{"id":2829,"date":"2015-04-21T10:56:28","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T10:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/designbuybuild.co.uk\/?p=2829"},"modified":"2015-04-21T11:12:43","modified_gmt":"2015-04-21T11:12:43","slug":"uk-manufacturing-stellar-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/designbuybuild.co.uk\/uk-manufacturing-stellar-success-story\/","title":{"rendered":"A UK manufacturing stellar success story."},"content":{"rendered":"
With political leaders calling for a \u2018John Lewis economy\u2019, a recently-established Wiltshire\u00a0<\/strong>furniture-maker has already proven the benefit of broad-based ownership and defied the economic gloom.<\/strong><\/p>\n Set up by a group of eight Mark Wilkinson, Linley and Smallbone ex-employees, each one bringing with them different skills and talents to the business, McCarron & Co\u2019s carefully selected team, have produced a 55% increase in turnover, year on year and are that rare manufacturing success story in a tough economic market.\u00a0 Turnover is currently at \u00a33.8million in year 5.\u00a0 McCarron & Co\u2019s business highlights:<\/p>\n – Consistent turnover: 55% margin year on year (from zero to 3.8m in five years with 5.3m forecast for 2016)<\/p>\n – Consistent growth: 1.5 times growth year on year<\/p>\n – This year\u2019s Y\/E financial accounts show the business making an 8% profit<\/p>\n – Ownership structure of 8 shareholders: all of whom invested their own money and work full time within a current team of 45 personnel<\/p>\n – Exceptional knowledge: 25 years of skills and experience at top level<\/p>\n – Vision: expanding furniture design from predominantly kitchens to whole house using current and innovative designs and materials<\/p>\n – Planning: Machinery and premises infrastructure in place for a 4 fold increase, all machinery owned by company<\/p>\n – Niche in the market: provide a fully integrated design service from initial discussion and design through to installation<\/p>\n – 4 years after launching the company they opened a showroom in Chelsea and 1.5 years later they are opening a second central London showroom<\/p>\n – Product development: constantly evolving new product enabling McCarron & Co to embrace and stay at forefront of new materials and innovation trends<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always being said that there is no manufacturing left in this country.\u00a0 That traditional skills are dying out.\u00a0 That we can\u2019t compete with imported goods from the emerging, low-wage economies.\u201d says managing director Andy McCarron.\u00a0 Yet McCarron & Co who design, build and install high-quality furniture for kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and studies has gone from zero to \u00a33.8m, despite launching in the teeth of the recession in 2009.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Drawing on the skills of locally employed craftsmen, at a 36,000 square feet workshop in Wiltshire, the company made a modest profit in its fourth year and has bought and paid for all the equipment that it needs to meet an anticipated five-fold increase in production.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t borrowed a penny and we don\u2019t owe a penny.\u201d\u00a0 says sales and marketing director Richard Jackson, one of the eight founder\/shareholders of the Bromham-based furniture-maker McCarron & Co, all of whom invested their own money in the business and all of whom work full-time, getting their hands dirty in roles ranging from machinist to sales director.\u201d\u00a0 Andy McCarron adds \u201cWe believe that the ownership structure of the company, which guarantees high levels of motivation, has been a significant factor in the success.\u201d<\/p>\n What else is behind this recession-busting start to the company\u2019s life? Richard says \u201cExperience, hard work and a complete unwillingness to accept that there is anything that cannot be improved\u201d.\u00a0 The company\u2019s exceptional furniture is based on a combination of new technology, new thinking and old-fashioned craftsmanship.\u00a0 \u201cEssentially, we\u2019ve taken something we\u2019ve all been doing for about 25 years, broken it down and started afresh.<\/p>\n