11 Oct Image Interiors one year on
Some of you know that about a year ago Datum Projects bought a joinery manufacturing company called Image Interiors. No, we’re not aiming for world domination in the fit-out industry… Image is a standalone, specialist joinery company with its own client base. We bought it for its capacity to provide overflow for Datum, but also expected it to continue to service its own industry.
The plan with Image Interiors was simple – to support its existing management team and bolster the production side – but the reality has proven quite different! And there are some learnings from the whole process of ‘taking over an existing business’ I’d love to share.
As it happened, the production side was trucking along reasonably well; it was the ‘people’ side of the business where we hit a brick wall and needed to implement change. It’s easy to forget how far we have come at Datum regarding our awesome team, our culture, and our values – and to take that for granted. When you’ve worked to turn one business into a well-oiled machine, you can forget that other organisations don’t have the same structures/goals/ideals in place.
The first learning – setting a listing ship back on course takes time
When change is opposed, it is a slow, incremental, and rather painful process to raise expectations and turn attitudes around. It’s taken months of my time (and a few hairs off my head), working alongside my management team to get Image Interiors to a place where we have the right people with a clear focus, and the productivity to match. The underlying lesson being that it’s very hard to take on a company that has a certain way of doing things and impose or introduce a new culture. But I think we’re finally getting there. There’s now a renewed sense of purpose right through the whole business.
The second learning – you have to build pride in what we do and where we do it
When you expect standards to lift, make sure you give people the right tools and environment to make that happen. The Image premises we took over weren’t exactly enjoyable to be in – definitely not a place you’d look forward to spending your work day at. We’ve taken a proactive approach to making sure the workspace is one we’re happy to have our staff operate out of. Having renewed the lease on the current premises, we’re going to refurbish the office to make it better for all. Plus, we’re rejigging the factory and purchasing a new, larger CNC machine to boost output. Basically, giving it a Datum-level quality upgrade!
The third learning – two can be better than one
Would it have been easier to merge Image Interiors into Datum and operate one business out of two sites? Yes, probably. But I’m a stubborn so-and-so, who couldn’t resist the challenge of getting this ‘bird with a broken wing’ back in flight! So that’s my excuse. I have a passion for joinery and supporting cabinet makers in our industry, and I think the industry as a whole is better off for having this company contributing to that.
As I look back on the last year, it’s a good feeling to have the business in a much better place. However, I can see how naive I was when we embarked on this journey! We’ve all learned a lot, turned a few missteps into opportunities and I’m really excited for where we’re headed, with our ship back on course.