A priority for 2013 is our focus on the private renovation and refurbishment market. Most market analysts have identified this as a sector showing positive signs of improvement and growth in the short term, so our response is to make sure we have the right offer for our customers in this area of the market................
2. What do you hope to achieve through your new marketing and promotions initiatives by the end of the year?
We want to reinforce our position as the leader in roofing solutions: not just tiles but fixings and components. There are a number of regulatory changes taking place over the coming year – for example, NHBC guidance and Eurocodes that will both have a direct impact on the fixing methods required for roofing systems.
Our objective therefore is to make sure that we are supplying the right products to help our customers achieve compliance quickly, easily and cost effectively on site. We will be introducing a number of new products over the year together with application guides (both printed and web-based) to help customers meet the challenges created by the new standards.
3. Why have you refocused your marketing on merchants? What has changed?
Merchants and stockists have always been the focus for our marketing and sales support. We place considerable emphasis on the importance of personal contact to make sure we work in partnership with our merchant customers, developing the right products and campaigns to work for our mutual benefit.This year we are reinforcing our merchant offer with the further development of our Redland Select initiative and a series of new products designed specifically for the stocking merchant and their independent contractor customers.
4. What are your primary merchant marketing initiatives this year?
Rapid Loft Board and Rapid Rafter Insulation are good examples of our product development programme. Launched just prior to Green Deal the insulation offer allows our Redland Select customers to be part of this new opportunity. As we are focusing on the private renovation market it makes sense to enable our contractor customers to offer the whole roofing system – including insulation.
This is just the first merchant promotion for 2013. Throughout the year there will be a series of promotional campaigns for our merchant customers, each focusing on a specific product area.
5. You have developed a range of universal components that can be used with any roofing system. To what extent does this reflect the construction market at the moment?
There is no doubting the shift towards the use of mechanical fixing methods for the whole roof. NHBC guidance made this clear for new house building and Eurocodes will highlight this issue for all roof installations. Our response to changing regulations and site practice was to introduce our Rapid + range of universal components, designed to be stocked by merchants and used by independent roofing contractors working in the domestic sector.
6. What are your primary aims with regard to the Redland Select scheme?
Redland Select, established in 2011, is a way of providing contractors working on domestic renovation projects with a comprehensive product range covered by our 10 year Home Spec system guarantee. Contractors will source the products for these projects via our merchant customers who benefit from additional sales and added value. The Redland Select concept has been a key driver in the development of our universal components and now also our insulation offer, all of which are designed to be easy for both merchant and contractor to store, distribute and use.
The Redland Select Scheme is working extremely well so far, with over 400 contractors signed up. In 2013 we want to expand the scheme further to make sure we have a really strong nationwide representation.
A key part of the offer for our Redland Select contractors is the generation of enquiries from householders. This year will therefore see a huge promotional campaign supporting the myredlandroof.co.uk website.We will be using social and digital media to nurture our ongoing relationship with homeowners. Our objective is to capture anyone looking on the internet for a reliable roofing contractor. Our unique combination of system guarantees and the reassurance of quality-checked tradesmen provides the attractive promise of peace of mind for the homeowner.
This year we will also be promoting our service directly to the huge number of RIBA accredited architects working on domestic refurbishment and extension projects, recognising the influence they have and their requirements for quality assurance on the roofing systems they specify.
7. How can merchant customers help you achieve those aims?
Our merchant customers are a vital part of the Redland Select programme. As this is designed to drive sales through merchants, our offer is only as convincing as the service the contractors receive at the point of purchase. Our sales team will be visiting all of our merchant customers regularly to provide updates and information on the newest products and the development of the Redland Select offer. We place our trust in our merchant customers to ensure that the contractors receive the fast and efficient service we would like to consider a natural element of the Redland brand offer.8. What do you think that you are bringing to the company in your role?
For me, the Redland brand represents quality and innovation. Quality of product and quality of service at a consistently high level. Our customers also expect Redland to have a continuing programme of new product and service development. My key areas of focus are further improvements in quality and increasing the speed of innovation.
9. Where do you want Redland to be by the end of the year?
We are looking to further strengthen our brand in the B2B and housebuilder sectors. We need to ensure that we position ourselves as a responsible manufacturer providing not only market-leading technical solutions, but also the guarantees, technical expertise and marketing support that our customers are looking for.
10. What do you see as your most pressing task over the course of this year?
Delivering the improvements that are tangible to our customers. In an environment that continues to be difficult we need to deliver real action to help our customers sell more product at better margins.
11. You started your working life with Redland: 17 years with the company in the UK followed by 17 years for Monier Group in China, Holland and Belgium. How has this experience informed your ideas and aims for the company?
Wherever Redland (or Monier) operates we aim to be the best in delivering value to our customers. This requires the commitment of everyone in the company in ensuring that quality is at the forefront of everything we do.
This absolute focus on developing our people to fulfil their potential is a constant in all the countries I have worked in. In my view it represents a core value that is fundamental to maintaining the market leading position we occupy.
12. What do you think is the most important lesson you’ve learned during your career?
Perfection is a fine aspiration, but it is better to be 95% right and act quickly than to wait for 100% perfection and be too late.
13. Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?
I have been lucky to work with several managers who have taken the time to help me in my career. I want to do the same for others who are now coming up through the business – everyone should be actively encouraged to progress as far as they can.
14. If you could go back to the beginning of your career and tell yourself one thing, what would it be?
The name of the winning horse in the 1979 Grand National.
this article appeared in an issue of BMj magazine
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