Liverpool city region door and window manufacturer Door and Window Systems creates 15 jobs after investing £50,000 in new technology. Tony McDonough reports

A specialist door and window manufacturer has created 15 new jobs and will double its turnover thanks to a £50,000 investment in new technology.

Door and Window Systems (DAWS) makes aluminium products for trade suppliers. It was launched just four years ago. The business decided it needed to improve infrastructure and introduce automation to achieve its growth ambitions.

It got in touch with Made Smarter, a government-funded initiative to help SME manufacturers digitalise, decarbonise and grow through technology.

With the support of the programme DAWS has created a ‘digital roadmap’ and invested in software to manage customer interactions and sales, and secondary software to integrate with production and dispatch.

This project had an instant impact, increasing back office productivity by 50% and freeing up staff to focus on more high value tasks and sales opportunities.

As a result the company is on track to double its turnover, contribute an extra £1M to the region’s GVA over the next three years and create 15 new jobs.

Julian Wetherall, Director of DAWS, said: “We’ve had an amazing first four years, but now we are focused on scaling the business and becoming a go-to supplier for our customers.

“This means hitting delivery targets and delivering an even more exceptional level of service.

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“Our move to new premises in Knowsley has overcome our storage and supply chain challenges, as well as giving us the space to grow and so now we have all the ingredients in place to go to the next level.

“Our experience of Made Smarter has been incredible. The team has guided us through a complex process to invest in technologies which are having a huge impact on our business.

“The software we have chosen fits us like a glove and we have experienced an immediate improvement.

“The digital roadmapping exercise and grant funding has really accelerated and de-risked our investment. It has enabled us to see the reaching benefits of further technology investment.”

Launched in the North West in 2019, Made Smarter has supported more than 2,500 businesses. This includes 250 manufacturers who have collectively invested £18m in new technologies.

Almost 1,300 new jobs are forecast to be created, 2,400 existing roles upskilled, and an additional £209m in GVA for the North West economy over the next three years.

Donna Edwards, director of Made Smarter’s North West adoption programme, added: “We are delighted to be supporting DAWS to accelerate its digital transformation.

“It is a fantastic example of a small business investing in technologies as a route to growth and new highly skilled jobs.”