Member Article

Behind the business with Darfen

Clive Wragg, managing director at Darfen Durafencing, takes Bdaily behind the business.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

Without a doubt the on-going recession has generated several challenges for the industry. One of the key problems we face is the retention of the market share derived from our ability to differentiate ourselves from others. One of the ways we distinguish ourselves from other competitors is through the diversification of new markets and product ranges/systems. This constant attention to detail keeps us ahead of the pack. Another way we combat the effects of the recession is by continuing to provide our clients with excellent levels of service. Even though we remain under commercial pressure to reduce costs in a fiercely competitive market, often it is your levels of customer service which make you stand out from the crowd.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

Perhaps our biggest achievement was the successful adjustment of our organisation’s culture to recognise that we are a truly national provider. For example, we have recently won some very large projects, e.g. Arla Dairy Farm, where our expertise and skill has been trusted to carry out prestigious and highly-demanding contracts whilst maintaining a high level of customer service. It is for this reason we are extremely proud to have many famous faces and even royalty within our client base.

What is your biggest focus for the coming year?

Our biggest focus for the coming year is moving forward in terms of growth and expanding our client base/market share. We are committed to the ethos of ‘You are only as good as your staff’, so improving our workforce’s skill set is very important. It is essential that every staff member performs to their full potential so getting the most out of each member of our team is vital.

If you had to choose one top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business, or is currently operating within your industry sector, what would it be?

There are currently quite a few companies competing in this sector, so at present it is rather difficult for any new-comer to get a stable foothold in this market. Nevertheless, if you do want to get involved in this industry, the key is to take limited risks and plan well ahead. Also, of paramount importance is health and safety. If you try to cut corners, you will leave yourself and others exposed – in fact the time and money saved by taking these shortcuts is massively outweighed by the potential costs of not doing things properly.

Can you share with us your view of the current landscape of business, in this region or generally and where your organisation sits within it?

With on-going issues in the Eurozone and the expectation of further turbulent times, the outlook generally is quite bleak for the next year or two at least. This picture does however vary somewhat across the regions. Whilst it might be too soon to start prophesising about the ‘green shoots of recovery’, there are definitely an increasing number of opportunities out there. I’m not sure that I will be here at Darfen’s bicentenary, but having a century of experience under our belt certainly does set us apart from the rest in terms of reliability and quality.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .