In the third of our series of interviews with senior people in the flooring industry, we talk to Tracey Glew, founder and Managing Director of The Preparation Group, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of floor preparation equipment such as shotblasters, grinders and planers, and operators of the surface preparation, removal and finishing contracting service, PPC. We talk about the role her company plays in the flooring industry, challenges that crop up, and the work that she and the company have done to improve knowledge and training within the industry.
First of all, Tracey, how did you get into the industry?
My background was originally in marketing, but I also had experience of working in flooring and thought things could be done better, particularly in the way the industry presented itself. That was back in 1991. We just did contracting; one truck, a couple of guys and we built it up from there.
So why the move into manufacturing?
Similar story, after using other suppliers’ equipment for the first few years, we thought we could make machines better than what was available. We knew what we wanted as contractors, so we designed and built our own and started to sell them to other contractors.
And what does the business look like today?
Much bigger. Dedicated regional teams, big technical support – both head office based and on site if needed, a purpose-built training facility, maintenance, repairs, spares, everything. We’re still busy developing and improving our equipment and making sure we help contractors to do the best job they can, in the most cost effective and fastest way. After all, we’re still contractors ourselves, so we want the same things as our customers.
Who uses your equipment?
It’s really diverse. Naturally, specialist floor preparation contractors, but also main contractors, flooring contractors, even end users.
Does that cause any problems?
Not as long as people know what they’re doing. But we offer loads of support to help customers; from recommending the best equipment to do a particular job or advising how best to prepare a floor to demonstrating and teaching people how to use our equipment in our purpose-built training centre.
Things will go wrong if you try to shortcut the floor preparation or don’t do it properly – it’s like preparing anything. And, while you don’t see your efforts once the floor is covered up, you will probably notice if it hasn’t been done or done properly.
Training and education are big issues in the flooring industry, what else are you doing in this area?
Well the training centre, which opened in 2006, is a great resource to offer to contractors of all levels of experience, but it’s also useful to be able to demonstrate to other sectors of the industry, such as floor covering manufacturers, how and when different equipment should be used, so they are better placed to advise their own customers on how get the best finish they can.
We’ve also been instrumental in developing an NVQ in Advanced Sub-floor Preparation, so apprentices can get a formal qualification that will set them on the right path from the very start of their careers.
Have things changed much since you established the company?
The basic principles in preparing a floor have stayed the same. But over that time, we’ve focused on developing our range to make it more efficient, require less maintenance and be easier to use.
We also work in many more different industry sectors than we used to, which is due in part to the increased attention to health and safety in the workplace and public buildings, meaning that floors that might present safety hazards, for example, causing people to trip or fall, are now addressed, whereas years ago they might not have been.
Are there any noticeable trends that are currently happening?
There has been a rise in the popularity of natural finishes, for example, polished concrete over the last few years. And where the subfloor is also acting as the final floor finish, it’s even more important than ever to make sure the preparation is spot on.
Finally, is the flooring industry in a healthy state?
From our perspective it is. We’re busy up and down the country, and just as busy in the north as the south. I know everybody’s talking about Brexit and the uncertainty it might bring, but you’ve got to carry on doing what you do. We started our business during a recession, when there was lots of uncertainty, but we thought we could make it work.
More information on The Preparation Group can be found at www.ppcgroup.co.uk