MADE IN BRITAIN


BRITISH-MADE AND PROUD


Brexit, booming business and downright Britishness: DIY W eek questions three key Made in Britain manufacturers about wha t it means to run a home-grown opera tion in the DIY and gardening industry of today ...


T


aking part in our Made in Britain is Makita


Q&A


national sales manager Barry Smart, Henry Squire


ceo John Squire, and Whitefurze sales director Tr


Tracey Stone.


What does being a ‘Made in Britain’ business mean to you?


Squire: The ‘British made’ message is very important to Squir e. W


We We have


a unique heritage going back to 1780, so our r oots are very much in British manufacturing. As an eighth gen eration,


owned British lock manufacturer Squire’s experience in lock-making is unrivalled, with the highest quality , performance-led products.


Makita:Our Telfor d factory employs 300 people and manufactur es 65,000 tools a month, of which 25% goes to the British market and the balance is for export ar ound the world. We have a massive worldwide export supply line earning r evenues for the British economy..We believe the Made in Britain (MIB) tag is beneficial to both our UK sales and our global quality pr ofile.


y,, performance-led pr Te


We y We


independen t fa mily- r,,


Whitefurze: A big pull factor for both UK and international customers is our British made products. We been manufacturing in the UK for nearly 40 years and have always been able to guarantee the high standar ds that are associated with ‘Made in Britain’. W


We have We We make 100%


of our pr oduct range in the UK and this goes hand in hand with the ability to deliver on our brand pr omise. Being a UK manufactur er allows us to of fer quality products at competitive prices, deliver the quantity the customer wants, when the customer wants, and r esolve any issues directly and quickly


y and quickly y..


Do you think more retailers within the home improvement industry should promote/ support Made In Britain suppliers?


Squire: Ye for


Yes, absolutely. Support Squire’s products being


y.


manufactured in the UK has risen dramatically


y, innovatio y, as customers


increasingly demand products that are bespoke and personalised to their individual requir ements. Quality,y,, innovation, variety and flexibility of service is what you can expect fr om the UK – pr oducts that


typically t ake three months. We We eight to 1 2


months to produce in China, we can turn around in just two to e generate far less


waste because we manufactur e to customer r equirements rather than specific stock, so we’r e not wasting packaging or energy


y..


Makita: Yes, without a doubt, as Made in Britain r eflects quality and a very strong ethos of value for money. It must be r ecognised that, with more than 600 products in our UK sales catalogue, only a portion are manufactured here in the UK. However


wever


Makita national sales manager Barry Smart: “W e believe the Made in Britain tag is beneficial to both our UK sales and our global quality pr ofile.”


www.diyweek.net r,, the exact


same value-for-money principles ar e integrated into each and every Makita manufacturing plant in the world, so our UK customers


Whitefurze: More and more UK businesses are r ealising the benefits of supporting MIB suppliers. W continue to work closely with the UK’s major retailers and are now asked more often than ever for our UK-made credentials, which enable the use of Made in Britain POS. The pr esence of the Union Jack on packaging and labels is regarded highly at home and abroad as a badge of quality and also increases the visibility of UK-made products in-store.


rting MIB suppliers. We We


Whitefurze: W e make 100% of our product range in the UK and this goes hand in hand with the ability to deliver on our brand pr omise.


How has the Brexit vote affected you as a Made in Britain business?


Whitefurze: Brexit will never


diminish the many advantages that ther e ar e to being a MIB business. As a UK manufactur er we ar e able to fulfil the ‘wish list’ of any major UK r etailer – competitive pricing, short lead times, stock holding, flexible MOQs and bespoke pr oducts.


Makita: Weare not seeing any marked ef fect at the present time in the UK sales performance. However , our manufacturing centre has seen materials costs incr ease but, presently


We r,, ntly y,, this is being balanced


by the Euro improvement fr om our sales into the Euro zone.


Squire: Brexit has made the price of our British-made goods more competitive abroad. This is boosting Squire sales and, hence, our production in the UK


Do you think the Brexit result will affect British manuffa manufacturers? If so, how?


act


Makita: There is some concern for the future and also with regards to tariffs, should these become national


market manipulators.


But it is very early days without defined policies in place.


Squire: Suppliers who use pr oducts manufactur ed overseas will not be able to absorb incr eased costs and, no doubt, their prices will go up. This pr esents bigger opportunities for MIB pr oducts.


Whitefurze: Now that the Br exit vote has happened, we need to make the best of the situation. The cost of raw materials has always fluctuated and this is something that


any business must make


allowances for. In addition to this, there have always been pre- conceptions r egarding British-made pr oduct, the main one being cost. However


r,, we strongly believe that


the importance of high-quality products and excellent customer service counterbalance this.


24 FEBRUARY 2017 DIY WEEK 17


Whitefurze: Br exit has r efocused the minds of British manufacturers on export. Globalisation will continue to give r egional identity a special value, and, in our experience, the power of ‘brand Britain’ is bigger than ever befor e. Now is an ideal time for to


start


British manufactur ers exploring


the international market outsid e


wider of


Europe which, following the Brexit vote, may have an even greater exporting potential in the future.


What are your thoughts on how the vote has affected/ is affecting suppliers who use products manufactured overseas?


get the same quality and value benefits globally.


MADE IN BRITAIIN


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