8 minute read
Installer profile
AN INSTALLER BUSINESS THAT HAS GROWN WITH ITS SUPPLIER
Tim Burton of KIS Hull Ltd, has seen his business grow over the years in tandem with his biggest supplier of work, Wren Kitchens.
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Tim explains how he has reaped the benefits of working with Wren and how life is good generally. No worries about Brexit and the like, Tim is planning his next road trip and even planning his exit strategy for when he eventually reaches retirement age. ▶ How long have you been installing and what areas do you cover?
I’m 55 now and have been installing kitchens since I was 21 although I have been involved in joinery since I was 18. I cover areas in a 30 mile range of Hull which includes Bridlington, Driffield, Goole and of course Hull and the South Bank.
▶ What do you install and what’s your speciality?
I specialise in installing quality kitchens, particularly for Wren Kitchens. The core of our business - about three quarters of the kitchens that my company fits - are Wren kitchens.
▶ Do you install yourself or do you have a team/teams of installers working for you?
My company is KIS Hull Ltd and over the past 15 years I’ve employed a number of installation teams. We have grown as Wren Kitchens has grown and now our team includes two other installers, an electrician, a plumber and gas engineer, a plasterer, a tiler and a builder so we can offer supplementary work as well as the actual fitting of the kitchen. I don’t install kitchens myself anymore - but I oversee the whole process
from surveys and costings at the beginning through to the handover with the customer at the end.
▶ How did you get into installing kitchens?
For me it was a natural progression. I starting working with an independent retailer, Masters Studio in Hull. After a while, I moved on to become self-employed, working with independent studios in the Hull area. When the Wren Kitchens’ showroom in Stoneferry opened I became one of the fitters it recommended. Then when the company introduced its own installation service I became a Wren Approved Installer.
▶ If you weren’t an installer, what would you be?
I’m not sure what industry I’d be in but I’d definitely be running a business of my own.
▶ What has been your biggest challenge in industry?
I would say there have been two big challenges. The first was taking the step to go self-employed. The second was moving on from being a self-employed fitter to running a team of installers and subcontractors and finding the right people. My installers Gordon and Shaun have been with me for more than 10 years!
▶ What makes your life as an installer easier?
When we work for Wren Kitchens, the kitchens are supplied rigid which makes them much easier to fit and there’s less chance of them arriving damaged or with anything missing. Wren always pays on time and pays the best rates in the industry. I find them very easy to work with. The company provides every installer with an iPad which has all the documentation on it. And it really listens to its installers to find out what makes their lives easier.
▶ Do you have any concerns for the future of the industry?
No; I’ve been in the industry too long and I’ve seen recessions come and go and companies come and go. My days of worrying about it are gone as you can’t do anything about it. Things are always changing - you can’t fix it, you’ve just got to understand it, accept it and go with it.
▶ What do you want to be doing in 1 year/5 years/10 years?
In one year and five years, I would still like to be doing what I’m doing. In 10 years time I would like to have retired. We’re about to rent a motorhome and go around France in it - if we like it, we’ll buy one and enjoy it when I retire.
▶ How long have you been a member of BiKBBI?
I have been a member for a long time. ▶ How do you use the BiKBBI within your business?
I read all the newsletters and information that BiKBBI sends us which helps me keep up to date with any changes in legal regulations and the compliance side of things. It’s good to know I can call them for advice when I need them.
▶ If you were a youth worker, would you recommend your career to young people?
Yes, if you achieve what you set out to achieve. We’ve had a lot of apprentices here and not all of them make it. It’s hard work and there are uncertainties, but what job doesn’t have those these days? I would recommend it because if a tradesman has skills and qualifications he or she can always make a living. One apprentice we had served his time and left to go to Australia, he got Australian citizenship and now he’s running his own company over there.
▶ If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
I think the industry’s in a better position now but if I could change one thing it would be to make
people more aware that some people say they’re a fitter when they’re not. There are a lot fewer cowboys in the industry now thankfully, the gas and electricity regulations have seen to that.
▶ Do you have a family?
Yes, my wife Simone and my daughter who is 22; she has just finished at the University of Lincoln and is planning to go on to do a masters in Media Production at the University of Westminster. I have an 18 year old son who has just completed his A-Levels and is applying for jobs in engineering. I also have a cockerpoo.
▶ Do you have any hobbies?
Fishing and golf. I got into coaching kids’ football through my son and have just retired from coaching a men’s football team. I’m still chairman of the club.
▶ Favourite holiday destination?
Austria for skiing and France for a summer holiday.
▶ Favourite sports team?
Manchester United ever since I was a kid.
▶ Personal hopes for the future?
That the business won’t end when I retire. I’d like to start by semi-retiring and still having involvement. My installers Gordon and Shaun may take over and I’ll stay on in some form working parttime.
Mr and Mrs James are standing to my left, leaning against the breakfast bar with their arms folded. The Showroom Manager is standing to my right, his hands clutching the worktop behind him, making his elbows bend outwards like a cowboy reaching for his six-shooters. This was deadlock, and I could see only one way to help them reach some kind of agreement about what they should do next.
Mr and Mrs James had been friends with the retailer for years, that’s why they’d gone there to get their new kitchen. Now their friendship was under strain.
‘Let’s have a look at the drawings and order form’ I say. ‘Let’s see what was agreed in the original scheme.’
Mrs James pulls out her file of paperwork. It looks comprehensive. Print-outs of email exchanges, a bundle of negative customer reviews from the web, sketches and notes taken during site meetings with the salesperson and fitters, even her bank statements confirming what has been paid. Amongst all of this, just one small line drawing of a plan that bears little resemblance to what’s in the kitchen today.
The Manager has an enlarged copy of the same plan and a copy of the order he placed with the kitchen supplier. The two plans are different, but there are no dates on them to identify when they were drawn. The order form differs from both. And the finished job has differences, too.
Kitchen planning is a complex process. Understanding what the customer wants, finding the right products and giving the best advice is crucial, but don’t underestimate the importance of clear documentation. Plan and perspective drawings, itemised orders and fitting information are essential. Clear information prevents misunderstandings and helps to ensure any problems can be sorted out quickly and easily. As installers, we often come across problems that need to be overcome and these can be frustrating and time-consuming. We have to talk to the customer and the shop about solutions to ensure the job is completed and we get paid.
Keeping records of this may feel like a waste of time when we just want to get on, but it can save time dealing with issues later, and it can enable us to give feedback to the designer/planner to help them with future plans and designs. The small amount of extra time it takes could save many hours. And maybe even a friendship or two.
