Despite having a seemingly niche product, Dufaylite is a busy as ever. Ashley Moscrop, managing director, took over from his father Tony Moscrop in January of last year, having served on the board since 2013.

Moscrop explains that the company has not developed in the ‘normal’ way businesses should: “[The company] was found founded by George May in 1955. In 1995, Tony Moscrop, my father, was head hunted into the business and in the year 200, completed an MBO. I joined the board in 2013 and took over as MD in January 2018.

Moscrop took over from his father as MD in January 2018

“The company has had a history of owners since it was formed in 1955, from big corporate business including the Hanson Group, through to the current situation of private ownership. Whilst typically businesses grow year on year often in both size turnover, at Dufaylite we do things a little differently. If anything, the turnover has declined over the last few years, but we are now more profitable than ever. This is as a result of changing the type of work we now deliver.”

Fruit

It is not uncommon to hear of stories of those diverting from a completely different sector to creating signage or into the print industry but hearing of a firm switching to print from an industry as different as “fruit” is a little more avant-garde.

Today, our business is totally different, we provide a full service and solutions to the problems faced by our customers, not just products”

Moscrop continues: “In the early years, the focus was entirely on honeycomb for the panel, door, aircraft and fruit industries. Today, our business is totally different, we provide a full service and solutions to the problems faced by our customers, not just products. We believe in partnerships and always start at the beginning by working closely with our customers.

“We are fully equipped to do this using our design expertise, technical knowledge, skilful manufacturing of the raw board materials through to conversion into the final solution.”

The company highlights its different approach

Working to the needs of the customer is something that Dufaylite hold highly. Moscrop explains: “We don’t just offer an off the shelf service, our materials can be manufactured to a variety of specifications and sizes to best suit the application. We also offer a free site visit and design service to help us identify and develop the correct solutions for our customers. In addition, we are also equipped to provide trade cutting and print services to other businesses like ours who don’t have the in-house capabilities.

“We say this as not only as a way to support our customers with their ability to deliver to their own customers, but it also exposes Dufaylite products and their uses to more customers.”

Green responsibility

Also at the core of the company’s ethos is sustainability. Working with paper honeycomb, the environment is obviously a key aspect of the process, and paper is one of the most easily recycled materials. Two Sides UK, an initiative that aims to bust the myths around paper usage and production, highlights this. Over 72% of the paper consumed in Europe is recycled, and when it comes to manufacturing paper, resources come from certified forests, with these forests experiencing growth akin to 1,500 football pitches every day.

We are incredibly proud of the fact that not only are our materials recycled but they are recyclable”

Moscrop explains: “I think the main point I’d like to talk about is the importance surrounding the sustainability of our products and how they support sustainability throughout the supply network. We are incredibly proud of the fact that not only are our materials recycled but they are recyclable. Retailers all have the facility to recycle cardboard and honeycomb board can be disposed of through channels or waste streams.

“Retailers are also paid by waste companies for this waste and all non-sustainable materials have to go to landfill. This incurs additional costs for the retailer, so it really is a no brainer as to why sustainable products are superior. This is true for all of our projects and why using our products is both financially and ethically rewarding – customers can earn by disposing of our products via existing waste streams, whilst also doing their part for the environment.” 

This green approach to production and the environment is also a continuous long-term goal for Dufaylite. Despite being one of the most sustainable suppliers across Europe already, the company expanded this effort through a programme that educates on how to make products even more environmentally-friendly. Moscrop continues: “Dufaylite is now one of the leading sustainable suppliers throughout Europe and recently, as part of our continued investment, we completed a product improvement programme in partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to increase the efficiency and output from our factory in St Neots.”

A creative display from Dufaylite

Being as green as possible is not the only target for Dufaylite, with Moscrop explaining that the firm hopes to witness positive growth over the next few years. He says: “We have an aggressive growth strategy in place which includes plans to expand and triple the size of the business by 2025. Our aim is to do this, whilst halving lead time and improving the sustainability of our products and manufacturing efficiency.”

The question is, how will Dufaylite achieve this growth? Moscrop answers: “As a business we do not stand still. I have invested heavily this year in order to increase both our efficiency and output. We don’t rest on our laurels either and we are constantly developing new products and services for our customers to enable them to supply their customers with more sustainable solutions – allowing us all to do our bit for the environment without any major restrictions. Watch this space for some new developments which will be launching very soon.”

While Dufaylite seems to be different in what it does and how it operates, the firm and its team are definitely doing something right.