Glensound Electronics

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Glensound Electronics's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Glensound Electronics is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

www.glensound.com

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

30 | GLENSOUND ELECTRONICS

Gavin Davis, managing director

Glensound equipment in

action

Glensound Electronics Ltd is a longstanding, family-owned

business that designs and manufactures audio broadcast

equipment. Their customers range from the world’s

largest international broadcasters to self-employed freelancers

from around the globe. The product range they offer is cutting-

edge, and it constantly evolves to provide state-of-the-art

solutions for customers, which are proudly manufactured from

their own factories in Maidstone, Kent. Managing director

Gavin Davis expands on their success and the essential factors

that have contributed to it.

A brief history

We were founded in 1966 by my father, Len, a design engineer who left the BBC

to develop a successful public address system company he had been running in

his spare time. The equipment he utilised was designed and manufactured by

himself in his garage. In 1969, ex-colleagues at the BBC, knowing about “Len’s

garage” and his expertise, commissioned him to design and manufacture a

broadcast distribution amplifier for use at Prince Charles’s investiture. Further

commissions quickly followed, and, within a few years, the design and manufacture

of specialised broadcast equipment became a full-time occupation. Demand for

his designs increased rapidly, his first staff members were employed and larger

premises were secured. My father’s passion was for designing and manufacturing

audio equipment, not for managing people, so expansion was kept to a minimum.

By the late 1980s, there was a staff team of ten people.

FACTS ABOUT

GLENSOUND ELECTRONICS

»Managing director: Gavin Davis

»Established in 1966

»Based in Maidstone, Kent

»Services: Design and

manufacture of quality audio

broadcast equipment

»No. of employees: 25

»Performed a large-scale

overhaul of all audio

equipment in both houses at

the Palace of Westminster in

2016 and 2017

»Annual sales in excess of

$5million

»www.glensound.com

Glensound Electronics

31GLENSOUND ELECTRONICS |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

A changing world

During the 1970s and 1980s,

there were very few companies

manufacturing high-quality audio

broadcast equipment, and even fewer

trading globally. Since that time,

the broadcast market has changed

dramatically, with a rapid expansion in

the number of new radio and television

channels;

this opened huge potential

opportunities for us in export and

global marketing.

The evolution from

analogue to digital audio technologies

drove changes in the marketplace

during the 1990s, further accelerating

the pace of change. During this time,

we continued to prosper, mainly

by providing tailored solutions and

manufacturing solely to order. By the

late 1990s, however, broadcasters

were beginning to change the way

they purchased their products. Long

lead times and specialised products

were no longer acceptable, and

it was clear that a new approach

wasrequired.

Evolution

I joined the company in 1985, and

later became managing director in

2005. The transition was deliberately

cautious to counteract the possibly

disconcerting effects of passing

control from one generation to

the next. Day-to-day operations

were shared for several years, while

I introduced changes to ensure

the continued viability of the

company within a rapidly changing

marketplace.

Export was the obvious area for

future growth and sustainability.

New exhibitor grants provided by

the Department for International

Trade helped to meet the costs of

attending overseas exhibitions, and

were instrumental in helping us grow

and develop our international trade.

Initially, exhibitions in Europe and the

Middle East were used to meet new

customers and, importantly, form

partnerships with new distributors.

Shortly afterwards, exhibitions in

the Far East facilitated exports to

customers in that area, followed in

2009 by our first appearance at an

exhibition in America, at the National

Association of Broadcasters’ show in

Las Vegas, Nevada. Traditionally, the

American broadcast market has been

difficult for UK manufacturers to break

into, largely as the US has different

technical standards that equipment

must comply with, and they have their

own home-grown suppliers. Within the

past couple of years, however, sales

to America have increased rapidly, as

a result of the advanced technological

solutions our products can provide.

We have been recognised within the

industry for our innovative products. In

Glensound commentary at

Anfield football stadium

The Glensound team

Within the

past couple of

years, sales to

America have

increased

rapidly as a

result of the

advanced

technological

solutions our

products can

provide

“

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

32 | GLENSOUND ELECTRONICS

2012, we received the IABM Award for

Excellence in Design and Innovation for

the world’s first broadcast HD Voice

mobile phone range. Our commentary

boxes have won awards at exhibitions

in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

We are proud of our heritage, but

continue to be part of the vanguard

when it comes to audio equipment

design andinnovation.

Growth and investment

Traditionally, broadcasters would

plan purchases many months ahead,

but equipment is now purchased last

minute, and if it’s not in stock, it won’t

be purchased. We have developed over

400 products, and realised that, with

increasing demand, manufacturing

that many different product lines for

stock was not practical.

We overcame this challenge by

investing in more engineers to help

redesign, refine and streamline our

product range. More manufacturing

staff were employed, and a significant

investment was made in machinery;

with these changes, however, there

came the need for extra space. Rather

than search for alternative premises

and further use up valuable resources,

however, we were able to extend one

of our current factories and acquire

new office space next door. We now

operate out of four separate buildings,

each performing distinct functions:

metalwork and production; testing

and prefabrication; design studios; and

administration offices.

The future

Easy access to international markets

is absolutely key for our future. Our

international customers need to be

certain that they can quickly and easily

purchase equipment from our factory

in the UK. This is also of significance

when it comes to purchasing the raw

materials used in our manufacturing

processes, as many are imported with

no UK source available. If ease of trade

from within the UK is not preserved,

then relocation to Europe may become

necessary.

With annual sales in excess of

$5million, we are at the forefront of

innovative design and manufacture of

quality audio broadcast equipment.

Our healthy past and ability to

innovate gives us a solid foundation

on which to design, build and shape

the future of broadcasting. The past

13 years have seen many carefully

planned changes to the Glensound

company and its operations. Under

new leadership, we have evolved

from a very small company that

traditionally offered specialised

designs and niche products, and have

become the company we are today.

We employ 25 people producing

technologically advanced systems used

by broadcasters around the world;

we trade on a global scale and enjoy

strong distribution partnerships on

several continents. As we embark on

the next stage of our evolution, we

are undoubtedly focused on what the

future will hold.

Our healthy

past and

ability to

innovate gives

us a solid

foundation on

which to

design, build

and shape the

future of

broadcasting

“

The Glensound Beatrice

D4 at Australian cricket

The Parliamentary Review Publication, in which this article originally appeared, contained the following foreword from the prime minister.

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review. For Her Majesty’s Government, our task in the year ahead is clear: to achieve the best Brexit deal for Britain and to carry on our work to build a more prosperous and united country – one that truly works for everyone.

The right Brexit deal will not be sufficient on its own to secure a more prosperous future for Britain. We also need to ensure that our economy is ready for what tomorrow will bring. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is our plan to do that. It means Government stepping up to secure the foundations of our productivity: providing an education system that delivers the skills our economy needs, improving school standards and transforming technical education; delivering infrastructure for growth; ensuring people have the homes they need in the places they want to live. It is all about taking action for the long-term that will pay dividends in the future.

But it also goes beyond that. Government, the private sector and academia working together as strategic partners achieve far more than we could separately. That is why we have set an ambitious goal of lifting UK public and private research and development investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. It is why we are developing four Grand Challenges, the big drivers of social and economic change in the world today: harnessing artificial intelligence and the data revolution; leading in changes to the future of mobility; meeting the challenges of our ageing society; and driving ahead the revolution in clean growth. By focusing our efforts on making the most of these areas of enormous potential, we can develop new exports, grow new industries and create more good jobs in every part of our country.

Years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people have got our deficit down by over three quarters. We are building on this success by taking a balanced approach to public spending. We are continuing to deal with our debts, so that our economy can remain strong and we can protect people’s jobs, and at the same time we are investing in vital public services, like our NHS. We have set out plans to increase NHS funding annually by an average by 3.4 percent in real terms: that is £394 million a week more. In return, the NHS will produce a ten-year plan, led by doctors and nurses, to eliminate waste and improve patient care.

I believe that Britain can look to the future with confidence. We are leaving the EU and setting a new course for prosperity as a global trading nation. We have a Modern Industrial Strategy that is strengthening the foundations of our economy and helping us to seize the opportunities of the future. We are investing in the public services we all rely on and helping them to grow and improve. Building on our country’s great strengths – our world-class universities and researchers, our excellent services sector, our cutting edge manufacturers, our vibrant creative industries, our dedicated public servants – we can look towards a new decade that is ripe with possibility. The government I lead is doing all it can to make that brighter future a reality for everyone in our country.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Prime Minister