Glass News editor Chris Champion talks to the senior team at Freefoam that includes CEO Aidan Harte; Kevin Cronin, COO and Sustainability Lead; UK Sales Director, Richard Jackson and Group Marketing Manager, Louise Sanderson
Q I’ve always thought of Freefoam being the brand for fascia, soffit and guttering systems but, in fact, you have a number of sub-brands such as Colormax®, Freeflow®, Fortex®, X-Wood®, Geo-panel® ;and Plastops®. Is there a specific reason for this as I would have thought that Freefoam was the memorable name?
A Aidan Harte, CEO, Freefoam: Our trademarked sub brands are used alongside the main Freefoam brand. They help stockists, installers and homeowners differentiate between products and the options within different ranges, but still recognise and be reassured by the trusted Freefoam name.
Q Essentially Freefoam is a manufacturer of a whole range of PVC-U and PVC-UE products and has customers throughout the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. Is the extruding of products confined to the Northampton facility?
A Aidan Harte: Cork was our first manufacturing plant. Since trading began in Cork in 1990, Freefoam has grown into a multinational organisation operating from multiple sites across the UK, Belgium, France and Germany, and we also supply the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Spain.
Q I know the whole issue of sustainability is important to Freefoam but I suspect it goes much further than the recycling of post-production waste and being economical with power. Can you explain how you have involved everyone in the drive for sustainability and the effect it has had on the thinking of the company?
A Kevin Cronin, Chief Operating Officer and Sustainability Lead: Lean, efficient manufacturing had always been important at Freefoam, for us and our customers, and we’ve also been recycling for a long time, but several years ago we made a strategic decision to really drive sustainability and make some significant, ongoing changes. It’s about Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling – in that order of priority, and looking at people and resources as well, not just energy and materials.
We set up a dedicated Sustainability Team that includes myself, General Manager Geoff Barnett and Neville Blowers, our Operations Director, among others, and they’ve helped educate and involve staff across both factories. Change can often be a difficult process, but now everyone’s fully engaged.
Q I’ve noticed you refer to two operational terms, Circular Economy and Closed Loop Production. Can you explain these?
A Kevin Cronin: A Circular Economy is a business model that reduces waste and the use of energy and other resources; reusing, repairing, sharing, and recycling – essentially keeping materials in circulation, i.e. a closed loop. It’s better for the environment as we use fewer resources, and seek to eliminate waste, but it’s more efficient and economical too. Our Cork factory already has a completely closed loop, and our Northampton plant will follow suit very shortly.
Q Are your sustainability credentials an aid to increasing sales for your products or a hindrance?
A Kevin Cronin: Sustainability is most definitely a benefit for Freefoam and our customers. Installers and stockists say it’s something homeowners ask for, and they want to be more sustainable in their own businesses too, and work with suppliers that align with their environmental strategies and targets For housebuilders to build and market homes as truly sustainable, reducing carbon emissions generated by suppliers is essential. The EcoVadis rating is one housebuilder look for. We retained our Silver rating this year, although the criteria is now more rigorous, and we’re now in the top 9% of all companies EcoVadis assesses internationally.
Q I see Freefoam is the first to benefit from NEOVYNTM - a new suspension PVC from INEOS Inovyn, with a significantly reduced carbon footprint that’s 37% lower than the European industry average. Is sustainability the background to this or is about production efficiency?
A Adian Harte: At Freefoam we believe the two are intrinsically linked and are both an important part of our operating ethos. In reality being inefficient is unsustainable.
Q Customer service has always been an important part of the Freefoam offering and you operate to ISO 9001 standards…. how can you possibly improve your customer service?
A Richard Jackson, UK Sales Director: Our strategy for customer service is the same as that for sustainability – continuous improvement. We regularly review our service and proactively address any potential issues we’re always looking for ways to improve the quality of our products, the depth of our range, delivery, and the marketing and sales support we offer our stockists and their installers.
Q You are constantly developing products, adding colour in line with market trends - are there more developments due and can you hint as to what areas they could be in?
A Richard Jackson: We constantly review our ranges to ensure they are meeting the changing needs of the customer; this is simply an ongoing process making sure the range is always relevant. Keep your eyes on cladding as this is still a growing opportunity.
Q Cladding has become an important product so will Fortex®’s 10 colour options increase or do you believe the range covers requirements as they stand?
A Richard Jackson: We’ve seen a huge increase in cladding sales over the past few years, in domestic and commercial properties. Demand has driven an expansion in choice of design and especially colour.
Greys are really popular in the UK and abroad and have been for the past few years, particularly Anthracite Grey.
Q Whilst Freefoam is best known for its external building products, your Geo-panel® range is used internally. Is this a growth product for the company, and what has driven its growth?
A Richard Jackson: Our interior panelling range, Geo-panel®, was updated with new premium finishes and marketing materials earlier this year. It’s always been popular in social housing, and holiday homes, and is growing in the domestic market. We’ve introduced some high-end designs that are more aspirational and suitable for homeowners who want to renovate or improve their properties in days rather than weeks. It's a great product and the new range has gone down really well with customers, giving them opportunities to open up the internal home improvement market.
Q Marketing and the support given to your customers is key to their success. Is the point-of-sale material, print, online marketing tools or consumer advertising most important to the mix for your customer installer, or is it a case of all elements adding up to generating leads for the installer?
A Louise Sanderson, Group Marketing Manager: It's actually a mixture of activity and materials, with the simple aim of helping all our customers win business. They are created from a combination of our creative teams and listening to the needs of our customers who sell our products every day of the week. And we go one step further by actively generating qualified leads for our network of Registered Installers.
It’s a pretty unbeatable mix and customers get the most from using it all.
Q Is being an independently owned company, and not competing with your customers through your own trade counters, an important part of your strategy and is that independence likely to remain so?
A Aidan Harte: Maintaining our unique, independent business model has always been a key part of our strategy and always will be. We don’t compete with customers so we have no other agenda and work hard to help;them sell as much as possible – if they grow, we grow. It’s as simple as that.