Where would the industry be without Jade?

Glass Times visits the ‘new and improved’ Jade Engineering, which is gearing up for growth after a £4million investment in facilities and machinery, the introduction of a new managing director and the launch of a new division with JadeBespoke.

Jade’s distinctive and bespoke machinery can be found in PVC and aluminium production lines up and down the country, and without them, manufacturing would in many cases either grind to a halt or struggle to be anywhere near as efficient.

From fire doors to conservatory roofs, the examples of Jade’s engineering expertise are too numerous to list in full, but whether it’s helping Roseview to elevate its authentic sash window offering with the introduction of a slim meeting rail, working with Munster Joinery to increase production efficiencies or creating unique solutions for the likes of Aluplast and WarmCore, most would agree it is an essential element of the UK fenestration industry.

According to Garnalex’s Ben Hartshorn: “The Jade approach has saved a huge investment in punch tool stations which also saves an enormous amount of factory space, in addition to speeding up the simple but essential process of punching holes with greater accuracy and over many cycles.

“Jade understands the sector and is highly proactive; we go to them with a clear idea of what we want to achieve, and from our drawings and brief they come up with innovative and clever solutions.”

Praise indeed. And now, with the introduction of a new, £4million facility, Jade is ready to take its service offering to the next level.

Located just around the corner from its original premises, the upgraded factory is the result of Jade’s directors, Sean Mackey and Adam Jones, taking the decision to step back from the daily grind of running the business and positioning the company so that it has the capacity and structure in place to grow.

“For nearly two decades we have had an amazing time working with everyone from the major systems houses to many smaller independent fabricators, solving manufacturing problems and helping them achieve greater efficiencies and improved product quality,” said Sean.

“But it was clear to us that operationally we needed to make some major adjustments if we wanted to continue with that good faith and those strong relationships in the future.

“And while investment in the new facilities has given us the physical ability to grow, there has also been massive operational restructuring going on behind the scenes.”

Key to that has been the introduction of an experienced new managing director, Gareth Davies, who has been briefed to bring more of a corporate level of organisation to the business, retaining Sean and Adam as the well-known ‘faces’ of the business but allowing them to explore new opportunities for business growth.

With the new leadership structure in place, Jade’s vision is to become the UK’s leading supplier of precision tooling and specialist machinery to systems professionals and window and doors fabricators, via four divisions: JadeTooling, JadeConsult, JadeMachines and JadeBespoke.

The £4million investment also means the introduction of continuous training and development of Jade’s workforce, helping to attract and nurture fresh talent – and in turn raising the standard of service to customers – plus the space to accommodate new machinery such as a Star SX38 sliding head lathe.

Representing an outlay of £330,000, it is designed to produce small fixings and fasteners in small batch numbers, quickly, cost effectively and with a much faster lead time traditionally associated with ordering from the Far East.

“It not only significantly reduces supply chain risks but also introduces much greater control of production and R&D,” explains Adam Jones. “It brings British engineering excellence back into the supply chain.”

Problem? Solved!

A key part of Adam and Sean’s new focus will be on JadeConsult, where they can now offer a more proactive service to fabricators, engaging with them to better understand their challenges, how they can increase process efficiency and then – if required – create and design innovative solutions.

“We want to visit as many fabricators as we can, so that we can have general discussions about new ideas, perhaps identify issues before they arise and talk about production improvements,” continues Sean. “It’s almost like a health check service for manufacturers!”

“That’s primarily through JadeConsult, but we can expand on that with JadeBespoke. This is supported by a previous acquisition of a sheet metal company that has allowed us to create a range of ancillary products, such as racking and assembly benches.”

“Every aspect of the manufacturing process requires a subtly different approach, from designing and developing the tooling, to integrating different processes, storage and maintenance. It was important to create a framework which gave us, and our customers, the clarity to see where challenges might lie and solutions found,” continues Adam Jones. “We now have a clear-cut route for manufacturers to take, from the moment the profile comes through the door, and the finished product leaves it.”

Sean and Adam were particularly cognisant of the fact that Jade has been built on strong personal relationships, and that could potentially leave Jade, and its customers, vulnerable.

“While we have every intention of continuing to be the ‘face’ of the business – and indeed there are so many people out there we consider close personal friends – establishing systems that could run without us was a crucial element of futureproofing for both Jade and our customer base,” said Sean Mackey. “In the very unlikely event that we won the Euromillions and decided to see out our days on a tropical beach somewhere, we wanted to make sure our customers would not notice our absence!

“The reality is, though, that this investment has freed up our time. So our customers will probably be seeing even more of us!”