Member Article

Lancaster-based international cleanroom specialist launches ambitious growth bid

Award-winning cleanroom specialist, Connect 2 Cleanrooms, has set an ambitious target to more than double its turnover in the next three years.

The Lancaster-based firm is the European leader in supply of bespoke modular cleanrooms, and supplies validation services worldwide and consumables to drive efficiencies. Now in its 15th year, the company is aiming for a £20million turnover by 2020.

The past 18 months has seen the business put the foundations in place to achieve its financial targets.

Launched in 1992 by managing director Joe Govier and wife Lizzie, who is HR director, Connect 2 Cleanrooms has relied solely on inward investment for growth, never taking on any loans or credit.

Joe and Lizzie used £15,000 from the sale of a previous injection moulding business to establish Connect 2 Cleanrooms.

“Over the past 15 years we have built a pedigree in the sector and are now internationally renowned for the quality of our designs, manufacturing, installations, customer service and integrity,” Joe said.

“We have gained blue chip clients whose work has created some of the most innovative technologies and processes of recent years, and it is wonderful to know our products have played a part in these developments. Our years of experience and the level at which we work have helped enhance our reputation and give our customers confidence.

“The work we have completed over the last couple of years has set strong foundations for our rapid growth targets. This has included a bespoke e-commerce platform which is fully integrated with our customer relationship management software, expansion of our operations team and the creation of a territory-based sales team. Also key to our growth plans was the development of our company values, which all our staff played a part in. It shows our customers that we understand their needs and we are able to help achieve them.”

A cleanroom is an environment used in pharmaceutical work, manufacturing or other sectors where it is necessary to tightly control the levels of particles in the air. Pressurised airflow is used and digital monitors provide accurate readings of particle levels within the cleanroom providing real-time data.

Connect 2 Cleanrooms was a first mover in the sector in terms of its online focus and the firm has continued to constantly innovate and focus on growth. Its concentration on SEO from a very early stage gained it a strong foothold in the online space, enhanced by the launch of its e-commerce consumables site – Cleanroomshop.com. The company is still number one in Google natural listings for the term ‘cleanrooms’.

Growth has been enhanced by the acquisition and interpretation of customer and product data streams, which are followed up with targeted responses and campaigns, including bespoke territory-based sales information. This has benefits for new and existing customers, through product development and proactive problem solving via remote systems monitoring, and the business itself can make informed marketing decisions based on facts. The newly integrated e-commerce, accounts and CRM systems will form a key element of future data capture.

Joe, 45, qualified engineer, says he has ‘always’ had a passion for business. He was inspired at age 17 when he bought and restored a 1972 VW Beetle that was on its way to the scrapyard. His hard work got it through its MOT and the car took him all round the country, even meeting his future wife.

He continued: “Standing still is how you get left behind, so we are always looking at ways to move forwards and our horizon is always changing.

“The whole team has worked incredibly hard, investing time and money into laying our foundations, and we are now ready to push ahead with our growth. Our staff are the core strength of our business and we ensure we constantly motivate them and help them develop, which makes for a focused and successful business.”

The firm plans to keep its headquarters close to Lancaster, UK, but aims to secure a space four times the size of its existing premises. It has a southern office and an office in Utrecht, Netherlands, and plans to expand further into Europe next year, as well as heavily focusing on the rest of the world and maximising export opportunities.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Wyldfire PR .