“ We had a great opportunity to bring all three parts of the business – panels , profiles , and doors – onto a single business park , and the unit was sufficiently large that we were actually able to sell our separate satellite factories , which gave the added benefit of being able to bring all our staff together . Whereas previously we had separate teams , with their own lines of communication , now we have a campus feel . The next stage will be to build on that , making everything more and more efficient .”
Automation motivation
For many businesses , and for their employees , discussions of automation can be frightening . But new technology doesn ’ t have to come at the expense of human labor . “ Especially for a company of our size , the rate at which you ’ re able to automate isn ’ t so rapid that you end up with the threat of lost jobs ,” James insists . “ We go to great lengths to help our employees understand that the introduction of technology isn ’ t about cost-cutting , it ’ s about becoming more productive . Part of that means making sure we ’ re making the most of the various skill sets among our people .
“ What we ’ ve seen in our most recent project is that after the introduction of automated processes , some of the skill levels required actually have to increase ,” he continues . “ All of a sudden , instead of a very manual process , we have one that requires an in-depth understanding of software . For our people , it ’ s been a fulfilling challenge to develop that understanding and learn new skills , and that contributes to their overall job satisfaction .”
Building on this , James is keen to emphasize the vital regard in which he holds the company ’ s employees , and the importance of a robust company culture . “ We ’ re a family business , and with that comes a relatively informal relationship amongst the teams , and a largely flat
hierarchy ; we don ’ t have a traditional topdown structure , and that ’ s apparent ,” he confirms . “ Our people know they can talk to me at any time – my door is always open , and the same goes for the rest of our senior management team . That ’ s the way we like it .”
E-commerce commitment
One relatively new sector for Morland has been e-commerce . A successful venture , when the company first launched its e-commerce activities , its benefits took James by surprise . “ Going back five years ,
we were very much a traditional industrial supplier to leisure , caravans and motorhomes , marine boats , and construction builders of various kinds ,” he recalls . “ It was a revelation to find that we could actually sell products online . We suddenly found ourselves selling sheets of pre-decorated wood to the DIY market , and that was a viable business , with
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