DGB is launching a special series of written interviews with some of the sector’s key leaders and innovators. MD’s and CEO’s from all parts of the fenestration supply chain will be taking part in what I hope will be a series of insightful interviews. Each leader will be asked the same questions, where we will then be able to see the differences in their approaches to the same problems and important industry issues. I hope you will all enjoy it, and many thanks to Ian Short of Morley Glass for kicking this special series off!

1. How would you best describe 2021 and what lessons can be learned from it that we can apply to 2022?

I have been in the business for 42 years and would definitely say that 2021 was the most challenging year in business, with manufactured glass shortages, coupled with a tornado wiping out one of our main supply chain partners in the Czech Republic, Having said that we have come out of it a lot stronger, because we put a lot into quality and service

2. What was your biggest challenge last year both personally and in business?

Daily you never knew how many of your team would be off isolating with Covid and what supply chain element would fall apart next. But with having no holidays you were able to deal in real-time with problems as they arose.

3. What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge in 2022 and how would you approach dealing with it?

Keeping an eye on inflation-busting material increases that are a daily occurrence.

4. What is the best opportunity we have as an industry this year?

Consolidate, look after our customers as we start going into smoother waters, as the last couple of years have been a sellers’ market and soon it will be a buyers’ market, you have to show clients that you have supported them 100% over the last couple of years and that will be repaid with loyalty.

5. Which products (excluding your own) do you expect to grow in popularity in 2022?

I Feel all aluminium products will grow, and people will be wanting higher glass specs to get ready to conform with 2023

6. How best can we manage supply chain problems in the future?

In my opinion, we rely way too much on the far east for the supply chain, and the last 20 months have shown we should manufacture more at home and become a manufacturing nation again and not a service nation. It will take time as we have a skills shortage.

7. Do you expect price increases to level off during 2022 or keep rising?

I feel that the prices will settle down after quarter 2 this year.

8. What is the one major product you have coming out in 2022 that the industry should keep an eye out for?

We have a phone /tablet app that will link to the W Smart system that we offer and a new blind system that will work perfectly in hospital/care home doors including fire doors called ScreenView.

9. Describe the outlook for 2022 in one word.

Exciting!!

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