Clearview National March 2019 - Issue 208 | Page 82

BUSINESSNEWS
A MAJOR CELEBRATION FOR BUSINESS MICROS
» » ESTABLISHED IN
Scotland by Des Sharratt and
Alistair Fyall way back in 1979,
Business Micros was a true
pioneer in the introduction of
software to this industry and
still very much sets the agenda
today. 2019 marks the business’
40th anniversary, with a series of
celebrations, many of which will
be centred around its stand at the
FIT Show.
Business Micros started
out supplying software to the
aluminium window and door
sector, but quickly advanced into
timber and PVC-U during the
1980s, growing rapidly to become
the industry’s undisputed number
one. Current Managing Director
Graeme Bailey and Technical
Director Jim Cronie joined Des
in 1990, and together they helped
shape Business Micros into the
dynamic, innovative organisation it
has become; building a reputation
along the way for looking after
customers and staff, and for always
delivering on promises.
When Graeme and Jim arrived,
there were around 250 customers
and just a handful of staff. Now,
the number of customers stands
at more than 2000 and, within its
two distinct divisions - Business
Micros and BM Aluminium – the
company employs close to 50
people.
Trailblazing Business Micros
software programmes like
WinStar were the backbone of
many fabrication set ups in the
early days and many within the
company have fond memories of
when every WinStar package was
sold along with a computer, but
its continuing success owes much
to the iconic Evolution software
platform and the hugely popular
EvoNET business management
software.
For Graeme Bailey, it is the
team at Business Micros who are
the most important contributors
though. He says: “There’s a
huge amount of experience
and expertise here but, much
more than that, there’s a real
commitment from everyone to
do a good job for every single
customer. Honesty, enthusiasm
and professionalism have always
characterised what we do and I’m
immensely proud of that.”
While everyone in the business
is taking the opportunity to look
back and reflect on four decades of
success, no one is resting on their
laurels. Sales Manager Chris Bailey
says that 2019 will see the launch
of the next generation of Business
Micros software at the FIT Show
– bringing some significant new
product advances into the market.
www.businessmicros.co.uk
Inclusivity in the glazing industry
Shelforce has been leading the way in inclusivity
in the glazing industry when it comes to training
and employment opportunities, with 75% of its
workforce disabled. Now the GM of the Birmingham-
based PVCu window and door manufacturer
is delighted with the news that 973,000 more
disabled people are in work since 2013.
» » THE LATEST FIGURES FROM THE
Office of National Statistics show more than
half of disabled people are now in work,
outnumbering those who are not in work.
Official figures also show that one in five
new enterprise business start-ups are run by
disabled entrepreneurs.
Howard Trotter, General Manager at
Shelforce, commented: “It’s great to hear that
attitudes are changing across the country as
workplaces become more inclusive; hundreds
of thousands more disabled people are
benefitting from new career opportunities.
82 » M AR 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
Disabled workers overcome bigger obstacles
every day than many of us will face in a year
– and that means they’ve got a determination
that’ll see them through any issue in the
workplace.”
To continue these values, Shelforce is set to
open a dedicated training facility in Erdington
to provide regular work experience placements
for local students, including special needs
schools.
www.shelforce.com