YPIE Blog Day Three: Ercol

Ben Brook from CDUK discusses the Young Professional Industry Experience group’s trip to Ercol.

Edward Tadros, chairman, and Ian Peers, operations director,  hosted our trip to Ercol, but it was clear everyone took great pride in working at the business.

Founded in 1920, Ercol  flourished in post WW2, with the company helping to rebuild the country.  The company focuses on low volume  and high range. It could have followed others and tried to compete with  companies in the Far East with high volume low cost. Today it has 180 employees

For Ercol, understanding its customers is essential. The typical Ercol customer has paid off their mortgage, their kids have moved on, or they’re ready to settle down. However John Lewis has helped to drive a younger customer range to Ercol.

Investment continues at the company to ensure it remains a market leader. While it has invested £5 million in automaton, the company feels that some of the manual processes must remain to keep the product unique. Looking to the future, Ercol plans to grow the business by investing in new areas and improve lead times by developing its operations..