Duncan Reeds: a leading light in lamination

Located in the south of England in the West Sussex countryside, Duncan Reeds operates from an unassuming industrial estate on the periphery of the village of Billingshurst. Walk through the doors however and you quickly become aware why and how this business stands apart from others in the business of laminated panel production.

The Billingshurst manufacturer creates a wide range of bespoke and innovative laminate products and services to diverse industries both in the UK and overseas. Key products the company has extensive experience with are wash room and cubicle systems, marine furniture, laboratory furniture, shop furniture, bars and counters.

In terms of cubicle manufacturing, Duncan Reeds has been involved in this space since its conception. All their systems are crafted to the highest technical specification, using top quality products from a broad range of materials. 

They supply leading shop fitting contractors with a wide range of bespoke shop furniture and fittings from wall linings to slat wall panels, till points to changing cubicles, display shelves and display counters.

Ultimately, Duncan Reeds can and does manufacture almost anything. It’s custom and bespoke solutions range from catwalks for high-end fashion shows to stage flooring for high profile television shows, exhibition stands for global companies, festival VIP areas, gaming machine surrounds, and amazing bars. Duncan Reeds has pretty much made it all.

Over the years, the company’s client list includes some of the world’s premium brands including Harrods, Manchester Utd, Sainsbury’s, L’Oreal and many more.

Duncan Reeds has rightfully earned a strong reputation for manufacturing across the UK and Ireland delivering an incredibly broad range of products to an equally diverse range of customers. One day they will be  producing an order for panels drilled with inserts for a furniture job and the next day profiling the edges of a compact laminate for bathrooms as well as creating upscale worktops for incredible credenzas in meeting rooms – these and many other one-off, bespoke solutions are bread and butter to Duncan Reeds.

“We are a family-run business and that ethos runs through our operation, it’s what underpins our team approach to what we do. Our people make us who we are.”

“We are a family business and that ethos runs through our operation,” says MD Garry Atkins, “it’s what underpins our team approach to what we do. Our people make us who we are – a dedicated team of expert, qualified professionals working across the entire operation, and we know we can guarantee the very best craftsmanship in our manufacturing processes.

“Investing in our manufacturing capability is also a vital part of our on-going success and we ensure that we have state-of-the-art machinery and IT technologies to service the diverse demands of our clients. We never compromise on our code of conduct and operate with a strong set of family values, integrity and ethics; striving for excellence and improvement across every aspect of our business to ensure that customers’ expectations are met. In doing so we have built a reputation, throughout the UK and overseas, as a leading fabricator of bespoke laminated products and services.”

In terms of the company’s history, Duncan Reeds has celebrated 35 years of keeping its customers more than satisfied last year – Garry looks back at the genesis of the business.

“In 1989, me, my father and brother-in-law found ourselves out of work, so we decided to dip back into laminate fabrication work, as between us we had a range of skills and thought it was something we could really commit to. We went out and sourced some second-hand plant and machinery and found a factory in Billingshurst, West Sussex – it wasn’t an ideal one,  but it could see us over the line to get started.”

Between the three of them, the fledgling business had a number of industry connections, and this developed into a small but very supportive customer base allowing the business to steadily develop. This being said, Garry pointed out that during the first trading year, Duncan Reeds had two companies that went bust on them. Lessons learnt, they dragged themselves back up and pretty much started again. Following a challenging first year, the company’s fortunes improved year-on-year, to such a point where they outgrew their first building. The next was on a nearby trading estate on the outskirts of Billingshurst where they purchased a freehold property.

“At the time we thought the building was massive, too big for us perhaps, so we took on part of the building, then we grew into another part and all of a sudden we’d taken on the whole building. Looking back, it was quite daunting, we wondered whether we were running before we could walk. But we managed to get good people in as we grew, and that really is the key to good business, your staff working positively with the management. We’ve also got some good sales people too and a great office team to support sales and management”.

After a decade of building the business, Garry and the team felt they needed to spread their wings a little, and the idea of opening a satellite operation in Manchester was born. They were initially concerned about not having a daily hands-on scenario with their place of work.

Early on it was a little stop-start in terms of sales success and work flow, it didn’t take off as they had expected. Following some re-organisation, and a key appointment in Jason Lawton, things started changing for the better. This soon necessitated a move to a bigger building, again freehold. Not long after, this process was repeated again in Kidderminster.

The headquarters and the two satellite operations provide Duncan Reeds with strong coverage throughout the UK and Ireland, and in Garry’s words, puts the company in a position ‘where we are in complete control of our own destiny – and that’s what we like.’

During the pandemic, the business was quick to pivot with new products and new materials, perspex screening for the NHS for example. This enabled the company to pretty much carry on with production through Covid with only a brief reliance on furlough, keeping all staff gainfully employed. Garry cites the company’s loyal staff as one of his key motivations.

“Staffing in our industry, and perhaps more so given our semi-rural location in Billingshurst, is a major challenge – but as a family business, we have been blessed to be able to retain many of our staff, some of them have been with us for 20 years or more.

“As a successful business we are constantly looking for new staff to join us, but today it is harder than it’s ever been. We have an ageing staff and management team and it is a real challenge recruiting the next generation.”

Talking about how the business competes in the market today, Garry says: “In terms of our products and how we attack the market, I think we’re aggressive – in a professional manner – and we like to make sure we’re in the melting pot and the discussions for whatever work’s out there, we want to be part of that. With our [sales] guys, we emphasise that we want to be part of that, we want to have a go, to speak to these people. We might not get the job, but we’re in their minds.”

Regarding the company’s wide range of products it has provided over the years, Garry says: “I’m sure that the products we create have helped us grow the business. For us, it’s very important to be critically conscious of what the business is producing. In simple terms, if you produce rubbish you’re not going to be in business for five minutes!

“We’ve maintained high standards from day one, and our manufacturing quality is something we’ve built our reputation on, and it’s recognised throughout the trade.

“The other thing that is crucial to our long-term success is our service ethos, and by this I mean when we quote a customer a two-week delivery time, that’s a promise we keep. I think the way we perform across the UK and Ireland, is synonymous with good quality products and lead times that we deliver on, that, and our passion for what we do. We also couldn’t do what we do without the support of a group of trusted suppliers, they are part and parcel of our long term success too.”

Looking forward, Garry is clear that Duncan Reeds needs to keep evolving whilst retaining the skills and abilities that have served the business for the last 35 years.

“I want the company to continue to perform with consistently high standards across the business, to grow the business year-on-year and invest in our people and processes every year. Our team will continue to face up to, and overcome, the strains and stresses of a competitive business environment – as a family business we are united in our belief that we will protect and reinforce our status as one of the leading laminate fabricators in the UK, supplying bespoke and innovative products and services to a diverse customer base in the UK and overseas.”

www.duncanreeds.com