D & S Cable Braiding Ltd
We are grateful to Dafydd and Sonia de Lange, owners of D and S Cable Braiding Ltd, for agreeing to this case study. Their story highlights the opportunity afforded to business owners by Dorset Business Mentors, shining a light on a business that has demonstrated resilience and has a bright future despite the challenges faced by many in the manufacturing sector during 2020.
Dafydd and Sonia de Lange founded D & S Cable Braiding Ltd in 2008 after the company Dafydd worked for relocated its manufacturing unit up North, then later shutting down the braiding side of its business. Indeed the context in which they founded their business is illustrated when one considers that there were around 200 companies making cables in the UK in the late 1990’s but now there are just a handful, that the country was in the middle of a recession and they set up on a metaphorical shoestring. So to what do they credit their success?
In 2014, after six years of trading, the couple met with a representative from the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service who felt they would benefit from the guidance of a mentor.
At the time the couple were concerned about finances but also felt that, having got the business going on very little working capital and kept it going, there was inherent future potential. However, they were also conscious that while they were skilled at their individual jobs they lacked key business and cash flow skills. In short, they recognised that in order to move forward they needed support to develop these skills and a cogent business plan.
Taking up the SWMAS recommendation Dafydd and Sonia approached Dorset Business Mentors (or DorMen as the programme was then known) and were linked with mentor Trevor Dutton. Trevor was chosen for his wide range of experience across business planning, financial control and budgeting, manufacturing and engineering, marketing and sales management, and more.
When Trevor commenced his role as their mentor he recognised the potential in the business and helped identify an investor (based in Liverpool) who subsequently bought a 50% share in the company. Since that time his consistent attention has helped Dafydd and Sonia increase productivity, improve turnover and expand.
In 2016 the de Lange’s again extended their range into Jute ropes and other related cord products. By 2017 they were in a position to buy back their 50% share, enabling them to regain complete control of the business.
In 2020 they took over a cable extrusion company in London, once again enabling them to extend their product range and offer a complete range of services under one roof. This precipitated a move to larger premises to accommodate the cable manufacturing, cable extruding and cord business.
This growth has been against a national trend of a whole industry being lost to Chinese competitors. So what is it that D & S Cabling have done so right?
One could argue the toss that the turning point for Dafydd and Sonia was the combination of their passion and growth mindset, leading to their request for a Dorset Business Mentor. They recognised that “just because we own a business it doesn’t mean we know it all’.
When asked how they would describe the relationship they have with Trevor they said, “He has developed our capabilities and strengthened us as business owners…..without Trevor we wouldn’t have succeeded. He really believes in us and that has been key at those moments we felt we can’t do this anymore. He encourages us to keep going. He is diplomatic and always considered but doesn’t beat about the bush, which we welcome.” In answering this question they equally wanted to convey that part of the value in the mentoring they have received is in it not always being about the business but them as people. Mentoring delves into personal drivers behind the business, understanding that personal context, belief systems and joint ownership situations inform motivation and performance. In the case of Dafydd and Sonia, their motivation is ultimately to be able to hand on the business to their children.
This said, it is important to convey that while a mentor can help business owners avoid pitfalls by drawing on experience, by offering fresh insights and perspective, or helping to frame or work through a process when decision making, the owne/s are in the driving seat of the business and decisions are their own.
When I asked Dafydd and Sonia why else they felt their business had succeeded where others had closed, they highlighted the following:
· Being a small business can be an advantage as they are more adaptable that larger firms
· They have been careful to minimise overheads and not over-reach
· They have developed a unique proposition:
1. They are one of the very few company in the UK offering a complete service for cable manufacture AND braiding.
2. Clients can place short orders where their market competitors in China seek high volume.
3. Clients benefit from same time zone communication which is direct and expert. There is no ‘middle party.
4. Quality is high and requested adjustments to orders can be responded to rapidly
5. The company fulfils high trading standards – key aspects of which Chinese competitors are not required to fulfil.
6. Their family work in the business and this increases the sense of collective motivation.
7. The scale of the business at present enables them to meet a rush of orders for one product type without the pressure of having to maintain order flow elsewhere.
The result, particularly in the face of the current pandemic, is that Dafydd and Sonia feel the business is in a good position and resilient. The second lockdown has impacted them to some extent as a number of clients are in the Tier 3 North, but timing is such that this is affording them an opportunity to focus on ordering their new premises and workshop. There is also a new website underway to communicate their evolved, combined offer and to develop sales.
The couple are optimistic and are supported and encouraged by their mentor. Looking ahead the business is looking to enter new markets and the nature of mentor support will increase their chances of success in the face of Brexit and other market forces. Meanwhile, they rightly feel proud that they are almost single-handedly preserving and reversing the loss trend of this long established, specialist form of manufacture to foreign soil.
After our discussion I found myself reflecting on some of the advantages to small business that Dorset as a county presents to small manufacturers such as this. Dafydd and Sonia are self-confessed country people and have resisted any suggestion of moving their business closer to their main client base in the Midlands. Keeping their business here they are able to keep their overheads modest and enjoy the lifestyle Dorset affords. However, they are also positioned to access all the benefits of the Dorset Business Mentors local programme which is affordable thanks to funding from Dorset’s Local Authorities and the Sponsorship of Investec (Bournemouth), and incomparable in scale and scope in England. Through this they continue to benefit from Trevor’s mentoring and together they can tap into any specialist expertise among another 130 mentors who offer a high level of national and international experience from within the manufacturing sector and parallel industries, offering insights as required from other perspectives. As their needs shift over time, for example as they prepare one day to hand over their business to the next generation, mentoring continues to offer value in supporting them to prepare for, and work through, the process of transition. With all the other support services available, SWMAS included, Dorset clearly affords all this business needs to support its development.
If you are interested to learn more about being linked with a Dorset Business Mentor, please call our experienced team on 01305 221 268 or make an enquiry here. You can also follow us on Twitter, and on Linkedin
In writing this article we would like to highlight that Trevor Dutton has offered his time and experience as a Mentor to well over 40 Dorset businesses through the programme since 2006. We, our stakeholders and Trevor’s mentees greatly value his commitment and contribution to our business community. We were delighted that this was publicly recognised when he was awarded Volunteer of the Year 2019 by Volunteer Dorset.
Please note, at the time of writing D&S Cable Braiding Ltd are having a new website built and recently moved to larger premises. If you have an enquiry please contact: 01258 820799
