Victorian Sliders
For most in this sector, the Coronavirus and its effects have made a big impact. In this edition we talk to Andy Jones, Managing Director at Victorian Sliders, to discuss how this has affected business for the company and its customers.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The beginning of 2020 had seen a great start for Victorian Sliders, the company which exclusively extrudes, fabricates and delivers PVC-U vertical sliding windows to the trade. Despite the sudden impact from national Lockdown, the company still managed to achieve figures 18% higher in February this year than the same time in 2019.
“Lockdown gave us a period of time to evaluate the business as a whole with a focus on our core competencies. With an empty factory, it’s possible to look at what works well and also at what needs to change in order to future-proof Victorian Sliders. We have scrutinised every detail and subsequently made alterations which we believe will bring a positive result for our customers as well as the team.
This appraisal has been handled across the board at Victorian Sliders facilities, production methods, staffing levels and logistics.
Victorian Sliders has grown substantially over the years, but there were methods to production and the running of the business that needed altering. For example, we had run a 12-hour shift pattern over 4 days which was less productive than the alternative shifts we have introduced now, that will run over 5 days,” Andy commented.
Over the last 5 years, there have been huge investments made worth over £12million, that provide Victorian Sliders with unique efficiencies in the sector. The purpose-built 240,000 square foot production facility is Europe’s largest specialist extrusion and fabrication plant.
The popularity of the ECOSlide vertical sliding sash window remains high with customers and end-users alike, who are looking to add a striking aesthetic and true value to both replacement projects and new build developments.
Andy continues, “We are completely unique as a supplier, with all of our supply chain completely integrated – from extrusion and fabrication to arch manufacturing, colour and hardware. This gives us optimum quality control and has made us the most cost-effective company in terms of output.
Our costs are cheaper as we have complete control over the manu