GGP Installer Awards Employee Highlight: Outstanding Achievement Category Finalist

We are proud to introduce our second 2023 GGP Installer Awards finalist, our production manager Kenny King! Kenny leads our uPVC and aluminium fabricator teams who manufacture glazing products for a wide range of trade and retail contracts. He is responsible for all orders received from the order processing team, all the way through production, scheduling, including managing stock and stores, machinery and equipment, each manufacturing process, quality, health and safety and dispatch.

All products are bespoke and will include the use of machinery but also a lot of hand-made manufacturing processes using hand-tools. Being a former Army officer, Kenny’s passion for discipline and military precision trickles down to every member of his team, and results in stunning products for our customers, finished to an exceptionally high level of quality.

We have caught up with Kenny to find out more about him and his time with Tradeglaze:

What was your first job and how did you join the industry?

“I joined the Grenadier Guards, an infantry regiment of the British Army, as a junior soldier at 16. At 21 I moved back to Lincoln with my then fiancée and now wife and I joined the glass and glazing industry a year later. I started in the industry as a production operative and moved to the technical department in 1989. A couple of years later I became a shift manager, then factory manager and then eventually production director in 1996. I joined the Jacksons builders merchant’s factory in 2006 and eventually joined Tradeglaze as the production manager here in 2009!”

What lesson have you learnt about business in the last 12 months?

“Working closely with our supply chain, managing stock has been as important as ever. We aim to keep more stock than we did before the pandemic, to ensure availability and competitive lead times for our customers. That of course requires more planning and more time but it’s key to the success of the whole production. We have grown our customer base over the pandemic through very careful planning, not ever compromising on quality.”

“It’s been hard work, yes, but I could not be prouder of how well our teams have done to make sure we consistently deliver on quality. We work with market leading, technically advanced suppliers for both profile and hardware – Liniar, AluK, Seniors for our profiles and Fab & Fix, Window Ware, SFS, DGS, Glazpart and Rapierstar for our fixings and hardware. We never compromise, quality is what we are known and recommended for. Having reliable suppliers on board and having frequent contact and good communication with them has been so important in the past year and will continue serving us well into the future.”

How has our machinery upgrades improved our production?

“We have just received a new CNC Machining Centre in our aluminium factory. The ‘Emmegi Phantomatic X4’ CNC machine is a machining centre with 4 controlled axes, used for the handling of aluminium pieces up to 2mm. It’s a considerable upgrade which means our teams can work more effectively and efficiently, saving approximately 15% in time alone.”

“At the end of 2022 we also invested in a new Haffner Murat Double Mitre Saw for our uPVC Factory and a new spacer bar by Atlantic Machinery for our Allenby Glass factory. All come complete with new software systems, making big leaps from our previous systems.”

What are your plans for production for the months ahead?

“Technology is moving faster than ever. Here at Tradeglaze and Jackson Windows we never stop innovating. The next step for us now is a new CNC machine for our uPVC factory this year, which will be another big upgrade as part of our growth plan. Building regulations changed in 2022 to make homes more energy efficient and our products were ahead of the required new standards then.”

“We aim to be able to produce windows and doors for homes that are ‘zero carbon ready’ again well ahead of the new building regs changes, expected in 2025. We never sit still here at Tradeglaze and Jackson Windows.”

What advice would you give to someone considering joining the industry?

“Glass and glazing is a solid industry to be in, it’s always thriving. It takes a lot of skill and high levels of precision to produce high-end double glazed windows, doors, bifolds or curtain walling but you are really proud to see the finished product leaving the factory, out of the door, on time.”

“Choosing the right company where you are supported in your job is key. Here at Tradeglaze we don’t cut corners, we have a robust training program in place to help you learn the skills you need. The team are like a family, the lads step in to help each other all the time. And we are all very proud of the products we make. It’s a great feeling when you see a finished job out there that we have manufactured. Quality really shows on windows and doors!”

What are your hobbies?

“I am a twitcher! Me and my family love nature, going on walks and spotting birds, here in the UK and abroad. We do the Big Garden Birdwatch each year. Working in production can be full on so spending time in the nature is great for switching off. We also go away on weekend stops a lot. The UK has some great sightseeing spots – and some great pubs and restaurants, too!”

Well done on getting shortlisted for the 2023 Installer Awards, Kenny. What an incredible accomplishment! We are looking forward to attending the awards ceremony on the 16th of March 2023 in Manchester. Everyone will be rooting for you! 🏆