Laurence Dyer, previously UK sales representative, is now sales and customer services manager, having inherited the title from Julian Chiverton. Julian remains sales director at Doughty but the change enables him to take a back seat in the main office and focus on growing the business, as well as building and maintaining customer relations both in the UK and overseas.
Dan Phillips continues in his role as project sales co-ordinator while Mike Guglielmi, previously UK sales, now heads up the export department, where Vickie Thake, Jenny Ambrose and Julie Eady have recently taken up new positions. Finally Samantha Hawkins has joined the sales team to look after UK sales and administration, following the retirement of long-standing staff member Christine Drinnan.
Currently standing at 65 staff at its 32,000 sq ft facility in Ringwood, and with more than 1700 items in its product range, Julian Chiverton said internal change was vital as the company continues to grow.
"We are getting busier all the time," he said. "Our staff numbers are increasing and the range of products we are designing and manufacturing is growing too, so it's important to take a step back, figure out what we are doing well and build on it. But we also knew we had to change things, such as the way we were managing our employees in the factory, in order to help them cope with the increasing demands of the business."
Much of the company's continuing success is attributed, according to Laurence Dyer, to Doughty's growing reputation in the broadcast arena and the popularity of its products in TV studios. He stated: "In this industry, it's not unusual to notice a dip in productivity during the summer months. The theatres are quiet, and we've fulfilled all our summer festivals work. But this year we've noticed the TV studio side of our business really take off. What's great for us is that TV studios churn out material all year round - it's not seasonal, so there aren't any peaks and troughs. We've been consistently busy this summer and we're very excited to see our business develop in this area."
So how will the changes affect Doughty's loyal customer base? "Not at all!" continued Laurence. "The biggest change our regulars will be aware of is different voices at the end of the phone. Many of our customers have been ringing in to make enquiries and place orders for going on twenty years. But Doughty Engineering prides itself on the fact that everyone we employ is trained to understand our business and our products and will be able to offer the same quality of service and advice that our clients demand."
(Jim Evans)
