Innovation drives sales at Spectus

MACCLESFIELD-based windows maker Spectus Systems has announced its strongest sales in seven years after growing turnover by £1.3m to £30.4m in the year to October 31, 2010.

The company, which is run by managing director Adrian Ah-Chin-Kow and is part of Brian Kennedy’s Building Plastics Holdings empire, said that it had made an operating profit of £2.55m during the period, which it described as an “impressive improvement”.

Spectus Systems employs around 140 people in Macclesfield, where it has a manufacturing plant making windows, doors and conservatories for both the residential and commercial markets.

Ah-Chin-Kow said that its growth was achieved by “a focus on developing our product range, generating quality sales leads for our fabricator and installer customers, and subsequently working closely with our customers to close those leads”.

He said that like-forlike growth of 4.5% in the UK was “no mean feat” as it contrasted with the performance of the rest of the replacement windows marketmarket, which is likely to show a decline of 2.4%.

He also said that gross margins had been increased despite a rise in raw materials cost improvements in manufacturing and logistics efficiencies and a speedier turn on its stock.

As a result, he said the firm would be able to build on imrpvements already made in 2011.

“We will certainly be building on the activities that have begun to deliver sales growth,” he said. “This will see us focus on greater demand creation for our customers, along with the expansion of our product range and the acquisition of new customers. 

“The launch of the Spectrum range of foils, which boasts over 50 colours of foiled PVC-U for use on Spectus profiles, the continued expansion of the Eco-Spec range and a new ancillary catalogue will deliver growth over and above our core profile range. 

While the market outlook remains uncertain, we feel that the business plan for the year ahead will continue to deliver year-on-year improvement.”