April 2017

24 BUILD / April 2017 , BSF Solid Surfaces Ltd is a family run business known for quality and attention to detail and recognised within the Solid Surface industry, as a specialist, three-dimensional thermoforming fabricator of the major brands of Solid Surface, including DuPont Corian©, LGHi Macs, Avonite, Staron and Hanex; a unique and versatile material used for reception desks, tea points, retail display counters and units, counter tops andmany other applications. We invited the firm’s Nicola Barden to reveal more. A Solid Foundation Projects that BSF have been involved with vary greatly from some very simple to others of a more complex nature. This reinforces our versatility and flexibility as a fabricator. Contracts we have been involved with include office refurbishments, hospital and healthcare fit-outs, night clubs, bars, hotel fit outs, retail, restaurants and high end luxury residential development, however, we are not limited to these areas. When undertaking a new client or project what approach do you use to ensure the best possible outcome? When working with any customer, new or established, we endeavour to provide a first-class service, seeking all pertinent information at the outset and utilising our expertise in both the industry and the materials that we offer in our portfolio of products. What sets you apart from other companies in this industry? What marks you out as the best option for your clients? We offer high quality products with often very tight deadlines, at a competitive price. We have the knowledge and understanding of the industries we work in, and the products we work with, enabling our clients to have peace of mind when we are involved with a project. We are versatile and can and do work on many different types of projects, for varying types of customers, from furniture companies to construction companies. What are your overall aims and what strategies do you employ to achieve these? Our overall aims are to maintain and grow our business, in a profitable and reasonable manner. As a family run business, we aim to maintain a family feel with our staff and work very closely with our customers and suppliers, giving them the assurance that things are under control as we offer a first-class service to all our customers, new and old, small and large. We stay ahead of the crowd by firstly maintaining our position as a quality fabricator, whilst embracing new developments and investing in the latest technology, tooling etc. We have invested significantly in tooling to enable us to achieve finishes, shapes and other items that other fabricators would not consider. These include the project we were and remain involved with at Forbury Place, whereby we have produced ‘propeller blades’ made as curved pieces, hung from wall to ceiling. Within the wider industry, how do you distribute your knowledge and experience (for example, do you speak at industry conferences or write literature on your area of expertise)? Within the wider industry, we have a website, blog and online presence with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, where we offer information and advice. What has been your most successful project to date? What has been the most important thing you have learnt from working on this? We consider that we have a number of successful projects and would struggle to limit ourselves to just one successful project, however, we were particularly proud of our involvement with Forbury Place, NAPP Pharmaceuticals, Royal Court of Bahrain and London Transport Museum, as we are of our continuing, ongoing involvement with Rathbone Square and Victoria St. All of these projects differ in their remit, and are and have been challenging, requiring skill to produce to the quality and time constraints required. We were also involved with NAPP Pharmaceuticals where we were commissioned, working in conjunction with DLD Bespoke Solutions, who we often partner with, to produce a reception desk, manufactured to emulate a large white tablet. This required extensive thermoforming to the outside, drawers and other visible areas and was a very complex piece to produce. What does the future have in store for your industry? How do you see your market changing over the next 12 months? Our market has been seeing significant growth within the last few years, although we have suffered with dips. It is affected by fashion trends and economic shifts, especially within the Construction Industry. We try to work within many different types of areas i.e. offices, student accommodation, health and welfare etc to ensure that we do not pigeon hole ourselves, as one of our key strengths is that we are versatile and happy to undertake challenges. It is difficult to foresee the challenges ahead, especially given recent political changes; however, we are determined to continue pushing ourselves forward as much as possible. What are your future aspirations for your company? Do you have any plans or projects you would be willing to share with us? Our future aspirations for our company are to maintain our position and growth within our industry as a quality, family run fabricator of all the major brands of Solid Surface. 1704BU05