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Read the latest news story where Corbetts discuss their long term plans during Brexit uncertainty and recent feature in the BBC, The Times and The Guardian.
With the uncertainty of Brexit presenting a number of challenges, how will the manufacturing industry cope? Corbett’s Finance Director Sophie Boothroyd was asked by the BBC, The Guardian and The Times about how the long-established leader of the UK Galvanizing industry will prepare for the change.
Some of the difficulties manufacturers like Corbetts are presented with include; the rising cost of materials, the free movement of labour and fluctuations within the industry. All of which could heavily impact the business.
Amidst these challenges, Corbetts are preparing for whatever lies ahead. With the aim of building a stable future, Corbetts plan to invest in new equipment and a number of senior appointments to target opportunities in the agricultural, transport infrastructure, street furniture and utilities markets.
“There has been a lot of discussion about what the next twelve months will bring UK manufacturing and most of it focuses around uncertainty and Brexit.”
“We can’t control these factors so our approach is very much about focusing on what we do best and how we can continue to win new business. The capacity is there with the recent investment and the extended management team gives us the skills we need to target new opportunities.”
“Our biggest sectors currently are utilities (made up in the most part by cable management product), transport (predominantly RV chassis) and parts for lighting columns and fencing. There’s still lots to go after in these sectors.”
Corbetts have already begun this process with a capacity upgrade of a larger galvanizing kettle in late 2017 as part of a £400,000 investment project, which has allowed them to provide quicker lead times, secure more contracts and improve internal infrastructure. In the Times article, Sophie Boothroyd talks about Corbetts approach:
“The biggest lesson we learnt in 2018 was the need to be proactive about forward planning and our willingness to change, adapt and overcome.”
One of the issues Corbetts are faced with is the ambiguity around the free movement of people. A significant number of employees who currently work at the Telford site are from Eastern Europe as Sophie explains in The Guardian article:
“The bigger concern for us is the free movement of labour, with one person leaving already.”
However, there are plans for investment in people too with the potential of creating 30 new jobs this year as a result of the overall growth plan to boost annual sales by 15%. With aims to recruit more people locally and take on more apprentices, Corbetts are ensuring long-term stability.
“One example is the way we are building relationships with local employment agencies, another is looking at a wider catchment area and how we can transport people in from Wolverhampton and surrounding areas.”
Another key area featured in the recent growth plans media coverage is the goal to achieve ISO 9001 accreditation, which is an international standard for quality management systems, benefitting Corbetts by allowing them to work on new projects in different markets.
Sophie confirmed to the BBC:
“The other big project for 2019 will be our commitment to securing the ISO 9001 accreditation, which will formalise our quality management systems. This will help us gain entry into other vertical markets and on high-profile projects that demand this standard as part of their tendering requirements – HS2 being a prime example.”
Regardless of Brexit uncertainty, it seems that Corbetts, a 200-year-old market leader in UK Galvanizing, is here to stay and isn’t putting growth plans on hold.
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