Investing in the future for doors

Twelve months on from a management buyout, Stephen Nadin, managing director of Endurance Doors, talks about the next chapter of investment for the business as it looks to continue its upward trajectory of strong growth.

It seems only like yesterday when the management buyout went through in the middle of a global pandemic, yet 12 months on the enthusiasm with my fellow director owners and myself hasn’t diminished one bit.

It’s all part of a long-term journey to build a business and a brand in Endurance that’s a real champion for product excellence, design and upmost customer care.

We’re now a group with a turnover of £30m across three business units, employing over 230 people and producing over 1,000 premium entrance doors every week. The latter a remarkable statistic when you consider that each Endurance door is assembled and crafted from a solid timber door blank at the beginning of the manufacturing process.

In our previous financial year, we invested over £1million across the business in capital equipment, warehousing, distribution, extended facilities, IT infrastructure and software development, including Big Change distribution software and Touch Portal, along with an increase in staff and in staff training across all business facets.

The investment is just part of a longer-term plan for the business and last calendar year, Endurance Doors enjoyed a growth of 85% this despite widely reported supply chain issues across the industry.

This year will also see further investment of around £850k, made possible by our sound financial platform and because, as an owner/managed business, we can make decisions quickly without the shackles of a corporate group structure. It will also be a year in which the environment and sustainability will be at the top of our social and business agenda too.

Further investment in new offices and training rooms is already planned and we’re also committed to expanding our delivery fleet, along with other machinery and equipment upgrades. Yet one of the most exciting investments this year will be the opening of a dedicated marketing, showroom and training academy on a separate site to our main facility.

This will allow us to build a cutting-edge retail environment to showcase our extensive door range and importantly use it as a platform for product launches, such as our eagerly awaited ultra-premium Avantal door.

We will also be able to use this facility to produce more video content and from a technical perspective this will also be covered within our Training Academy. We have also brought on a new HR Manager, who is already liaising with local schools and colleges to help make us one of the most exciting manufacturing businesses with regards to careers in the local area.

Finally, we’re investing in solar panels and in a number of charge points. The former will help us generate electricity on site, reducing the reliance on our 100% renewables electricity provider and the latter our move into more electric company vehicles and also as a provision for our visitors. Sustainability and the environment will underpin all business decisions as we move forward.

We’re investing heavily in the business not just for our immediate needs but also in anticipated future ones too and that includes our commitment to sustainability and the environment.

The state-of-the-art showroom will be open in the coming months as will our training academy as we look to cement our position as a market leader in the door sector. It’s also re-assuring for our installer partners that we are committing more money than ever before in a better future together.