knock on wood

In March 2002 Wood House Trinidad Ltd had no electricity, no offices, no plumbing and no machinery. One year later,  the comany was presented with the prestigious Rookie of the Year award by  TIDCO in the Prime Minister’s Exporter of the Year Awards. Wood House, operating out of the Budget Foods Complex in Arima, carries on a thriving trade in the manufacture and export of furniture. Spearheaded by Director, Richard Gillmore, it has managed to capture business all over the Caribbean. “We started fitting the factory and installing machines in March. Then in July we started producing and hiring. By August we were exporting to Jamaica, Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent.” Gillmore is a large man with a commanding presence and an amiable nature. He is a Director who is as at ease on the factory floor as he is orchestrating deals behind a desk. As he joked good naturedly with factory workers who seemed to genuinely know and like him, he demonstrated how the stuffing is put into a cushion and explained how a couch should be tacked. Wood House Trinidad Ltd is a sister company to AC Wood House Inc of Barbados which has been in business for the last 11 years.  However, according to Gillmore, there are difficulties with manufacturing and exporting in Barbados because of high costs, of for example, freight, labour and overheads. “We took our experienced staff and trained them to make international quality furniture,” says Gillmore. “We don’t use any second quality wood. We use an American hardwood in the frames.” The company’s market is middle and upper income.

Gillmore, a 33-year-old from Wales, explains that unlike much American furniture which is made with plywood,  Wood House  is built to mimic the structure and fashion of British suites. The quality and longevity of the hardwood also surpasses the pine used by most Wood House competitors, he says. Fabric is sourced from all around the world — Belgium, Scotland, China and the USA to name a few. At present, Wood House is also introducing 100 percent stain proof material which is a little more expensive than the fabric previously used. Foam, however, is bought locally at Advanced Foam. Wood House shuns chip foam. Instead, Gillmore uses polyester fibre, a material often used in pillows, as it is more comfortable, more durable and, of course, more expensive. Gillmore’s goal is to meet the European standard but beat its prices. The would enable  Wood House to sell the equivalent of a European suite costing $12,000 to $16,000 at half that figure. “Most of the top-end market has always been imported and we’ve changed that a little,” he says. Helping Gillmore to attain this goal are Adrian Heyhirst, upholstery manager in charge of quality control, and Stuart Prause, head of the wood department. Indeed, Gillmore praises the creativity of his entire team: they are skilled in copying foreign styles and Heyhirst has trained the staff in product development. “It’s important to have people like that or else quality suffers,” he notes.

Right now there is a staff of  70 on the massive compound of 70,000 square feet. This number should jump to 120 over the next couple of months. “We are currently looking for sewing-machinists” says Gillmore, who is also installing a cutting board 100 feet long. Currently its customers include Courts, American Stores, CTC Comfort Zone, Fens, G&L Trading and Unique Furniture and Appliance Stores Ltd. “We were very cautious in the first year with regard to meeting demands. The seasonal demands at Christmas are amazing,” he said, noting that very few manufacturers can keep up. Their  customer base is expanding and the company is taking orders from Guyana, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, Belize and St Lucia. Some of them have ordered full container loads. Wood House is also increasing its presence in St Vincent. Additionally, Martinique, Suriname and the Dominican Republic.. Wood House, Gillmore says, keeps the edge over its competitors through a very specific marketing strategy. “We’ve brought the price points down to an affordable level and created a new market in top quality medium priced products. We’ve made our own niche. I also don’t think we’ve had a negative effect on our competition.”

Gillmore also emphasises the stylish designs of the furniture saying “This is definitely a fashion business.” “After any sort of achievement we get a few cases of beer and get everyone together to say thank you very much. Staff  must feel as though they have contributed. It’s a team effort — everyone pulls their own weight.” “Last year we had nothing. No staff, no machinery, no showroom. One year later this is quite a tremendous achievement,” Gillmore, an avid car racing enthusiast, said. There is no such thing as an average day, he says, noting that  purchasing, product management, and the general running of the factory is left to him. “Because we’re export oriented our Christmas season starts in August.”  A significant part of managing information is handled by very elaborate manufacturing computer software :  MAS 90,  that  deals with sales order processing, purchase order processing, and inventory. Gillmore, trained as at management accountant at the University of South Hampton, has had his difficulties in transacting business in Trinidad and Tobago. “There is so much red tape in Customs” he says, “probably because people abused the system before. I am talking about the amount of documentation and red tape to have duty free concession. In Barbados we just have a letter from the Minister and everything’s okay. Here you have to pre-determine how much business you’re going to do. It’s draconian.”

Gillmore also has problems with the VAT Administration Centre. He says that because of the nature of the export business they pay VAT on all materials but always expect a large refund for every period. They have, however, only received one payment so far and some of their refunds are over six months overdue. By contrast, Gilmore, who spent ten years of his childhood growing up in TT, has only praise for the local workforce, saying that it is “ a tremendous tribute to Trinidad and Tobago both in the standard and level of work.” Son of local renowned racer, Simon Gillmore, Gillmore refuses to be modest about his team’s achievements. Regarding the Rookie of the Year Award: “It is the first of many,” predicts Gillmore, “We’re no longer rookie — we’re playing with the big boys.”