#hurst plastics

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/11/14/hurst-team-chalks-up-incredible-years-of-service/

Hurst Team Chalks up Incredible Years of Service

Celebrations have been taking place at Hurst Plastics as the company honours 17 members of staff have who have collectively amassed nearly 400 years of service between them.

The long-serving staff have toasted to a landmark 20 years of service at Hurst Plastics. They all began their careers with Hurst when it took over from panel manufacturer PDL in December 1996. Some members of the team have served for more than 20 years, having also formerly worked for PDL.

Mark Atkinson, Sales Director at Hurst Plastics, is one of the long-servers. He switched from a career in retail and joined PDL 24 years ago. At the time, the company was solely manufacturing door panels. Hurst added to its portfolio and began manufacturing composite doors 10 years ago. The firm now produces 400 composite doors and 2,000 door panels a week from its two dedicated factories in Kingston-Upon-Hull.

Mark said: “I’m delighted to round off an outstanding year of accelerated growth for the business with this celebration. As we approach our 20th anniversary, it is fantastic to mark the achievements of our long-serving members of staff, who have chalked up an impressive 392 years of continuous service between them.

“I’ve been in this industry for more than two decades now I’m really proud that Hurst has traded successfully and established a strong heritage despite some challenging times in the marketplace. There are few companies that have so many loyal staff who have served for 20 years or more and this is a great opportunity for us to thank them for helping to make the business what it is today.”

Marking 25 years’ service in January, credit controller Nancy Ibbitson is the longest-serving member of staff. Nancy joined the sales office in 1992 and has worked in many departments in her career. She is now part of Hurst’s seven-strong accounts department.

Nancy said: “I started here when I was just 20 and I was one of the youngest members of staff. After nearly 25 years here, I guess I’m a veteran now! I’ve seen lots of advances in those 25 years and technology has played a huge part in helping the business to run more efficiently. I’ve genuinely enjoyed working at Hurst and to be part of a great team of people that has cumulated an incredible number of years’ service.”

Hurst is planning a team celebration in December to recognise this significant milestone.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/09/09/cool-installer-support-from-hurst/

Cool Installer Support from Hurst

A Bristol installer is reaping the benefits of switching to Hurst Plastics to help their business grow. Polar Bear Windows has taken advantage of a tailored package from Hurst which is designed to increase sales and simplify the process of designing, quoting and buying composite and panel doors.

The package includes a trio of perks for Polar Bear Windows – fully personalised product brochures, full marketing and technical support and Hurst’s bespoke Hurst Live system – which have driven enquiries and increased sales conversion rates for the firm.

Polar Bear Windows was established 16 years ago by owner Mark Price and rapidly grew into one of the largest window and door installers with the biggest showroom in the South West. Although Mark had established a long-term partnership with another supplier, he was keen to generate more business and speed up the supply of doors. Mark had seen Hurst’s bespoke ‘Hurst Live’ account management system and approached Hurst for a demonstration.

Mark says: “Our previous supplier didn’t have anything like the Hurst Live system and I felt that our business could really benefit from something like it. As soon as I saw Hurst Live, I could see the capability that it would bring. So, we decided to move to Hurst and draw on the comprehensive sales and marketing support on offer.

“With Hurst Live, we can easily price and order bespoke composite doors and track and trace orders. The real beauty of the system for us though is the Door Builder software, where we can design and price a bespoke composite door for customers. And now, through the bolt-on Hurst Lite package, our customers can even design their own Hurst door within our website. It’s a very professional, user-friendly system that generates great quality leads and helps us convert them into sales.”

The Hurst Live system generates at least 100 quality leads a month for Polar Bear Windows and has helped to drive visitors to the firm’s showroom to see the range of Hurst doors. As part of the package, Hurst has also developed a suite of fully personalised brochures on composite doors and door panels and has supplied showroom display materials for Polar Bear Windows.

Polar Bear Windows is also benefiting from recent investments at Hurst which help Hurst to provide dedicated customer and field service and sustain a 98% record for on-time in-full deliveries on its own fleet of vehicles.

Hurst Live’ is a totally bespoke system, which enables customers to quickly access technical data, track and trace orders, order and price bespoke composite doors, find product imagery and download marketing and point of sale materials. Personalised pricing for Hurst’s entire range of panel and composite doors can also be downloaded.

Within Hurst Live is Hurst’s Door Builder software which allows customers to develop an unlimited number of composite door configurations. Users select from the choice of door styles, frame options, door and frame colours, glass and hardware options to build and price their bespoke Hurst door.

If you are an existing Hurst customer and would like to hear more about Hurst Live, or if you are interested in becoming a Hurst trade partner, then please contact Hurst on 01482 790790.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/05/23/hurst-driver-goes-the-extra-mile/

Hurst Driver Goes The Extra Mile

A driver at Hurst Plastics has celebrated reaching an impressive milestone. Phil Ellwood has chalked up a record one million miles on the road during his 10-year career with the Kingston-upon-Hull based company.

Phil covers around 2,000 miles a week on his regular route to deliver Hurst door panels and composite doors to customers throughout the South East. Like all of Hurst’s drivers, Phil began his career with Hurst as an agency driver and was then taken on as a permanent member of the team. He’s now one of the company’s longest serving drivers and a reliable and friendly visitor to hundreds of customers in his region.

Phil says: “I am absolutely delighted to have reached the one-million mile mark. It is a long distance and you have to enjoy your job to get that far. I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing my job well and I like meeting customers. I listen to Radio 2 when I’m driving and the time just flies by.”

Jon Brake, Hurst Plastics’ Transport Manager, added: “We’re really proud of Phil’s achievement. It takes dedication and patience to reach that number of miles on some of the UK’s busiest roads. Phil is a fantastic asset to the transport team and a great ambassador for Hurst. He’s always cheerful and (forgive the pun) he’s always happy to go the extra mile for our customers. Here’s to the next million miles Phil!”

Hurst delivers more than 95% of its products on its own fleet of vehicles and sustains a 98% record for on-time in-full deliveries. The company has also earmarked further investment in its transport department. This will include the introduction of a cutting edge route planning system and an overhaul of Hurst’s vehicles to further improve the firm’s delivery standards and on-time in-full performance.

Hurst Plastics’ transport department employs 16 drivers and runs a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, which cover the whole of the UK. To cater for increased demand, Hurst has recently made five agency drivers permanent. The company is currently recruiting for more agency drivers through its recruitment partner Prestige Recruitment Specialists.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/05/03/hurst-plastics-drives-forward-with-delivery-record/

Hurst Plastics Drives Forward With Delivery Record

Celebrations have been taking place at Hurst Plastics as the company’s transport department toasts a record year for customer deliveries.

The department, which has grown by 25% in the last four years, now delivers more than 95% of Hurst Plastics’ products throughout the UK on its own fleet of vehicles and has also smashed its target of 98% for on-time in-full deliveries.

Jon Brake, Hurst Plastics’ Transport Manager, says: “Our 16-strong delivery team notches up more than 1.6 million miles a year delivering our composite doors and door panels up and down the country, so it’s vital that we minimise any potential for delays or errors. We have operated our own fleet for some years to maintain reliable deliveries so we’re naturally delighted to have turned in this record performance. It underlines the commitment of the company to surpass the industry norm by consistently providing outstanding service for customers.”

Hurst has improved on an already impressive track record for deliveries since introducing its sophisticated fleXipod system, which provides Hurst’s customers with accurate, real time information on their scheduled deliveries. Hurst was one of the first companies in the industry to use this sophisticated system which uses the latest GPS tracking technology to pinpoint the exact location of a Hurst delivery vehicle at any time.

Hurst’s fleXipod system seamlessly integrates with the company’s Hurst Live package – a complete solution which provides customers with essential, live information on every single order they place. Hurst Live’s intelligent technology enables customers to easily chart the real time status of their order from order processing through to manufacture and onto delivery. In conjunction with fleXipod, it even captures essential delivery recipient information, including a signature for proof of delivery.

Scott Chapman, IT Manager at Hurst Plastics, adds. “We have invested heavily in a string of fantastic technological advances in recent years and I’m delighted that this commitment is paying dividends throughout the business and enhancing our reputation for great service. The fleXipod system is another string to our bow and it has made a huge contribution to the transport department by helping us to further improve our customer service and provide a continuous stream of up to the minute information for our customers on deliveries.”

Hurst runs a fleet of 16 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, which delivers throughout the whole of the UK. The firm has plans to further expand the fleet within the next year to cater for increased demand and to invest in a state-of-the-art route planning system to sustain its service levels.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2015/08/24/fresh-bright-new-literature-from-hurst/

Fresh, Bright New Literature From Hurst

A number of strategic developments has led Hurst Plastics to unveil a comprehensive new suite of customer support materials. The move coincides with the launch of Hurst’s biggest ever investment programme into staff, equipment and resources to maximise manufacturing competitiveness, grow the business and support its growing customer base. Hurst has overhauled its marketing literature and unveiled its biggest and freshest composite door brochure ever. The company has also produced a comprehensive user guide for its Hurst Live bespoke on-line account management system, which was launched earlier this year.

Hurst’s expanded 32 page composite door brochure, entitled ‘The Composite Collection’, features the company’s complete range of composite doors in a bright, new format. Focusing on the individual elements that create a modern and distinctive composite door, the brochure introduces Hurst’s exciting range of colours, glass styles, door furniture and architectural hardware.

The brochure also includes Hurst’s Direct Digital Glass printing (DDG) technology, which can reproduce any image onto the door glass to create a truly unique composite door.

For more demanding applications, such as flats, shared entrances and multiple entrance dwellings, Hurst’s composite fire door offers the very highest in security and weather performance, and a full half hour fire rating. Unlike many composite fire doors which are fitted in a timber frame, the Hurst composite door is supplied in a durable and maintenance-free PVC-U frame, which conforms to BS476. The door is now available with fire rated top light and side light options. Hurst is one of just a handful of suppliers to be able to offer this complete FD30S rated package.

The new composite door brochure is supported by a new personalised composite door price list to make pricing a Hurst composite door as simple as possible.

Hurst has also created a 14 page instruction manual for its Hurst Live system. The manual provides a step by step guide for customers on how to use Hurst Live and gain access to technical data, track and trace orders, order and price bespoke composite doors and download a wealth of marketing point of sale materials within just a few clicks.

Mark Atkinson, Sales Director at Hurst Plastics, said: “Several developments within the business have prompted us to update our support materials to help customers to maximise opportunities when pitching to customers. This new brochure – our biggest and brightest ever – emphasises the wealth of choice and style we offer in composite doors. And coupled with our Hurst Live portal, we have provided customers with an unrivalled resource of information and support when selecting and ordering their doors. This powerful combination really gives our customers the edge within the market and once again leaves our competitors playing catch up!”

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2015/08/03/hot-composite-development-from-hurst-plastics/

HOT COMPOSITE DEVELOPMENT FROM HURST PLASTICS

Hurst Plastics has enhanced its composite fire door range and launched a complementary composite side panel which has successfully passed testing at BM Trada.

  The launch follows an intensive period of research and product development at the company. Hurst is now one of a just a handful of suppliers to offer a complete FD30S rated package, which includes a composite fire door plus fire rated top light and side light.

  Hurst Plastics was an early entrant into the composite fire door market and had seen an increased demand for a complete solution in recent years. Mark Atkinson, Hurst Plastics’ Sales Director, explains: “Our composite fire door is designed to the highest specification and it has been used extensively in applications which require a fully approved FD30S fire doorset, including flats, shared entrances and multiple entrance dwellings. We were however keen to extend the reach of our composite fire door and invest in the development of complementary products that also resist the passage of fire. The introduction of this side light allows specifiers to create contemporary, light-filled entrances using advanced products that do not compromise on safety or security.”

  Hurst worked closely with a number of the industry’s top material suppliers to develop the new side light. It incorporates a Eurocell series 70 PVC-u outer frame and Pyrodur fire rated double glazed units from Pilkington. The side lights are manufactured at Hurst’s 50,000 square foot purpose built factory in Kingston-upon-Hull.

The Hurst composite fire door is outwardly indistinguishable from Hurst’s standard composite door and is available in a variety of colour and style options. It offers the very highest in security and weather performance, plus a full half hour fire rating (30 minutes stability and 30 minutes integrity), which conforms to BS476: Part 22: 1987.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2015/06/29/new-general-manager-at-hurst-plastics/

New General Manager At Hurst Plastics

Hurst Plastics is marking its most significant year in the last five years with a 20% uplift in composite door volumes and the strategic appointment of a new senior manager.

Tim Meadley joins the Kingston-upon-Hull based company as General Manager. Tim is a senior manufacturing professional with a vast knowledge of material and process planning within this industry. He has many years’ experience within industry, having worked as Manufacturing Director for Consort and Ellbee and latterly for Granada Glazing.

Tim’s appointment is part of a new company-wide strategy which has seen Hurst implement its largest ever programme of investment into staff, equipment and resources to maximise manufacturing competitiveness and take the business forward.

Mark Atkinson, Sales Director at Hurst Plastics, says: “We have had a great year on composite door volumes and Tim’s appointment is instrumental to our plans for future growth in this segment. We have been working alongside a team of specialist blue chip consultants and, together, we have developed an intensive business support programme to help us realise our high growth potential. Investment in capacity, efficiency and technology is key to driving continuous improvement for Hurst. Tim will harness his considerable experience in high volume production and lean manufacturing to take our business to the next level.”

Tim added: “I’m really pleased to be joining Hurst at a genuinely exciting time in the company’s history. I’m looking forward to spearheading this ambitious growth plan and building a solid foundation on which to improve efficiencies. We have a robust infrastructure and a skilled team to help us to build on our capability and capacity so that we can deliver a consistently high quality product and service to our customers.”

This year has seen a number of significant developments at Hurst, both in technology and equipment.  The company has completely overhauled its IT systems in the last two years and further advanced its cutting edge Hurst Live account management system. Hurst has also implemented a step change investment programme for plant and machinery. This included the installation of a Biesse Rover A 5-axis machining centre – one of the most sophisticated CNC machines in the industry.

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2015/05/27/hurst-live-launched-to-the-industry/

Hurst Live Launched To The Industry

DIGITAL specialist The Consultancy has launched its latest project with one of the UK’s leading door manufacturers.

Hurst Plastics is already receiving positive feedback after the re-launch of Hurst Live including an interactive Door Designer on its website for trade orders and homeowner enquiries.

The company, which specialises in composite doors and door panels, came to The Consultancy looking for a bespoke system to allow their installer customers to create live quotes and orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Steve Daniels, Marketing Communications Manager for Hurst Plastics, said: “We approached The Consultancy as we had seen their track record and knew the results they could produce.

“We needed a system which would streamline the order process for our customers and allow them to create and track orders on the move, rather than relying on telephone and fax.

“From a desktop computer or handheld device, a tradesman can now walk customers through the full process, designing the door online, checking the total price and then submitting an order.”

The Consultancy has been in the industry for over 10 years and provides digital solutions specifically for window and door firms.

Richie Thornton, Director of the company, was delighted when Hurst Plastics enquired.

He said: “More and more companies are continuing to come to us and beginning to embrace the digital age.

“Faxing and phonecalls can be so time consuming and leave so much room for error that the full process can become obsolete.

“The Consultancy is currently running a Death of the Fax campaign, encouraging the industry to leave the fax in the past and begin catching-up to the modern consumer.

“We would urge any company that’s looking to move their operations online just like Hurst Plastics to get in contact.