E017 - Dave Faulconbridge from WF Glazing Protection

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Okay.

Hi Dave, thank you very much for joining the Green Element Podcast. So just tell us a bit about your business and what purpose you have and who you work with and just a bit, just a bit about who you are really.

Thanks Will, thanks for inviting me on. It's a pleasure to be here this morning. The purpose of WF Glazing Protection is to give people the freedom to to use their offices, rooms, buildings, homes comfortably and safely all year round through our retrofit window film coatings to upgrade their existing glazing. We've been operating for almost 12 years now, myself and my business partner Brian Wong. We used to work for the 3M company, that's how we got into window films. So coming up 12 years ago, we left to set up this business, and we have developed the business in different directions through those 12 years in line with what the economy was doing. But I think at the moment, with the way we're working and trying to be greener and more sustainable, it's pushing us in a very good direction at the moment, and business is growing and going very, very well at the moment. So, um, but we work with all types of building users, and Miriam had different types of clients, um, from occupants of buildings such as corporate clients to universities to hospitals, colleges, schools, all the way through to individual homeowners that want to create more comfortable environments. So our core aims are to create ideal working and living environments that allow people to maximize their productivity and their comfort and their safety.

Okay.

All the while helping organizations to reduce their environment— environmental impact and reduce their emissions and save on their energy bills. we do that without creating long, drawn-out, intrusive building work.

I mean, we have firsthand experience of that working, but what we've probably missed is, could you just explain a bit about the product itself and what—

Certainly. Yeah, yeah, no problem. So it's a— in its simplest form, it's quite a simple product in that it is a polyester film that is optically clear that we bond to the existing windows, either on the inside or the outside, depending on requirements, that can do several different things. But the majority of where it helps clients to help reduce their environmental impact is by reflecting heat from the sun or by helping to insulate existing windows rather than having to rip them all out. Scrap them and have new windows installed.

And listeners, that, I mean, it's brilliant, absolutely brilliant. And we've not used— we may have used Dave's products, I actually genuinely don't know. But what I do know is we have used the product before and it is brilliant. It works really well, doesn't it, Dave? It's in particular circumstances like we've got a client, IPG Media Brands, who they had a top floor that was purely glass and it was a nightmare, absolute nightmare. The air conditioning just worked massively during the summer and it didn't even work that well because it got too hot. We put the film on and it just has changed their electricity bills and has helped the working environment massively.

The feedback we get from clients into the level of performance is fantastic. Most of the time, if we get the specification right, it goes beyond their expectation levels of comfort and, like you say, reducing those energy bills on air conditioning.

Great, great. So what would you say your business superpower was?

I think WF Glazing Protection's superpower is liberating oppressed buildings. The window film coatings that we install They liberate rooms from the sun's overpowering heat in the summertime, from the clutches of Jack Frost in the winter, and also as a side benefit, we protect people from the prying eyes of criminals through our privacy films as well.

Right.

They can be combined into the solar control and the insulation to give a safer environment to work in as well.

Love it.

I've got an image of a building with a bandana on around the top, kind of tied off at the back. Anyway, less about my imagination. Can you tell us a bit about how you engage your staff, suppliers, and customers with your mission and purpose?

Yeah, at WF Glazing Protection, we engage by conversation, communication, and connection. It's very important to us that we talk to our clients. We don't just walk in there and tell them what we think they need, or as some companies do in our industry, do it all online. You give us the sizes, we'll send you a sample of what you think— what we think you might need. We like to take the time to visit the client, understand about their building, understand about their issues that they're trying to solve and why it's important to them. And I feel that that's the only way that we can then provide the right solution for their needs and get the correct film specification for their glazing type, get the performance level right for what they're trying to achieve. And during those conversations, we can then also Show them how the film's not only helping them solve an issue that they've contacted us about, but also how it can help them to reduce their overall environmental impact at the same time.

Brilliant.

Our mission that we— so a few years ago, we looked at the mission, where we wanted to go, down a more environmental route, down a greener route. And our mission, it became a way of being, and it's a way of communicating that we use now across all channels. So if people look at our social media posts, if they look at our blogs that we've written on our site, some articles that we've done, we don't just use them to promote the products. We try to write them in a way and communicate in a way that actually educates clients and educates hopefully potential future clients. And then by connecting what we do with how we do it and why we do it, I feel that it allows us to operate in a natural way. It just becomes a natural organic way of working and it gives us a business that's authentic and operates with integrity.

Brilliant. Great. So when it comes to running your ethical and sustainable business, what would you say your biggest struggle was so far, and can you tell us a bit about how you've overcome it?

Yeah, I think the biggest struggle is to not offer the cheapest product. At the end of the day, we're running a business and it's a competitive marketplace. You need to win orders. The biggest struggle is not to offer the cheapest products, especially during the recession. And that's again another reason we looked at where we were going a few years ago. It's very easy to walk into a client's premises, offer them a cheaper product than the competition. It's an easy way to do business, but it's not the right way to do business in our eyes. Knowing the industry like we do, like I say, we've been running nearly 12 years now. We know most of the suppliers, we know how to source a cheap product if we wanted to, but we also know that cheap window film doesn't perform as well, it doesn't last as long, so you're giving your client a false economy.

Yeah, yeah.

During our conversations with clients, we like to show them the value of getting the specification correct, the value of a long-term approach rather than a short-term fix, because you don't want a false economy because you are creating waste.

Yeah, yeah.

You need to, and it's affecting their environmental impact. And also, it's not just a product, it's a service. So you're choosing the specification of window film, but you're also choosing Who's going to install it for you.

So without giving any trade secrets away, as it were, if I was a customer and I was like, no, cost is imperative. I guess I'm working this out for myself and with our clients because I know a lot of the times this is the conversation. Cost is imperative. I want it the cheapest. How would you, how would you sell to me? Go on, give us a bit of a sales pitch. You've said that you do this, so come on, let's, let's find out what it is that you do.

So what level of heat reduction are you looking for?

The most possible, because our environmental consultants have told us your product will save us loads of money on our energy bills.

That's understandable, and obviously the lower— the less money you pay, the greater the return on investment for you. But how much light transmission would you prefer?

So that our staff can see well in the winter, in the darkest days.

In that case, you need a lighter film.

Right.

To get high levels of heat reduction with a light film, we'd recommend an external installation.

Right.

Because you get twice as much solar heat gain reduction on the outside of the building than you do on the inside of double glazing. You're not going to achieve that with the cheapest product, I'm afraid.

Yeah.

The cheapest film that reduces high levels of heat will also make the room darker. So you'll have— although you'll be paying cheap for the film, you're going to increase your lighting costs in the winter because you're going to make the rooms darker.

Brilliant, there you go, you've sold me. I'm going off. I don't even have— we don't even have an office, we work remotely all over the country, but we're just gonna go and get an office now.

So if you pay cheap, you'll get a cheap film, but you'll also get possibly a less experienced installer, a less professional installer, so you could have problems with the installation. And again, It might be false economy. You might end up changing it in the shop.

It's such an important message, this, isn't it? The buying, it goes, I mean, it goes across everything. Buy cheap, get cheap, disposable. And it just, it is a false economy. And I think the more we start to realize that, the more we start to go, actually, let's just spend a tiny bit more on something. Let's just spend quality and not quantity, then it— yeah, I think it's such an important message.

That's why we partner with global leaders in window film manufacture like the 3M company and Sangoban Solarguard. We're approved dealers to both companies because they produce high-quality films, high specification, high performance, long warranties. They also have ethics and sustainability policies that we can align with.

Right.

For example, in 2017, last year, 3M were nominated as one of the world's most ethical companies. Um, Sangoban Solar Glass have environmental product declarations on their solar control window films which show them as being carbon negative. So it's those sorts of things that we like to work alongside and partner with because they fit into our environmental management system.

Yeah, yeah, that makes, that makes a huge amount of sense. I was reading about 3M the other day. They had to rechange— they changed their name, didn't they? It was quite a few years back, but they changed their name because— I actually don't know what they were called, but they were called M&M Nem something, and everyone was referring to them as the 3 Ms because they couldn't be bothered to say their actual name. And they were like, this is ridiculous, why don't we just change our name to 3M?

Well, they were, I mean, like I say, I used to work for them when I left university, and they were a fantastic company to work for. And I think if I didn't have a burning ambition deep inside me to set my own business up and experience starting a business from scratch, I'd probably still be working there now. But they're well over 100 years old, and the original name was Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.

That's it, yes, the 3 Ms.

That's it, that's where it came from.

I mean, the fact that they remember—

Adhesives and tapes and film technologies. So window film is, is what they do. They actually have the patent for the first window film.

Ah, there you go. I've learned a new thing. Didn't know that.

Brilliant.

So if you could offer one piece of advice to our listeners which could help them with their purpose, what would that be?

Like I said, about nearly 4 years ago, we started to look at where we wanted to take the business, how we wanted to operate. And I think if you just start, try starting with reasons. So what is the reason I want to help myself? What is the reason I want to help others? What are the reasons I want to help the environment? When you've got those reasons, you can stitch them together into a sentence. which actually then creates your purpose and your mission, and that gives you the direction of where you want to take the business. Right, okay.

And when it comes to reducing your environmental impact and carbon footprint of your business, what would you say your biggest challenge or frustration is?

Because WF Glazing Protection is predominantly site-based, business. We have to travel to people's buildings. The biggest challenge in our environmental impact and carbon footprint is keeping on top of our vehicle fuel emissions for the surveyors and for the installers. We're moving more and more into a culture of instant gratification. People want things immediately. We find that organizations hold on to budgets and place orders later and later. So it can be a real challenge managing customer expectations and lead times with actually what we want to do, which is smart work allocation to limit journey time, limit distance, limit fuel emissions for the surveyors and the installers.

Yeah.

Because at the end of the day, we don't want to be charging halfway across the country at a day's notice to install 3 windows. It doesn't make sense commercially and environmentally. Yeah, brilliant.

Okay, that's cool.

And do you monitor your travel use?

Yes, we do. Yes, we monitor all the mileage and fuel consumption for the installers and for the surveyors.

Do you do much work in central London?

Very little. We're based More in the Midlands.

Okay, fine. I was just— with the new legislation that's coming in on vehicles, I was just thinking about— I mean, it is good, I guess, in the long run environmentally, but it is hitting quite a lot of businesses on having to change their vehicles. We've got a few clients that are having to change all their vehicles, and actually they are looking at very much hybrid or electric vehicles because they know that that's actually the way forward. And it's almost a massive kick up the ass, isn't it, in some ways? So it's a good thing, but hard.

It's a challenge. Exactly.

It is a challenge.

But then good on government for trying to push stuff because actually we have to, you know, when you look at the facts and figures, we do need to be pushing harder. So that's right, yeah.

So, uh, yeah, but like, it is a challenge, but it's, uh, it's a good challenge. It moves your business forwards.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So could you tell us about how you approach environmental management and your carbon footprint at, um, WF Glazing Protection?

Yeah, yeah, um, we take our environmental impact and carbon footprint very seriously. So for the last 4 years, we've been awarded the Green Award by the Investors in the Environment accreditation, and that's for the environmental management system we've got in place, our sustainable procurement policy, where we're obviously, we're working in line with companies like 3M and like Sangoban, who've got their own sustainable policies, as we've discussed. We're making continuous improvements in the area of vehicle fuel emissions and travel planning. We've actually reduced our own carbon emissions by around 20% over the last 4 years, and at the same time we mitigate our carbon with the Woodland Trust. So having all of that in place, I think, puts us as a company into a good place in terms of reducing our own environmental impact and allows us to then talk to our own clients about how having our products installed not just solves an issue they're trying to solve, be it comfort or safety or privacy, but actually how having the product fitted helps them reduce their own environmental impact. So for example, Solar Guards, window films, the embodied carbon in the product is at least 35 times less than having new windows. So such a simple product to upgrade an organization's existing glazing actually has a massive impact on their own environmental impact.

Yeah.

Rather than just ripping out windows and changing for new UPVC, scrapping all the old glass, and obviously that's a long drawn-out building process with a lot of hassle.

Okay, and is there any advice or learning that you'd like to share with everyone listening to this podcast?

Yeah, going through the Invest in the Environment process that we did 4 years ago really opened my eyes up to How you can run a business more economically and more environmentally friendly, and the two can go hand in hand. It doesn't have to be a big issue. Actually, it's helped save us money because you're doing the journey planning, for example, to reduce the carbon emissions from the vehicles, but at the same time, you're actually saving money. on fuel, so it's good for the business.

Yeah.

So don't be scared to go down that route because it actually, it just lets you sort of step back from the business and look at what you do, and you can actually make your own business more economical at the same time. And it also gives a message that you can give to your clients. I enjoy talking to the clients and communicating with them on not just how we can solve a problem that they have, but how we can help them to help themselves reduce their own environmental impact. And at the same time, we've met some very interesting other clients— not clients, other people, sorry— through the Investors in Environment networking and award ceremonies. So we can see what other companies are doing.

Great advice.

And take notes from that. It's brilliant.

Great advice. Really, really good advice. Thank you. And so, um, what's the best way we can connect with you? Um, how can we learn more? What, what are you up to? You know, um, all of the show notes will be on the, um, website, and we will be putting all the links that you say, um, now as well on the website.

Thank you. Um, yes, uh, you can keep in touch with WF Glazing Protection via Facebook, or, um, you can connect with myself, Dave Falconbridge, on LinkedIn. You can actually claim a free sample of 3M's latest technology window film called Thinsulate Climate Control if you visit thinsulatewindowfilm.co.uk. You can claim a free sample from there, we'll post it straight out to you. Or you can visit our main website, which is www.wfprotection.co.uk, and all the blog posts and latest articles are featured on there.

Brilliant, thank you so much for your time today, Dave.

My pleasure, thanks for the invite.

It's been fascinating talking to you and learning about business and how we can help environmentally change our offices just purely through windows, you know. It's brilliant, it's brilliant.

Thank you.

It's a very simple process.

Thank you.

Pleasure, thank you.

Thanks so much for listening.

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