Conversation with Cornwall Glass Manufacturing

Ally Allington and Freya Ronayne recently met with Mark Knight, joint Managing Director of Cornwall Glass Manufacturing, at their Plymouth site to find out what opportunities and challenges they have been facing since the pandemic.

Three years ago, the Cornwall Group restructured, and this allowed the current MD, Mark Knight, to concentrate on the manufacturing part of the Cornwall Group. He works closely with his fellow MD, Mark Norcliffe, to drive the manufacturing activities forward, providing them with greater focus and the ability to react quicker to events, which was all too important when the global pandemic began.

The business saw sales fall off a cliff and so they took swift action at the end of March 2020 to temporarily close the Group’s three manufacturing sites in Hybridge, Plymouth and St Austell, and take advantage of the Government’s Covid-19 support schemes.

Keeping a close eye on the sector enabled them to reopen the Plymouth manufacturing site only one month later with a small team to fulfil the orders at that time, with a gradual increase in work resulting in a full reopening of all sites by September 2020.

With much of the country working from home and homeowners having surplus cash with international travel amongst other things not being possible, the business found itself with many orders perhaps in relation to home improvements or those wanting to create an extra space in their gardens to work from home.

Mark and the team were relishing this increased demand, but then, like other manufacturers, they began to feel the effects of supply chain issues caused by the Suez Canal disruption and other factors.

With many products short in supply including glass, sealants and other materials plus delays in receiving these, the business could not always meet their usual lead times.  They did look to work with new suppliers and spread their supply chain. Fortunately, the business benefited from its good relationship with some suppliers which go back many decades, which minimised the issues.

This, coupled with driver shortages experienced by the rest of the country, meant that transportation of supplies were sometimes hampered as well.

Mark and the team kept a close eye on their processes to ensure any wastage was minimised, and they remained as efficient as possible to weather the supply chain issues. Fortunately, the business could continue to meet the demands of customers and fulfil the order books.

Like many other manufacturing businesses, it has struggled with recruiting skilled staff, and has also felt effects as a result of the UK leaving the European Union.

One way that this was combated was for the business to have a real focus on apprenticeships. Mark set up an apprenticeship journey for the company, which has been rewarding for both the apprentices and the company, resulting in improved retention.

The business has also been able to benefit from local providers (City College Plymouth, Cornwall College, GFTS LTD) for apprentices with the skills needed to succeed at Cornwall Glass Manufacturing.

Despite the challenges faced over the past two years, the business has survived and is thriving. Investment is being carried out at the various sites to allow for expansion.

Whilst there are challenges ahead regarding inflationary pressures and the current conflict in Eastern Europe, the business is in a strong place. Under the management of the two Marks, it continues to thrive.