Robert Woodhead creates local jobs through exceptional growth
Against a backdrop of continued lack of growth in the construction industry, Robert Woodhead Ltd has bucked the trend with a 58% increase in turnover from November 2011 to October 2012. This has not only secured local jobs, but has enabled Robert Woodhead to increase its workforce from 51 to 69, with more increases planned during the next 12 months.
| Robert Woodhead At A Glance Turnover £11.5m Year End October 2011 to £18.2m Year End October 2012 Projected growth £22m to October 2013 Staff numbers From 51 in 2011 to 69 in 2012 |
These results are even more impressive when you consider that this growth is in stark contrast to the construction industry slump, as well as forecasts for the industry. The Construction Index1 on 4 November 2012 highlighted, “The latest Construction Trade Survey shows that construction activity fell sharply in the third quarter of 2012, despite a return to growth for the UK economy as a whole.” The Guardian2 on 2 November confirmed, “Construction industry woes lead to job losses. Britain’s construction industry had another difficult month in October, as new work dropped for the fifth month running, forcing firms to lay off workers at the fastest rate since August 2011. When Britain emerged from double-dip recession recently, growing by 1% in the third quarter, construction was one sector that remained in the doldrums, shrinking by 2.5%.”
The exceptional business results were presented to staff at Robert Woodhead Ltd’s Annual Conference on 30th November at South Forest Leisure Centre, Edwinstowe along with a big “Thank You” to all staff for their hard work and commitment throughout the year.
David Woodhead explains, “We have engaged with our customers, suppliers and end users to understand what is really important to them. By inspiring, engaging and training our staff to understand our customers’ needs we can add value to their experience by exceeding their expectations. We are working in partnership with our clients and in close collaboration with local sub-contractors to truly make building a better experience for all. The best demonstration of this is what our customers have said about the company and our staff on our YouTube channel.”
The government’s Growth Accelerator service was engaged by David Woodhead to help develop the skills of his management team. The company also conducted two customer surveys to find out exactly what their clients thought of Robert Woodhead. The surveys helped the management team to gain a clear understanding of what clients really valued from a contractor. The results stimulated an innovative and brave cultural shift away from a lowest price wins to a best value wins philosophy.
Glenn Slater, Business Development Director is looking forward to next year, “We have targeted 20% growth year on year. We are confident this is achievable through hard work, continuing to build good partnerships by working collaboratively with clients to meet their corporate, social and economic development targets. Much of the new business has been secured from the public sector and we aim to build on this with higher value projects and a wider geographic coverage in 2013.”
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