A shading manufacturer is celebrating a huge rise in turnover and staff numbers after expanding its factory.
Family-owned Caribbean Blinds of Sudbury added a 10,000sq ft extension to its 20,000sq ft factory in 2022 - at a cost of half a million pounds.
The move enabled it to increase its stock levels so that it could ramp up production and avoid supply chain shortages.
It has meant it has been able to cut its lead-in times as demand for its blinds soars.
Its turnover has grown nearly threefold - from £1.8m in pre-pandemic 2019 to £5m today.
It is also increasing its workforce by a third this year - taking it from 15 staff pre-pandemic to 30 currently.
It is in the middle of its latest recruitment drive and has already taken on six new production and installation workers so far this year - and is planning to take on a further six.
The new and improved factory is having a significant impact on the local economy, the company said.
The second-generation family firm was started by Ray and Angie Dantzic in 1987 and began as a small shop front supplying trade dealers.
Son Stuart Dantzic, its managing director, said the new extension has enabled the business to hold higher levels of stock - £1.5m-plus worth at any one time.
That has helped it avoid potential delays due to supply chain issues caused by growth in demand across the whole home improvement sector.
"We’ve seen a momentous increase in demand for our products since the start of the pandemic in 2020," he said.
"The birth of the ‘holiday at home’ culture coupled with the warming climate and multiple heatwaves the UK has experienced means that many homes just can’t cope with without installing some form of external shading.
As a UK manufacturer, the company is committed to recruiting in the local area and adding value to the community, he said.
"We are now able to manufacture orders as soon as they are placed – without the need to wait for parts," he said.
"The ongoing expansion of our team will assist us in our mission to become the UK’s most desirable and trusted brand for external shading."
The company recently announced a new partnership with the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and is a sponsor of landscape expo and trade event FutureScape 2023 at at ExCeL London in November.
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