Haines Watts working with Thorp Precast

Not unlike its approach to the design, manufacture and installation of its construction products, Thorp Precast has developed its own bespoke and highly skilled workforce by focusing on ensuring they take ownership of and pride in their role in the manufacturing process.

After all, says Thorp, if you find good people with potential and the right approach to work, you can provide training and continuity of work to develop the rest.

But attention to detail is everything, he says, and it takes talent, passion and commitment from everyone on the team to get it ‘right every time’. “Finding people who have the commercial mindset is also important. This is a business where you have to keep a keen eye on the minutiae to ensure costs are controlled.”

So what is the secret to finding people with the commitment and passion and creativity to constantly innovate? “As a nation, we used to be good at making things, but today the manufacturing sector isn’t what it used to be and young people are no longer exposed to industry in the same way,” he continues. “This presents an issue with identifying emerging talent.”

Rather than focusing on recruitment drives, Thorp says he instead keeps a constant lookout for talent. “If I find someone who I think has the same values and interest as I do, then I create a position for them, but most importantly, they must have energy to continually challenge everything,” he says.

He emphasises how important it is for the business to then provide them with the resources they need to take charge and run a successful project. “I can’t do it all myself, so I’ve had to learn how to trust my management team to make decisions,” he says.

Thorp admits he expects a lot from his staff, but he also highlights the importance of finding people’s strengths and utilising them effectively, while challenging their weaknesses along the way.

“We have recently recruited a HR manager who has been given a remit to engage with existing staff and develop an apprenticeship scheme so we can attract new young blood,” Thorp continues.

Providing hardworking employees with a good work/life balance is also important. “I always expect more from people and it’s about finding out how much they can give – but, in return, I try to ensure that they enjoy their work and are recognised for their contribution. As the company expands and takes on larger, more complex projects, I need to know everyone’s capabilities and what drives them.”

The larger the project the greater the need to ensure the numbers make sense. “The more complexity and detail the better. We concentrate on the ‘added value’, seeking innovative solutions and giving customers the confidence they can place the high-risk areas of their buildings in safe hands. It means less competition during the tender process,” Thorp says. “We aim to fill our order book at least 18 months in advance with contracts that can span over at least two years. This allows us to spot and react to any downturns in advance.”

Another key strategy has been the opportunistic acquisition of distressed businesses and their assets. “This is an industry that demands significant capital investment, and there are limited sites in the UK where you can get planning permission to manufacture ‘heavy’ building materials. So acquiring existing companies that have gone into receivership is a way to overcome this problem,” he says.

Thorp also believes that you make your own luck. “When those opportunities arise, you have to be decisive and confident,” he says. “It’s also about being in a position to be able to react. Fiona Cresswell, our Partner at Haines Watts, has been instrumental in helping us set up the company structure to enable us to do this.” Cresswell has worked with Thorp Precast since the beginning. She is not involved operationally day to day and as such is better placed to offer independent, expert advice.

“At the start, I had no commitments or responsibilities so it was about taking a risk and making the best of it. When I bought the original site in Stoke-on-Trent I told myself that, at worst, I could always sell my house and put a caravan on it,” he laughs.

This freedom from a fear of failure still pervades Thorp’s management style today, laying the foundations for what has been strong business growth over the past 20 years.

“I have retained 100% ownership and, while I do take risks because that is where the rewards lie, I am always in control of the details,” he explains. “Because I trust my people, we are able to enjoy a flat management structure.”

And that trust extends to the Haines Watts team, from Cresswell to the Partners in more specialist areas who work with Thorp when required. This has included advising on a range of issues, from the business structure to Research & Development Relief and succession planning.

“Often Fiona just makes things happen in the background while I get on with running the business,” Thorp describes. “For instance, she recently carried out interviews with our senior managers to identify their aspirations and frustrations, with a view to establishing our strengths and weaknesses. She was then able to present these to me from the perspective of an independent third party so I could take action.”

And, says Thorp, with the focus no longer being on investing in infrastructure but on people and technology, Haines Watts will continue to play an important role in making sure the business remains agile enough to remain at the forefront of the market.