From the initial approach by The Manufacturer right through to the finished article I can honestly say that it was an interesting and rewarding experience. The interview conducted by yourselves was quite relaxed and managed to tease out all of the values that we hold so dear and this resulted in an extremely interesting article that we hope has inspired like minded companies to match the Lander journey as well as catching the eye of prospective and current clients. We know that our suppliers were keen to support us in this venture and they too have found positive feedback from their efforts. We have also received an approach from a major OEM with whom we have had little contact over the last 3 yrs but they took note of the article, were impressed with what they read, and we are now responding to a very interesting enquiry. So we will continue to promote and deliver good practice at Lander and with your support we are assured that our progress gets noticed in those areas that matter most. Thanks to all of the team at The Manufacturer.
Steve Bailey, Group Director, Lander Group
It probably took us 4 or 5 years to finally embark on a Case Study of Synseal with The Manufacturer, and I suppose for most of that time there was a huge apprehension as to the level of commitment and time that would be needed to complete this task. After going through the process with your people, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it all turned out to be. The interview process, involving a number of my co-directors and I, was made to feel like a relaxed discussion over something that we feel very passionate about…our own business..and made a nonsense of any apprehension we had previously. The presentation in The Manufacturer captured everything that we are proud of in our business, and highlighted our passion for what has been achieved, and also for continuous improvement. As with this type of process, we were also concerned that our suppliers may be made to feel pressurised to contribute to the study. Again it is thanks to the way in which your team made any contact or communication with our supply partners that there have been no adverse comments from any of them with regard to any of the process. I look forward to working with you again in the future. Thanks for a professional job!
Steve Musgrave, Manufacturing Director, Synseal Extrusions
Seven Seas first became involved with the Manufacturer in 2008. Since then we have been featured in two articles in the magazine. Both features have allowed us to highlight work on our major change programme within Operations and understand how this fits with our peers in the UK in general. We have been delighted with the exposure we have had. In both cases, we have also taken out a corporate advertisement and some of our key suppliers have taken out advertisements as well. I know that the final article, include commentaries on some of the suppliers, was keenly anticipated by them. The interview itself was structured and relevant to our business. We have been very pleased and proud of our association with the Manufacturer, a true champion of this vital sector of our economy.
Andrew Shaw, Operations, Supply Chain and R&D Director, Seven Seas
I would say that throughout the process of producing the article I found that The Manufacturer’s staff conducted themselves both professionally and efficiently and none of our suppliers were unduly troubled when contacted by the magazine. All of the administration was kept to a minimum and again handled by The Manufacturer. Finally, the production of the article was very well organised and trouble free. At the end there was the opportunity to check the wording before final submission. I would have no reservations about working with The Manufacturer again in the future.
David Proctor, Head of Operations, Thorntons Plc
The overall process of getting into print was well organised by your team and relatively painless from this end. At no stage did we feel pressured to meet deadlines as these were all well advised in advance and despite my initial misgivings regarding the approach to suppliers, none of the reported back to advise me that they had felt pressured to participate. Overall it was a worthwhile exercise and as we develop our website further, I anticipate that we will use this [online edition of The Manufacturer] as an available link for visitors.
Peter Darke, Managing Director, Hampshire Cosmetics
The Manufacturer have now written several case studies on our business over the last couple of years, each has been a positive experience on a number of fronts. Firstly due to the positive light in which the articles have reflected our business, coupled with this I have always been impressed with the perspective they have taken looking at our activities. Secondly the process of interviewing or editing the article has be minimal compared to the professionalism of the article generated. I would recommend having a case study written as it also provides suppliers with an opportunity to showcase their offerings which is always appreciated by them.
Richard Lloyd, General Manager, Constellation Wines – Australia & Europe
The initial contact from the magazine was very open and informative, the team from the magazine were very clear on the benefits that the article could provide the Talley Group and our key suppliers. The interview process was pre-planned allowing the Talley Group to ensure we would be able to convey the right message about our business. The time scales to discuss and provide information were planned and easily achievable and all the way through the process we have a good line of communication to the magazine to review any areas of concern or issues. The process was easy and the result was a success for the Talley Group and our suppliers.
Tyrone White, Manufacturing Manager, The Talley Group
