Oct22169 From humble beginnings in a Lancashire garage, Decca Plastics has grown into the UK’s largest independent family-run business within the UK market. Renowned for their impressive GRP tanks, the team have been recognised for their success in SME News’ Northern Enterprise Awards 2022. We caught up with Ben Dawson to uncover more. In 1973, Derek Peacock established Decca Plastics in his garage. Over the years, the firm went from strength to strength and the business outstripped the resources of the humble household abode. Now based in Victoria Mill, with three generations of the Peacock family involved in the running of the firm, Decca Plastics is currently the most prominent independent family-run GRP tank manufacturer in the UK. With such accolades behind them, their success in the Northern Enterprise Awards is clearly well-earned. Ben Dawson was keen to explain how despite successes of the past, the team are always looking forward: “Our current goals are for the company is for us to continue our growth into the future whilst also offering the best service available within our niche market. We are delighted to add a personal touch rather than a corporate approach.” Nothing characterises the personal touch quite so strongly as Decca Plastics’ comprehensive service. The team don’t just manufacture and supply their tanks, but also offer installation with their own teams. Competitors have to hire contractors to handle this sort of work, but Decca Plastics stands apart as a unique industry operator. “This only supports our notion of offering the best service we can,” Ben explains. “By having more control over our installation teams, we have more control over timescales and our labour teams’ quality of work.” Over the years, the team’s eye for innovation has brought them immense success. They were the first tank company within the UK to bring about a change in sectional tanks, for example. Decca Plastics offers panels which are 2x1m and 1.5x1m. The decision to work in this way not only saves clients money but has rapidly accelerated the lead time on projects because less panels and fixings are required to effectively create the same size of tank when compared to the market norm of 1x1m panels used throughout. The market for tanks has changed significantly since those early days, and Decca Plastics has had to react to increasing demand for new applications of the team’s products. The team has seen new buildings rise from the crowd, each using multiple tanks to supply different systems, as advocated by them. Within this niche sector there are only six other tank manufacturers, with two in Scotland, one in the Republic of Ireland and the remaining three down south. Of these six, three are part of the same corporate group. Decca Plastics is therefore not only proudly Northern, but proudly independent too. The team’s plans are understandably ambitious, building on the successes the team have seen in the past. “Going into the future, we are looking at continuing our growth by further development of our current premises, which will allow both modernisation and better use of available space,” Ben tells us. “We are also in the early stages of development of new manufacturing techniques and tooling sizes. Due to 2023 being our fiftieth year, we are currently rebranding with a new website coming soon. We are also investing in a new bespoke CRM system viable to the manufacture and supply of GRP tanks and products.” Fifty years of success is an achievement anybody would be proud of, but perhaps few are prouder than Derek Peacock. He still watches over the business, now run by his two sons Shaun and Kevin. “With the company coming into its half-century year, I can’t believe how far it has come,” he tells us with a smile. “I’m so proud of this company. I can sit on the side-lines, content that the company is stronger than ever, with the reigns held firmly by Shaun and Kevin.” Company: Decca Plastics Ltd Name: Ben Dawson Email: ben@deccatanks.co.uk Web Address: www.deccatanks.co.uk Family Business of the Year - Lancashire
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