With UK distributors including White Light, Stage Electrics and TMB, plus European distributors in Italy, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Portugal and Iceland (all of which deals were agreed at PLASA shows over the last few years), it's amazing to think that the theatre and entertainment industry still only accounts for 50% of Rope Assemblies' business.
MD Siobhan Hitchen prides herself on the family-owned business that considers its customer's and its staff needs and safety as paramount. The company started in 1986 in the hands of Hitchen's parents. Her father, Terry, had been dealing with wire ropes most of his working life, but had always dreamed of running his own business. At the age of 53 and with a £40,000 budget, he bought a piece of land and built a 2,500sq.ft factory. Initially, the main market was steel rope for roller doors and lorries, but Hitchen senior quickly expanded to supply the construction industry, architectural ropes for balustrades and staircases, marquees and high-tensile structures.
In 1995, during a visit to a West End theatre, Siobhan's brother noticed that all the lighting safeties were chains, and immediately saw an opportunity to expand the company's market further. As a biochemist, he then developed the black-coating for the steels specifically for entertainment - for which the company now has the patent. From initially supplying 500 - 800 safety bonds per month, Rope Assemblies now manufactures a staggering 5,000 - 8,000 per month.
Following a diverse career in both civilian and army nursing, Siobhan wanted in on the family business. However, Terry told her that she knew nothing about business, and to bugger off and learn before she graced his office again. This she did and joined the company in 1998. In 1999, Terry semi-retired and Siobhan took over with the help of the rest of the company's valuable team. In 2001 factory was expanded the factory to 7,500sq.ft. Since then, the company has expanded further in terms of staff (now 18 full-time), markets and product portfolio. Today, the company has the largest capacity in the country for small-core ropes. Siobhan says: "We're not proud, any product our customers want - or if they just need a bit of wire rope, we'll do it."
Siobhan has clearly inherited her father's ability to transfer knowledge from one industry to the next and this has allowed the company to be a proactive contributor to its product's applications in the industries it supplies, ultimately providing a constant cross-fertilization of ideas. All Rope Assemblies products are custom-made to order, which Siobhan believes has developed many of its most popular product features, such as the colour-coded thimbles for length indication - practically an industry standard today.
Safety is a priority both from the perspective of its customers and for its staff on the shop floor. To that end, the company works within the confines of LOLER, British Standards and DIN. Everything it supplies or resells is fully tested and supplied with all relevant certificates. The company will never supply a customer with something it deems unsuitable for an application, says Hitchen.
All staff training is in-house, due to the assorted range of industries the company serves. As Siobhan says: "You can be talking to offshore oil riggers in the morning and to entertainment riggers and architects in the afternoon."
Siobhan believes that the secret to Rope Assemblies' success is a loyal staff nurtured with a good team spirit and generous benefits, plus knowing when to expand, and understanding c
