A real team effort

FK Moore has a proud manufacturing history; do you think this has been a factor in your success?

Manufacturing has definitely been a significant factor in the success of FK Moore over the years. In one form or another, the company has been trading since 1890 under the same principle: that being in control of the entire process from conception, through design, manufacture, to delivery allows us the flexibility of being able to cater for each of our customers’ individual requirements.

Whether it is to vary the base material used, to try and ensure that the finish applied is the best available, or to make a design adjustment, we are able to confidently take control of the situation. This enables us to supply products to bespoke specifications, rather than us needing to persuade our customers to take the best fit off the shelf. Over the years, some of our most successful product lines started out as a specific design for an individual customer requirement.

Looking at your most successful customers, what is the common denominator?

Our most successful customers tend to speak to us about what they are trying to achieve, and do it in plenty of time. That way, we can work with them to deliver their goal. We believe that ultimately, it tends to be the case that the customer who buys in a hurry or takes a cheaper, inferior product because they have not given due care to the fixings, will ultimately pay the price for fire-fighting their project. Using this ethos, we have been working with our customers to develop new product lines, as well as listening to them on adjustments to our existing offering, so hopefully the future will be exciting.

And looking at your own plans, what is your vision for FK Moore’s growth?

Using this ethos, we have been working with our customers to develop new product lines, as well as listening to them on adjustments to our existing offering, so hopefully the future will be exciting.

We are seeing more of a trend towards stainless steel work being quoted for as standard. It used to be the case that plated brass knocked spots off of inferior nickel, steel, or aluminium products.

However, as time moves on, we find that our customers are finding that the end-user takes a great deal of comfort from the qualities that working with this material affords them.

Sign-makers are having to up their game as demands for higher-quality products increase; how are you playing your part?

Rightly, a quality product is being demanded by the end-user more and more, and to this end we are seeing trends starting to develop akin to those of a few years ago. In more recent times, customers were quoting for jobs on price alone, therefore there was a tendency to take the cheapest fixing option. Often this can lead to a project that has not quite fulfilled its potential, or maybe looks a little lacklustre. In some situations where unsuitable fixings have been used, the consequences can be catastrophic. However, we are seeing a return to a quality-led decision making process, with a return to the ethos that the cheapest option isn’t always the best value.


Quality is key for us. We start off by trying to achieve a quality product, and approach the marketplace from that point. We think it is absolutely essential that our customers have complete confidence in our products being fit for purpose in every way, from safety to the aesthetics. However, recent times have taught us that efficiency savings are the best way of delivering this product at a more competitive price point, rather than cheapening the material or the finish.

Key Company Stats

• Number of Employees: 6
• Annual Turnover for last financial year: £750,000
• Growth Target for 2014: 10%
• Fixings technology sectors covered: 10
• Date Founded: 1890

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