ASK THE EXPERT STAIRWAYS GROUP

Ask The Expert

Stairways Group

Neil Stevens, Karen Wood and Garry Clark of Stairways Group explain how the the group is able to cater for house builders and developers through to the higher end residential market

Neil Stevens, MD, Stairways Group

18 | www.yourshow-home.com

Karen Wood, MD, Stairways Group

Garry Clark, Non-Executive Director, Stairways Group

Serving both residential and

commercial sectors nationwide,

Stairways Midlands, trading

as Stairways Group (SWG), is

privately owned and has been

privately managed since it was founded in

1989. Starting life as a small manufacturer of

staircases, hence the name, the company has

experienced rapid growth due to their success

& product demand, quickly resulting in the

innovation of manufacturing internal door sets

as well as staircases, some 18 years ago.

The Stairways Group operates with three

Midlands-based factory units, offering over

100,000 sq. ft. of bespoke and mass production

capacity and allowing for a nationwide

delivery network. The Stairways management

team consists of six team members, all

offering a wealth of experience within the

industry.

Stairways are a market leader, and it’s hard

to pinpoint just one factor that contributes to

their success. The Group takes signifi cant steps

to stay ahead of their competitors, to maintain

their business relationships and to constantly

improve their products and services.

As Neil Stevens, Joint MD for Stairways,

explains: “At Stairways Group, we have a

constant investment programme to keep up

with market trends, improve effi ciencies,

reduce lead times and delivery of product

developments. Our products are designed

with British Standards & Building Regulations

in mind at all times. Our aim would always

be to design and manufacture a product

that exceeds British Standards & Building

Regulations as the product sells itself. A great

example of this is our SecurDor, a Secure by

Design internal door set, its popularity has

enabled us to research the market and client

requirements to extend our certifi ed portfolio.”

As the name suggests, Stairways Group

manufacture Staircases, but don’t be misled

by the company name, Stairways Group

also manufacture a number of other leading

carpentry and joinery products, such as

Internal Door Sets & Joinery items.

The Stairways Group offers a range of

staircases from a host of products including

all species of timber, glass and stainless steel,

with a unique Supply & Fit service setting

them apart from many of their competitors.

The group is able to cater for the volume house

builders & developers through to the higher end

residential market.

The high-end residential market is a hard

market to pursue and maintain; yet the

Stairways Group seem to have achieved just

that. This is probably due to their bespoke

surveyed, designed and fitted staircases service,

currently used by some of the country’s leading

premium developers. This bespoke service has

proved extremely popular since its conception

several years ago now.

Equally as extensive as their staircase choice,

the group offers a solution to all needs, designs

and requirements with their internal door

products. From the revolutionary RapiDor, a

door kit with machined components, non-

handed and fully interchangeable latch &

privacy ironmongery, internal door and lining,

delivered flat-packed for site assembly), to

popular ResiDor (an assembled door set, with

machined and assembled components delivered

as a single assembled unit for site installation at

2nd fix stage).

Also on their manufacture list is SecurDor,

the security focussed Secure by Design door

set and EcoMerical, a performance door set,

produced for the commercial construction

sector, specifically with design and performance

qualities in mind. Finishing off the portfolio is

a market favourite with residential developers

and house builders alike, the Pocket door set, a

solution offering a bespoke design service with

integrated lining, designed to suit individual

specifications.

Offering a wide range of door faces, from

primed for paint, through to scheme matched

veneers, and glazing configurations from simple

Part M compliant styles to typical industry

standard configurations. Partnering with various

UK and European door manufacturers to provide

volume door leaves machined into its portfolio

assists the client with generic specification

whilst delivering the solution required.

Latest investment has provided the Group

with a competitive advantage, in-house door

manufacturing services, using Halspan and

Falcon products of all weights, sizes and ratings.

This service includes various primed finishes,

foils, veneers and laminates, fully finished to

clients’ RAL specification, all produced in house.

Pushing the need for innovation, and

addressing the needs received from industry,

Stairways developed ‘Simple Fit’, a fixing clip

solution provided to brand RapiDor and ResiDor,

eliminating the need to face fix linings to the

internal partitions. These are also fully fire

tested and NHBC endorsed. The ‘Simple Fit’

solution improves installation by reducing skills

required on site, speeding up fixing and offering

an accurate, durable fit.

The vast internal door solution portfolio sets

them apart from other generic manufactures

and only leaves the clients imagination to do

the work.

The Stairways Group’s skills & manufacturing

capabilities stretch even further to include

bespoke joinery items. Working closely with

each client to determine the specific design

requirements of the products whilst using their

expertise and vast skills. The group has achieved

accolade for their work, including Austin Healey

dashboards and their fully finished hardwood

glazed screens for residential care homes.

Karen Wood, Joint MD of Stairways, tells

us: “As a Group, what sets us apart is that we

offer a wealth of carpentry & joinery products,

resulting in the client placing one order and

managing one supplier. Our commercial team

offer a fully managed service from tender and

enquiry through to the delivery of products and

after sales care. We are all experienced experts,

and really care about our products, services and

clients.”

Keeping up with market trends are at the

heart of the group’s work ethic, and the

trends for 2015 are imperative in their day to

day business success. The dedicated team are

following market trends for staircases, offering

clean lines, with consideration to allowing

natural light to flow, and a contemporary and

modular design. The specification of timber &

glass is often a popular theme at moment.

And on the door front, the group tells us

that there is an upward trend to specify white

finished doors, doors with or without a feature

to the face, a groove to face in either horizontal

or vertical direction, a service that Stairways

can offer in house.

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“Our commercial team offer a fully managed service... We are all experienced experts, and really care about our products, services and clients...”

Chrome ironmongery remains in demand,

and will continue to stay for some time.

Over-height doors as features to properties are

commonly seen now, along with clean simple

architraves and skirting. If any design detail is

required for these, it is predominantly a groove

or step feature.

SWG feeds us more on-trend information:

contrasting doors to linings and architraves are

very sought-after, but interestingly not all one

finish – for example an American Black Walnut

door with white painted lining, and architrave.

The team are seeing an increase in the use of

pocket door sets in confined or minimalistic

space and designs.

Neil Stevens explains: “The higher end of

the market generally uses concrete staircases,

something we are keen to explore with the

specifies. Developers tend to specify concrete

stairs for a number of reasons, such as

providing early access to upper floors, health

and safety, stability and longevity. However,

these are often more expensive and we can

work with developers to offer a solution to the

majority of the common issues and dispel some

of the common myths.”

Karen Wood adds: “Being an active member

of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF)

we would always support the use of timber,

providing the evidence to support our proposal.

This sector of the market has also previously

used marble to clad staircases, but we are

seeing more orders to supply American White

Oak and Black Walnut to the treads and risers.

The market trends change so often, and

not only do we maintain our interest in this

important information, we ensure supply of

these.”

The Group’s updated knowledge of products

and trends is staggering, the management

team provides a wealth of experience, and

their individual advice, skills and ideas set

them apart from their competitors. The

group introduced Non-Executive Director,

Garry Clark, earlier this year. Garry joined the

group from supplier of performance door sets

and architectural ironmongery Leaderflush

Shapland Laidlaw. Joining Leaderflush in 1974

as an Estimator Contract Surveyor, Garry

has since gained an enormous amount of

experience over 40 years within the industry.

This brings an alternative approach to the

dynamics at SWG, assisting with strategy

realisation.

Garry says of his appointment with

Stairways: “It’s a great opportunity to work

closely with the owners of Stairways, Karen and

Neil. I hope to help move the business towards

bigger and brighter things.”

Employee numbers are growing with

Stairways’ success, and all employees

are benefitting from significant training

investment. This training is in line with the

business ambitions and strategic direction as it

strives for improved efficiencies. This training

is also supported by various funding streams in

addition to the company’s own investments,

including the British Woodworking Federation

(BWF) and the Construction Industry Training

Board (CITB).

The Stairways Group expect more success

in the future, which highlights the necessity

for them as a group to forecast the market

condition. The group also looks to continue to

deliver significant investment over the next 24

months, with extended manufacturing facilities

and state-of-the-art machinery, as well as

boasting about their use of renewable energy

by heavy investment into recycling wood waste

at another of their manufacturing sites.

Karen Wood states: “The market is buoyant,

although still challenging, with plenty of

opportunities to come. We have worked hard

to maintain our position in the market, and

will continue to improve all aspects of the

business.”

Karen continues: “We know that we

will be at an advantage if we harness our

relationships, and communicate well. This has

always been the practice within our business

but has perhaps now become paramount as

clients themselves battle to offer something

different and align their businesses to include

revised strategies of growth in the current

climate of demand. Early specification is

paramount to success of delivery, and we are

achieving that goal.”

www.stairways.co.uk

ASK THE EXPERT STAIRWAYS

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“The market trends change so often, and not only do we maintain our interest in this important information, we ensure supply of these...”