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As he celebrates a milestone 35 years with Mila, GGP talks to Managing Director Richard Gyde about his early days in the business and some of the momentous changes he’s seen.
How did you get started in the industry way back in 1981?
“Believe it or not, I never set out to work in window and door hardware! I actually wanted to be a vet when I was younger, but the opportunity to earn some real money working with my Dad at Mila over the school summer holidays appealed to me as a 17 year old, and somehow I never left.”
How did you go from that summer holiday job to becoming MD then?
“Anyone who remembers the window industry in the early 1980s will know that I joined at just right the time. Mila was growing massively and was very soon the market leader, and after a few months working in the warehouse learning about the products and how we did things, I was offered a job in the booming sales office and from there I worked my way up to Sales Director. It was only in 2000 that I became Managing Director.”
Haven’t you ever been tempted to leave in 35 years?
“Obviously, I’ve had plenty of interesting offers over the years, but Mila really does feel like a family and, as we say in our adverts, it’s ‘in my DNA’.”
What have been the biggest changes you’ve seen at Mila over the years?
“Aside from all of the huge advances in IT which have obviously transformed how all of us do business, the most significant one is probably the bigger focus on customers. In the early days, we judged our success on the size of our backorder list – essentially how much product we owed customers, which seems ridiculous now in these days of 99% OTIF. We also used to employ 200 people at Mila, most of them in the warehouse. Now, automation means it’s closer to 70 and we have product development and marketing departments which didn’t even exist then.
There’s obviously been a step change in the products we supply as well. In the 1980s, it was all about imported German profile systems and imported German hardware. When the systems companies started producing profile systems specifically for the UK market, the hardware industry followed suit, and Mila even had a zinc die casting business within our group producing hardware in Daventry right up until 2008.”
What about manufacturing offshore – when did that start?
“Not until 2008 when the recession drove us to reluctantly follow our two biggest competitors out to the Far East in an effort to reduce costs. I would have to say that it has worked out tremendously well for us though, and more than 50% of the products which Mila sells are now designed and developed by us here in the UK and manufactured in China. I go out there regularly and I can tell you that our supply chain and quality control infrastructure in China would rival many blue chip businesses.
What do you think lies ahead – both for your own career and for the industry as a whole?
In terms of my own career, I’m always looking for the next challenge. I’ve stayed at Mila for 35 years not because I’m comfortable or complacent but because this is an exciting and dynamic business. We’re always developing something new and I thrive on that.For the industry as a whole, I think there’s plenty of consolidation still to come. I remember the days when there were more than 100 profile companies in the UK and there’s now only a dozen or so and I don’t think that process is over yet – not just for profile companies but for hardware suppliers and of course for the fabricator base as well.”
What motivates you outside of work?
“I like to stay in shape and, as a twin, I think I’ve got a naturally competitive personality. For me, that translates into bike riding. I’m a keen member of the GM Fundraising team and I’ve done all of the rides over the last 10 years, challenging myself to ride better and raise more money for the charity every time.”
