In an exclusive interview, Sean Pike, Managing Director at Layher UK, offers an insightful glimpse into the company’s visionary strategies for the year ahead and beyond following some significant management shifts.
Layher UK, the system scaffolding powerhouse, remains a beacon of quality, innovation and growth in the ever-evolving scaffolding and access solutions sector. With its headquarters based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, backed up by a network of regional depots, the company has recently undergone notable management transitions and welcomed fresh talent into its fold. These developments signal an exciting path forward for Layher UK as it charts its course through 2024 and beyond.
Scaffmag’s Editor sat down with Sean Pike, Managing Director at Layher UK, to delve deeper into the company’s strategies for growth and adaptation in the coming year.
DN: Layher UK has recently undergone some fundamental management changes and new appointments and hinted that 2024 will be a year of growth for the company. Can you provide some insights into the rationale behind these changes and how they fit into the company’s overall growth strategy?
SP: “Great leaders surround themselves with great people, and we are committed to building a team that can deliver our growth strategy. We have ambitious plans to double the current turnover within the next five years and realise that we cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.
When you ask for growth, we must remember not to be surprised when it challenges you, and as a leadership team, ‘WE’ will very much be focused on being agile in our turbulent and ever-changing industry. Being at the forefront of innovation whilst providing trusted services is a balance we pride ourselves on delivering. Our primary focus will always be on providing the turnkey service our customers greatly rely on.”
“Great leaders surround themselves with great people“
DN: Katherine Fox joined Layher UK as Operations Director in 2022. Could you share the impact she has had on the company’s operations and what her role will be in driving growth in 2024?
SP: “As an experienced change leader, Katherine has been perfectly positioned to drive our growth strategy’s key elements.
Over the past 18 months, she has focused on aligning our depots to operate as one Layher UK, removing aspects of solo working and identifying opportunities to improve service and meet our customer’s needs.
“For instance, the development of our rental hub in West Brom has been a concept that Katherine has worked with the team to implement. Katherine is passionate about making sure Layher is accessible to all, and our Allround Rent To Try option is growing and evolving. She is currently leading the transition into a new Microsoft business operating system, improving every aspect of our sales processes, finance, warehouse functionality & CRM operation.
Her relentless pace and motivation to achieve business goals have positively impacted the speed at which decisions are now made and new processes are implemented. Her passion for people means she naturally leads with compassion and has built trust throughout the team by championing collaboration and empowerment.”
“You will only sometimes see Katherine customer-facing, as she will be focusing on supporting all our teams to deliver the best possible service for our customers.”
DN: Due to her promotion last year, Anita Singh now holds the position of Technical Director. Under her leadership, what specific initiatives or innovations can we expect, and how do they relate to Layher UK’s growth plans?
SP: “By nature of her expertise, Anita is a detail-focused leader who always seeks to do things right. Having gained valuable insights working closely with our customers over many years at Layher, she is now ideally placed to develop and grow a team of talented engineers. She has listened to what needs to be improved within our service and is leading the most extensive change programme Layher’s technical team has seen in 25 years.”
Anita is passionate about CPD and supporting our experienced team through continuous improvement and chartership. Her team is the only technical team that designs Layher, and only Layher projects 24/7. She is also setting up initiatives to ensure Layher UK is at the forefront of new design innovations, such as introducing 3D scanning as standard.
She will work closely with our design and innovation team at our global head office in Germany to deliver this continuous improvement. Anita is leading the implementation of the new commercial process for technical design, working through sprints of critical process development before launching in September 2024.”
DN: Des Moore was announced as Layher UK’s new Brand Ambassador in January. Could you tell us more about his role and how it aligns with Layher’s brand recognition and expansion goals?
SP: “Des Moore has a long history with Layher Allround and was one of our biggest customers at Trad for many years. We are delighted to be working with Des, who, with his years as an industry leader, will give insight into specific areas. These include the scaffolding contractor’s unique requirements, the system’s benefits versus tube and fitting, and his familiar history with the contracting hire business to support the development of our rental hub.
“Des will be completing regular workshops with our key sales team to share his commercial experience and meeting customers to share his significant first-hand knowledge and benefits of using the Layher system. His volumes align with our own and support our leadership strategy to increase market share, raise brand awareness and make Layher accessible to all scaffolding companies. I think we all know the value Des can add to any business in our industry and we are lucky to work with him as our brand ambassador.”
DN: Scaffmag understands that Ben Beaumont, Director of the Temporary Works Forum and MD of Elevation 81, is working with Layher UK in an advisory role for the Technical Design Department. How might his expertise contribute to Layher’s growth?
SP: “As a team of 10 strong design engineers, we pride ourselves on the knowledge and service we deliver to our customers. As our customers grow and take on more challenges, we have listened to them and realised that we need to change the way our technical department functions in order to meet the needs of our customers.”
“We have been discussing for many months how to implement a new commercial process to meet those required demands. Ben is ideally placed to support Layher through this growth period, working with the leadership team to develop our strategy and break down the key elements of a new commercial process and how it would be implemented successfully. Working alongside Ben helps provide clarity of goal, identify challenges we will have to work through and how to support our valued team to flourish during this process.”
His industry expertise and years of business leadership have helped springboard our strategy implementation.”
DN: Are there any specific market trends or opportunities that Layher UK plans to leverage to drive growth and remain competitive in the coming year?
SP: “The markets we operate in have had a turbulent 2023, but we, of course, now begin to see, since December, a re-emergence aided by falling inflation and a steadier interest rate, plus it’s an election year, and we will seek to capitalise on the effects to specific markets that the politicians will inevitably promise.
We are ready to support and deliver to the market our strategic and humble promise of the best possible customer service and support, as well as total reliability of supply, geared towards helping our customers to grow.”
DN: How does Layher UK plan to maintain a competitive edge in the scaffolding industry, and what strategies are in place to differentiate the company from competitors?
“We are aware of how other system manufacturers operate in the market, and there are many look-alike versions of Layher Allround available. However, at Layher we concentrate our efforts on ensuring we deliver the consistency of quality, service, solutions, support and depth of supply.
We will remain focused on what we do best: ensuring our vision, values and purpose are part of everything we do. Our main objective will always be to help our customers grow their businesses through our strategic partnership. Their success is our success.”
DN: Could you provide some insight into any new product developments or expansions that Layher UK has in the pipeline for the year ahead?
SP: “Our product development and innovation team at our head office in Germany are continuously working on new solutions parts. We have recently worked with one of our Scottish customers to develop a specific solution and given our findings to Germany to include in the development… Watch this space!”
Pioneering Progress
As Layher UK looks ahead to 2024 and beyond, it’s evident that the company is not just embracing change but actively driving it. With a leadership team committed to fostering innovation, collaboration, and customer-centricity, Layher UK is poised to navigate the complexities of a dynamic industry landscape. From strategic management transitions to investments in talent and technology, every move underscores the company’s unwavering dedication to excellence.
As they embark on this growth journey, Layher UK remains steadfast in its mission to provide unparalleled service, reliability, and customer support, cementing its position as a true leader in the system scaffolding and access solutions sector. The future holds boundless opportunities, and Layher UK stands ready to seize them with determination and vision.
This article was originally published in Issue 21 of the ScaffMag magazine.