Independent glass processor Abbseal (UK) Limited has recently celebrated the first anniversary of a management buyout. The company has started the year with a confident workforce and management team.

As an integral part of the MBO, the Directors and Epic Reconstruction plc, who supported the buyout, agreed a three year business plan clearly focusing on providing the best in both quality of product and service performance. While shedding one site which ‘did not fit into the revised profitability expectation', the company retained three facilities at Hyde (Cheshire), Leeds and Peterborough thus maintaining a countrywide network.

The company says that its 370 employees share the aspiration of being the supplier of choice and best in class as part of market growth. To this end both management and staff are driving forward personnel development plans in all aspects of the business, which includes work based learning and attainment of nationally recognised awards for shop floor workers. To date, with the support of the Vocational College, 32 employees across the three sites have attained the NVQ Level 3 Award in Glass Processing, with a number of others close to completion; a number well advanced in the attainment of Advanced Apprenticeships; and a company wide programme of NVQ Level 2 is in progress.

Development is not confined to the glass processing operations - office staff are involved in taking NVQs in Business Administration; Transport and logistics in Road Transport qualifications; one employee has recently attained NEBOSH (for Occupational Health & Safety) while concurrently, the company is running in-house product training, development of IT skills and First Aid and Health and Safety programme.

Since introducing these programmes the company has seen a number of positive changes, including an improvement in morale; a reduction in wastage whilst increasing productivity and the reduction of accidents.

Source

Glass Age