A. Proctor Group
Last updated | 25/04/2007
Blairgowrie-based A Proctor Group is a perfect example of how a dynamic vision and a clear marketing focus can enable a business to carve out a national niche from Perthshire.
The Group traces its roots back more than a century to the heyday of Dundee's jute industry, but the business began to take its present form in the early 1900s when the family moved to The Haugh - a large Victorian house by the River Ericht in Blairgowrie.
Business turned to construction products in the mid-1950s, but growth was slow and steady until managing director Allan Proctor took over from his father in 1989. Since then, a mixture of old-fashioned business acumen and bang-up-to-date commitment to innovation has transformed the A Proctor Group into one of the UK's leading construction solutions providers.
A diverse yet co-ordinated product range now varies from vapour control membranes, geomembranes and thermal and acoustic insulation, to specialist agricultural buildings and ventilation systems. The Group employs around 50 at its customer services and administrative base in The Haugh, plus a 45,000-sq ft manufacturing facility on the edge of Blairgowrie, together with a further 25 multidisciplinary sales executives based around the UK.
Location in Perthshire has never been a business issue for this company. The sales force markets Proctor products to architects, developers and builders all over the UK, and exports are now also growing strongly to Europe, North America and the Far East. Raw materials are drawn from wherever the deal is right: plastic membranes from Forfar just 20 miles away, barrier membranes from Kent and styrofoam from London.
The character of the company reflects strongly the character of the individual at the helm. Alan Proctor's personal commitment to innovation explains the extensive research, development and testing activities which take place in Blairgowrie, and it's no surprise to find A Proctor Group products specified in prestigious building projects throughout Britain and beyond. Close relationships with universities and suppliers ensure that Proctor products remain at the forefront of their fields.
Loyalty, often seen as an old-fashioned quality by slicker big-city outfits, is turned by the A Proctor Group into a distinct business advantage. Not only do staff tend to commit themselves to the company for years, the concept permeates supplier relationships as well, such as the 40-year partnership with Dow Construction Products. These links buttress the quality and reliability of the Proctor service, while continual improvement is assured by the 15-year link with Edinburgh's Heriot Watt University and, more recently, Napier University.
Almost all products are certificated to national standards, and the back-room operations enjoy the same commitment to quality, with new technology applied wherever business performance and customer service can be shown to benefit.
The company is growing steadily, having increased its turnover by 20% in the last two years, partly through the acquisition of two smaller businesses. Around 10% of sales are now overseas, and profitability is good.
Although it now operates on a national and international level, the Group has retained its strong local roots under Allan Proctor, whose commitment to the area is demonstrated through his board membership of the local enterprise agency and other public bodies.
The key to success is clearly to act local, yet think global. As Allan Proctor says: "You either stay regionalised and don't move on, or you treat the UK as your home market."
