Leicestershire-based
ADS Laser Cutting, a leading metal laser cutting, folding, fabrication and metal finishers, which managed to remain open during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, has seen its order book return to pre-lockdown levels.
Starting off with two people in 2005, the business has expanded year-on-year and employed 66 by the end of 2019. The start of 2020 brought a million-pound investment in the latest laser cutting technology, a new marketing campaign and the launch of a new Web site (
www.adslaser.co.uk).
Reacting quickly to stay open to maintain its customers supply chain, ADS Laser adapted its way of working to incorporate social distancing and home-working measures.
Duncan Keates, co-founder and director, said: “We looked at our current ways of working and how we could adapt some rules to allow for working from home, which was a big change for our company. We managed to implement changes which would normally take months in a matter of a week — our team was great, making the transition as smooth as possible and adapting well.”
“We witnessed a number of customers temporarily close, while demand went up for others. In the medical sector for example, we manufactured components for the Nightingale hospitals as well as for ventilator, and given the situation, offered our express service free-of-charge to ensure these parts were received as quickly as possible.”
ADS Laser continued to invest in marketing throughout lockdown and by identifying opportunities in new sectors, while consistently highlighting the fact it remained open and operational.
Stephen Keates, co-founder and director, added: We are now operating at pre-lockdown levels and are continuing to see new enquiries coming in from sectors we have not previously operated in.”
“I feel by reacting the way we did, altering our way of working across the whole company, and with our team taking to the changes so well, we kept ADS not only from closing its doors but managed to keep it busy throughout and currently thriving.”