FAB RICATO R VI EW
Judge not, lest ye be judged...
Danny Williams, MD of Pioneer Trading, gives his opinion on those companies
that simply shut up shop during lockdown, and also spares a thought for those
inflicting moral judgement on businesses that want to get back to work.
By the time you get to read this the world
will, once again, be a different place. For
despite lockdown meaning that nobody
is going anywhere, much less doing very
much at all, the world does keep turning and
actually, changing constantly. Though sadly, much
of that change has been for the worse.
However, there are the first green shoots of
discussions about ‘a return to work’. Although I
maintain that far too many of us packed it in and
padlocked the gates far too soon and in a way
that in itself will have long-lasting repercussions.
Irrespective of any effects that the coronavirus itself
will confer upon us.
In itself, lockdown was easy. Closing up and
battening down the hatches will always be far easier
to achieve than it will be to fire things up again.
Nonetheless, I was shocked at how so many businesses
simply shut the doors, pulled down the shutters and
turned off the lights: for many it seemed to be an
excuse just to pack it in. And just like everyone else, I
have had a great deal of time to dwell on that.
Just as many others, I had customers that either
May www.ggpmag.com
wanted to tie up a couple of jobs, were in the final
stages of finishing off installs, completing sales
or at the very least, tying things up to at least be
safe or serviceable when we return. And yet many
businesses, component suppliers, roof fabricators,
trade fabricators, simply locked up, many even
turning the phones off in the meantime. No
notice, no customer contact, nothing. No planning
whatsoever. Leaving many businesses in the lurch.
Whatever happens when we return to work…and
as I tap away everyone seems to be working on the
assumption there will be a significant return to work
on or around 11 May…the landscape of the window
and door industry will look quite different from the
moment in March when the PM announced that all
residents should stay at home to protect the NHS.
Whenever we begin to open our doors again –
and I will come on to that – we will all be finding our
feet, trying at least to pick up from where we left off.
But as we settle back down and we go looking for
new business, we will all look back at who looked
after us when the chips were down – and who shut
up shop and dropped us in it. And we will take our
business to those that have shown that they care
for us when times are tough, just as much as when
things are all hunky dory.
THE NEW INDUSTRY CRAZE:
MORAL JUDGEMENT
What lockdown seems to have created and
nurtured in the past few weeks amongst members
of the window and door community, is an excess
of moral outpourings and judgements. So much so
that sometimes I feel that I have wandered into the
Church of Latter Day Window Makers, for much of
the wailing emanates from my fellow window and
door fabricators.
Standing out amongst all of the teeth-gnashing
and caterwauling is the diktat from some, that
it is quite simply wrong to be making windows
and doors. Who says so? Well, actually, not
the government that’s for sure. In real terms,
our industry, or at least the home improvement
sector, cannot realistically function on a day to
day basis simply as, in the majority of cases, fitters
cannot enter the homes of their customers whilst
Credit: Alex Holyoake, Unsplash
/www.ggpmag.com
