Blinds & Shutters - Issue 4-2020

PROFILE
Investing for the future
Blinds & Shutters
spoke to Stuart
Dantzic on his
plans for
Caribbean Blinds
B&S understands that you are
extending your factory. What are the
reasons, especially with the COVID
crisis still in play?
It was always our plan to extend our
production facility in 2020 and whilst the
pandemic might have raised new challenges, as a
forward thinking business we have adapted and
evolved to ensure we can meet our growth goals.
We are actually on target to beat our previously
set targets for this year. More than doubling the
company’s current storage capacity, the 10,000
sq/ft extension will accommodate all aluminium
profiles for every product line, as well as the
aluminium and steel cutting department, releasing
space within the main building for extra assembly
stations and rigs, resulting in a significantly
increased production capacity. The investment has
also enabled us to remain on our current site and
in Sudbury for the foreseeable future, continuing
Caribbean Blinds’ two-decade long residence in
the area.
Do you have new products on the way?
We have a number of exciting innovations in
the pipeline, primarily around our outdoor living
range. These will all be revealed at the industry’s
leading annual external shading conference –
CBCON - which is scheduled to take place in
March 2021. To wet the readers appetite though,
these will include a PLUS version of our award
winning Deluxe Outdoor Living Pod aimed at the
commercial sector, along with an innovative new
patio awning proposition.
Does this mean you will be employing
more people?
Yes. Initially, once the extension is complete, we
will need a further 6 members to join our team
and we are already beginning our recruitment
drive to find these new team members. Going
forward, and to ensure we can meet our growth
plans, our employee number will double to 48
over the next 5 years. The majority of these team
continues on page 20
18 Blinds & Shutters • ISSUE FOUR 2020