Renegade Conservatory Guy

This is probably one of the best interviews I’ve had on this website. John contacted me to point out that people using proxy servers were struggling to comment on my posts. I think we’ve fixed the problem, although I’ve still no idea what a proxy server is???

John is the IT Manager of Crittall Windows, and a self confimed ‘geek’ although I’m sure when you read the following interview you’ll realise he’s not your average computer geek.

What is your background in steel windows, and how did you come to be working for Crittall Windows?

I have been IT Manager at Crittall Windows for 15 years. It is my first job in the windows and door industry. Previously, I was Manufacturing Systems Manager in the Engineering Division of VSEL (now part of BAE Systems).

VSEL built the UK Trident nuclear submarine fleet, and Trafalgar Class hunter-killer submarines, surface vessels like HMS Invincible, land based armaments like self-propelled howitzers, and sea-based armaments like the Sea Wolf missile system. The only windows and doors we were interested in, were watertight doors, escape hatches, and portholes. There weren’t many features and options to worry us, but they were all made of metal.

VSEL was going through a significant culture change, privatisation, and the introduction of competitive tendering for shipbuilding contracts forced the management of the business to adopt a new commercial approach. With a workforce approaching 15,000, there would be no quick fix.

The CEO looked to create a group of like-minded individuals to act as “agents for change.” Over a 4-year period, the VSEL Executive Programme identified around 40 people to attend Lancaster University and study for an MBA. I was one of those selected. The group worked with a group of consultants to put forward proposals to change the way the company operated.

At the same time, the “peace dividend” from the break up of the Warsaw Pact, and Soviet Union was slowing down order intake. Each quarter saw another round of redundancies. While we were “thinking out of the box” seeking a “paradigm shift” and a whole series of other buzz words, people were losing their livelihoods.

It came to a head, for me, when I had to make one of my best friends redundant. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I got the “tap on the shoulder.” I decided it was time for me to broaden my experience in the commercial world.

I saw an advert in “The Daily Telegraph” for an IT Manager in North Essex, and applied. My interview with David Blake, the MD, and Derek Hooper, the FD, was carried out through a pall of smoke, and I said about 2 words. The real interview was in Derek Hooper’s car as he gave me a lift to the station. I also discovered that the same consultants, who we were working with at VSEL, were starting work at Crittall.

My introduction to steel windows actually came quite early in life. I was brought up in a row of imposing, Victorian semis. At the end of the row, the local coal merchant built himself a typical 1930s art deco home. It had a flat roof, white rendered walls, curved corners, and curved steel windows.

Eventually I left home to attend University, and then to work in London. One summer, I returned and was absolutely horrified to discover that someone had “modernised” the art deco villa. It now sported a pitched roof, the render was replaced with pebbledash, and the smooth curved steel windows had been replaced by facetted uPVC. I didn’t realise then what influence steel windows was to have in my life.

Crittall must be one of the oldest names in the Window and Door industry. Why do they need an IT Manager? Surely, everything is still done the old fashioned way?

Crittall has always seen innovation as a source of competitive advantage. Innovation in manufacturing processes, product design, employee welfare, and order processing is behind the continued success of the business.

The introduction of the patented fenestra joint, hot-dipped galvanizing for steel frames, the building of Silver End village for its workforce, and the commissioning of the first main-frame computer in Essex are all examples of the company’s innovative approach.

Of course, some of the manufacturing processes owe more to the art of the blacksmith than they do the skill of the engineer, but where possible, we are always looking to improve efficiency, and accuracy by investing in manufacturing technology.

As a 160-year-old company, you can imagine that many of our business processes, are steeped in tradition, their origin lost in the mists of time. We look to realise the benefits of introducing new technology, but also have to recognise that many of the old practices have their place too.

In the same way, we recognise the need to invest in Information Technology. We have recently installed the latest version of our integrated ERP system, SyteLine from Infor, which is interfaced with V6 from SoftTech. It supports the business from order receipt, through design, manufacture, installation and cash collection. Although we have a CAD system, which can improve efficiency and consistency of approach, we still have designers who prefer to use a drawing board, and, indeed, some customers who are happier to receive manually drawn designs.

The secret of our success is to be able to accommodate the traditional approach within our modernisation programme.

I know very little about steel windows, but how big is the market, and how are steel windows moving with the times? Can you get A-C Rated steel windows?

Within the UK, the steel windows market is about £35m per annum. It is not growing, and, if anything, unless the latest proposals for Part L are modified, is likely to shrink significantly. We export to North America, Mainland Europe, and The Middle and Far East through agents, where steel windows are seen as a high-quality, luxury product, unlike the UK, where, in the residential market, they will forever be associated with social housing.

As you can imagine, product development is very high on our agenda at the moment.

We are currently working towards gaining a C Rating for our Homelight Range, which we believe to be achievable with minor modifications, and without sacrificing those things, which make steel windows attractive.

We are also working to gain secured by design status for our ranges.

Over the last few years, we have been working with our steel profile supplier to produce a thermally broken steel window.

From a purely personal point of view, I believe we may succeed in producing a window, which meets all of the requirements of Part L, but will lose many of the attributes and characteristics of a traditional steel window.

Why do you think so many uPVC window fabricators and installers seem to be failing?

Times are hard for all of us in AEC. It’s not just uPVC suppliers who are failing. I read in Construction News last week that 1 in 4 of all company collapses in the UK are in the construction sector. That equates to 17 each day.

The barriers to entry into the uPVC fabricator/installer market, as you, yourself discovered, are very low. This can result in an oversupply to the market, and strong price competition. Buying work, just to keep busy is a common tactic, but is unsustainable.

The global recession has seen consumer confidence weaken, house prices drop, and the availability of credit for homeowners all but disappear. Anyone who focuses on the residential market is bound to have been hit harder. In the Public Sector, the government’s Decent Homes Initiative has helped provide some relief from the downturn.

However, the uPVC market has been in decline since 2004, well before the effect of the “credit crunch.” It was forecast to bottom out and start to rise in 2008, as the second-time uPVC replacement market began to grow. This upturn has been delayed by the recession.

Consumers have a much wider and deeper awareness of the environmental, social and economic impact of all building work. As a result, uPVC is coming under increasing pressure as a building material. There is increasing competition from timber and aluminium.

The second-time uPVC replacement market will start to grow as the recession lifts, but sales will not be easy. Decisions will be discretionary, so, as well as competition from other materials, you will face competition from substitute products e.g. I have £10,000 to spend on home improvement – should I replace my windows or buy a Jacuzzi? (I know which I’d go for!)

I notice you’re on Twitter at http://twitter.com/johnkatcrittall. I’ve tried Twitter and felt it was a waste of my time. How do you feel social media will benefit Crittall Windows and other companies in our industry?

Your response is typical. I’ve read somewhere that around 70% of those who sign up for Twitter give it up very quickly. I completely understand why that is.

I’ve been using Twitter for 6 months or so, following a workshop we had with marketing, and PR Consultant, Paul Wilkinson. Paul is a leading light in the movement to improve collaboration within the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industries. He conducted an audit of our Social Media presence, and was quite impressed with what we had achieved, with very little effort. He showed us other tools we could use to increase our presence, and influence using social media.

You, yourself, have successfully embraced social media with Renegade Conservatory Guy. Blogging is one of the best ways to get your message across, and enter into debate about the issues you want to discuss.

I signed up for Twitter, and, I must confess, like you, I thought it was a waste of time. I tweeted a few times, found a few people who, I thought, would be interesting to follow, but they didn’t follow me back, and… nothing… I left it alone for about a month, and decided to have one last effort at making it work. It was pretty much like my first efforts, until I had my “Twitter Moment”

It sounds ridiculous, but I tweeted something about the new Lego architecture series. There was an article in Architects Journal with a picture of Fallingwater, an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright designed house. It was built with Crittall steel windows, so I tweeted that. It was picked up by someone, and retweeted. Someone else noticed that there was someone from Crittall on Twitter, and tweeted that. Soon my following started to grow, and I was contributing to conversations, and all the time learning about how best to use Twitter.

Of course, I want to promote Crittall Windows using Twitter, but I try to achieve that by adding value to my followers, and those whom I’m following.

No one is going to walk up to Crittall Windows’ reception and say, I was so impressed with John’s tweets that I want to give you an order. Although we have been involved from a very early stage on a potential project, because I saw a reference to it from the architect on Twitter, and passed details on to our commercial manager, who is now also tweeting.

I tweet links to news items, and to things I find of interest, I retweet requests for help, I engage in conversations about current issues, I enjoy some light banter, and where I have relevant knowledge or experience, I offer help and advice to anyone who needs it. In short, I am networking, as I would in the real world, but using a tool, which provides me with the ability to reach more people, in a wider geographical area.

I’m also trying desperately to win a year’s free pies from @HollandsPies!

We also have company pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. More recently, I have created 2 blogs, one for personal thoughts and experiences, and the other, a photo blog to promote steel windows.

It is difficult to say if the company achieves a measurable return on the investment that I make in Social Media. What I am trying to do is keep the company’s name, and products in specifiers’ minds.

As a result of my efforts on Twitter, and the other Web 2.0 sites, I have been interviewed for articles in Building Magazine, and Construction Manager Magazine.

Within the UK AEC industry, there is a growing presence on Twitter, and tweeting is followed up by get-togethers, known as tweet-ups (I hate the jargon), which are, in effect, business networking events. In the construction industry, a number of orders come about as a direct result of recommendation from our contacts in other trades.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe the second-time uPVC replacement market will be discretionary. Consumers will want to make an informed decision about what they want and from whom they want to buy.

Access to the Internet makes it easier for them to research the market and potential suppliers. You need to have more than a website. A single point of presence on the web, which is little more than a project and product gallery, is not enough. You need references back to your company website, and reviews of your products and service.

The growth in use of social media sites means that your company could be subject to criticism, fair or unfair, without you knowing it. I use Google alerts to identify any news items, blog posts, or web sites that mention certain keywords. Each day I receive an email for each alert. I can choose what action I need to take.

Twitter is more immediate than blogs or news reports, it is more like a series of conversations, so Google alerts aren’t appropriate. Twitter has a real-time search capability, which allows me to respond almost immediately to any tweet, which contains the word “Crittall” or “steel windows”, or any other keywords I choose. This is extremely powerful in maintaining a company’s reputation, and improving customer service.

Remember, if you are not using a site like Twitter, you don’t know what they’re saying about you.

I notice on your Twitter page that you share my dislike of a certain football team that plays in white, and are in League 1 (I can’t bring myself to say the name). Would you agree with me that it is Huddersfield Town who are the greatest football team in West Yorkshire?

My strong dislike of a certain team in white, who shall remain nameless, comes from my formative years in the 70s when they were almost all conquering.

I’ve been doing some research on Huddersfield Town and haven’t found any reference to Huddersfield and football in the same sentence.

The nearest I got was the old music hall song “She was only a footballer’s daughter, but she liked her ‘Uddersfield (and her Arsenal)”

For more information about Crittall Windows visit: http://www.crittall-windows.co.uk/