Moving Forwards or Backwards?

Dear Editor

On behalf of Oakland Glass and in support of many others in our industry, this is the first time I have felt compelled to put pen to paper and write to you. I am sure I am not alone in sharing concern with other readers at the letter published last week from Swiss Spacer managing director, Matthius Meissner. Advising the UK window industry to halt investment and telling companies to 'keep money in their bank' seems at best short sighted, and at worst downright dangerous. Take Mr Meissner's suggestions to their natural conclusion and as an industry we may as well pack up and go home! It's a basic business principle that if you're not moving forward, you're moving backwards and when the economy does settle, as it will, you'll find you're left with too much ground to catch up.

The issue isn't about stopping investment. It's about investing wisely. As one of the leading glass processors in the UK, we know from experience that staying ahead of market trends by investing to offer customers the best products at the best price is the key to a sustainable business. That's why we put our money where our mouth is as the first company to invest with For.EL and Super Spacer in the UK. In the last two years, thanks to this investment we have gone from 6,000 units a week to 14,000. This growth isn't just down to energy saving performance, but also the ability to produce value added product at no extra cost to customers.

Maybe we can take a word from Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of one of the iconic businesses of the last decade, Apple. ‘A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.’ And who can argue with him?

Yours sincerely

David Scholefield, Sales Director, Oakland Glass