Building partnerships that not only thrive during the good times but also get stronger during difficult times has always been an ethos of Decorative Panels.

Building partnerships that not only thrive during the good times but also get stronger during difficult times has always been an ethos of Decorative Panels – it is true to say that the exact same principles apply to Symphony Group.

Now in its 41st year, the multi million pound Symphony Group continues to increase its market share in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and hospitality sectors. Symphony have done this by focusing intently on the needs of its core customer groups, by providing clear range architecture and offering all-encompassing levels of service, but also by establishing long-term partnerships with key suppliers.

Symphony Group Marketing Director Simon Collyns takes up the story: “When Martyn Davis became Symphony’s MD In 2000, he brought with him many of the processes used in the automotive industry. We made a conscious decision to move away from manufacturing and into assembly and logistics. We started to look more closely at our suppliers – suppliers like Decorative Panels, who had been trading with Symphony for 30-40 years. They’d already proved themselves as a trusted supplier, so we asked them to prepare a three-point incremental growth plan to demonstrate, among other things, they could provide the capacity we needed for growth.”

“We looked at Symphony’s business projections and married our investment to them to ensure we had plenty of excess capacity available,” continues Decorative Panels MD, Guy Metcalfe, “our businesses have grown together. We supply 100% of Symphony’s carcases and many of their fascias.” Simon adds, “Our business depends on having this kind of partnership. Decorative Panels is a cornerstone, an absolute key, critical part of our business and our success.”

Building supply volumes to approaching a million components a month was a task that Decorative Panels had to work hard to achieve; “We had to learn how to supply the account,” comments Guy, “and we were not without fault on occasion, but Symphony’s attitude was always to work together, to solve the issue. When Martyn Davis says he will do something, he will do it – we have an immense amount of faith and trust in this partnership.”

With the productive capacity of the new Decorative Panels Components facility being over 2,500,000 panels per month there is plenty of room for growth both with Symphony Group and the wider market – the aim is clear, to be Your Perfect Partner.