast.


Building confidence When I returned to Beesley & Fildes as commercial director nearly 12 months ago, I began to look more forensically at previous investment in our Widnes depot. In the main, it had been ad-hoc and largely reactive. As a result, some of the depot’s facilities were the same as they were 25 years ago.


The issue was that we had never really had a plan. Ideas were raised but not followed through and that slowed the whole process. As far as new equipment was concerned, this meant we were failing to keep up with advances in new technology. To address this, we put an investment strategy in place with the expertise of our mill manager. We looked at what we needed to improve to meet our customers’ needs now and in the future, and achieve business growth. This plan gave us the confidence to make a significant, long-term investment aimed at benefiting Beesley & Fildes for the next 5-10 years.


In total, this plan has seen October 2022 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


As we want to keep growing over the next five years,


the technology can also accommodate any increases in capacity, giving us the flexibility to potentially purchase new sites in the future.”


us invest £3m in upgrading our facilities. This includes £1.2m in overhauling equipment at our timber milling facility in Widnes and a further £2.2m in the development of a new distribution centre spanning 4.2 acres. This improvement and expansion will ensure we can meet customers’ changing demands, fulfil orders more quickly and efficiently, and are in a strong position for further business growth.


The introduction of new, automated technology is central to our strategy. This machinery has been selected based on several factors, including the ability to maximise productivity, ease of use and throughput. As we want to keep growing over the next five years, the technology can also accommodate any increases in capacity, giving us the flexibility to potentially purchase new sites in the future. A further benefit is that our employees no longer have to spend time learning how to operate old, complex, and labour- intensive machinery. This has shifted our recruitment priorities which now include attracting people with more computer-based skills. As the equipment is very user-friendly, only limited training


is required which is also helping to open opportunities for a broader range of people and helping us to overcome skills shortages in the construction sector.


Putting people first Of course, even the most advanced machinery is no substitute for good people, so continuous investment in our workforce is also crucial. We want to ensure all branches are fully staffed and offer customers the appropriate level of expertise. To achieve this aim, we have recently appointed a recruitment specialist, enabling us to be more proactive and efficient when hiring new team members. We also invest heavily in ongoing training and support to keep people motivated and on a firm career path. That includes industry-specific learning with the BMF, within product sectors or from suppliers, training from counter level through to sales, and the opportunity to partake in specialist courses such as mental health awareness.


Taking a long-term view is as important for people as it is for machinery. Ultimately, this continuous investment will ensure we have employees with strong and diverse skill sets.


Staying ahead As our customers’ demands continue to rapidly grow, and change, the builders merchant industry has to keep up with the pace. Investing for the future is key to achieving this.


While not without risk, a strategic investment focused on both people and processes can create opportunities that are too valuable to miss – both for merchants and the customers we serve. BMJ


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