The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Driving forward innovation
Fife- based glazing firm CR Smith said new demands from customers had driven innovation. The home improvement firm has reported a surge in inquiries as customer confidence picks up following the end of full lockdown.
The Dunfermline-based company said its inquiry levels were up 22% from customers looking to extend their homes.
Meanwhile FIX, the company’s repair business, had seen a 23% uplift, primarily from customers of companies that have gone bust
CR Smith said Covid-19 had brought more demand for home extensions as more people work from their houses.
The company has used its in-house architectural expertise to design new styles of home extensions, while also investing in a new computer modelling system.
Gerard Eadie , who bought CR Smith as a 22- year- old in 1974 and continues to lead the company, said it had used the lockdown period to drive forward innovation.
“We have been taking a pragmatic approach to ensure our business is resilient to the knocks inevitably landed by the pandemic,” he said.
“But necessity is also the mother of invention and this crisis has forced us and our customers to think and act differently.
“Lockdown and more time at home has got our customers thinking in real detail about what they need and want for their homes.
“They have great ideas for home offices and transforming kitchen areas to open-plan family rooms and we have responded by deve lop ing a 3D architectural virtual service, so they can bring these ideas to life from the comfort of their own home and without charge.
“We have had to adapt to the uncertainties of the new business landscape and chart a new course forward for our staff and our customers.”
The company, which has a workforce of around 350, is also planning a new website that will allow it to build in new levels of efficiency, bringing down costs across the operation.
Mr Eadie said the company was in a strong position going forward.
“The past few months have shown us that we can be more efficient for our customers and that there are tangible opportunities in the home extension market and across our repairs business,” he added.