How I Beat Two Recessions; Special Correspondent James York Talks to a Businessman Who Told His Employees His Company "Would Not Be Taking Part" in Two Serious Recessions and Who Solved the Problem of Getting a Grand Piano Hoisted by Crane from the Street into His Flat BUSINESS PROFILE

Byline: James York

When the economy is going through recession and inflation is rampant, companies are often forced to make workers redundant in a bid to keep parts of the business afloat.

But Alan Woodfield, who has just stepped down as chairman of hydraPower-dynamics to become non-executive chairman, had other ideas to keep the business going and his 40 employees in their jobs when his plans were threatened by a downturn.

He got them together and told them his solution: "There may be a recession, but we are not taking part in it." That was the short, pithy message and aimed particularly at the small sales team.

While the blizzard of cutbacks, redundancies and failures to challenge the prevailing situation continued for many companies, Alan saw his staff respond and try even harder to bring in business. The firm survived. It is now expanding again.

The company, founded in 1983, has come through two serious recessions and today employs more than 100 and has a turnover of more than pounds 7 million. It has just opened a new business at Aldridge called hydraPower-dynamics (Staffs) with a workforce of 11, whose number is expected to increase gradually as the surface coating work in which is specialises comes on to the order book.

In future all hydraPower-dynamic's surface coating business will be carried out at Aldridge with a predicted turnover of pounds 2 million in its first full-year of trading at one plant. The total turnover target for the hydraPower-dynamics business is pounds 8 million over the same 12-month period, an increase of pounds 1 million.

Manufacturing companies are always under pressure …

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Publication information: Article title: How I Beat Two Recessions; Special Correspondent James York Talks to a Businessman Who Told His Employees His Company "Would Not Be Taking Part" in Two Serious Recessions and Who Solved the Problem of Getting a Grand Piano Hoisted by Crane from the Street into His Flat BUSINESS PROFILE. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Birmingham Post (England). Publication date: April 14, 2007. Page number: 26. © 2009 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale Group.

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