A challenging yet successful year: Marshall-Tufflex

The industry has seen many challenges over the past year. The long-term effects of the global pandemic are continuing to be felt, from stock issues to labour shortages and overcoming these has not been an easy feat for many. Here Jon Chamberlain, Commercial Director from British based cable management manufacturer, Marshall-Tufflex, reflects on how the company has navigated some of the challenges, as well as its accomplishments from the past year.

Like many in the industry, 2021 forced us to face many hurdles head on. We had to adapt, reassess and reposition ourselves so that the business could continue through what has been a tumultuous year. Despite all that was thrown at us, we have worked hard to come out the other side a stronger company, with new roles and processes in place and a positive outlook for 2022.

One of the biggest challenges of 2021 was strain on the supply chain. Companies up and down the country, spanning all industries, have felt the impact of disrupted and delayed access to materials and we were not immune to this. During 2021 we were impacted by a lack of virgin PVC-U material, as well as limited supplies of packaging and other materials, yet were able to overcome this, thanks to several factors.

Firstly, the fantastic relationships we have with our suppliers. This meant we were predominantly able to maintain a continual supply of our aluminium, steel and other non-PVC-U ranges with little disruption. We prioritised orders for our UK market and, of course, we occasionally needed to extend lead times with agreement from customers, but generally customers planned ahead to allow for longer deliveries.

The situation was also minimised thanks to the success of our in-house recycling capabilities. By enhancing our production processes internally, we were well positioned to keep a regular supply of PVC-U cable management products going out to customers.

Central to this, was the use of compounder machines to produce recycled PVC-U material that is used for manufacturing our trunking and conduit systems. We have been using recycled material in the manufacturing of our products for over 25 years and the compounder has enabled us to continue to innovate and develop new ways to produce superior products.

The compounder is fed by a mixture of post-consumer and post-industrial waste material (typically from plastic windows) and the PVC-U is granulated and processed through the machine to remove any impurities. As windows are designed to resist the outdoor elements, a more durable final product is achieved. Impressively our cable management products were manufactured using 74% recycled material in 2020, preventing thousands of tonnes of PVC-U windows from ending up in landfill.

This is all part of our ongoing commitment to recycling and reducing the amount of waste the construction industry generates each year. We want to encourage the sector, in particular, manufacturers in the cable management industry, to adopt more sustainable practices. By 2028 it is our vision that all PVC-U cable management products are manufactured using a minimum of 50% recycled material.

Achievements

Despite the challenges that we faced, we were still able to achieve a huge amount as a business during 2021, with positive changes that have enabled us to increase our efficiency and improve our processes.

We experienced increased demand for our products and, to meet this growth, we have created and recruited for several new roles across the organisation. Most recently, the team was bolstered with two new quality personnel who are specifically dedicated to providing the continued focus on maintaining and developing our processes to meet the high quality standards that we are known for.

Further still, as part of our ongoing dedication to product development and innovation, we have been able to launch a number of new products throughout the year. This included several updates to our underfloor to desk range with a collection of new power and data modules, raised floor boxes and desktop modules.

By 2028 it is our vision that all PVC-U cable management products are manufactured using 50% recycled material

Our cable management products were manufactured using 74% recycled material in 2020

The future

During 2021, there have been some tough times for individuals and businesses alike. At Marshall-Tufflex we can look back on how we faced and overcame each challenge with pride and use this to propel us into 2022. In fact, we are looking forward to entering the year in an even stronger position than pre-pandemic.

Our ongoing success would not be possible without the backing and commitment of our people – internally and externally. We would like to thank our customers for their continued loyalty and support, and special thanks must also go to our colleagues for their hard work and dedication throughout. We are immensely proud of how far we have come as a team.

As a company we have a very positive outlook for the next year and we are excited to be celebrating our 80th birthday in 2022, a huge milestone for the company. To commemorate this, we are aiming to achieve an average of 80% recycled content within our PVC-U manufacturing in 2022.

Marshall-Tufflex, marshall-tufflex.com