COVER STORY JANUARY 2020
Greater than the sum of its parts
Duncan Gilmour, MD of Screenworks, explains how to rally the troops while not having all of the answers
Duncan Gilmour took over the reins of Screenworks, his family’s
long-established garment embroidery and printing business, in
2010. Like many other MDs at the time he had no idea that Brexit
was looming on the horizon. Nine years on from his appointment,
he has learnt fi rst-hand how to successfully navigate an
organisation through a period of unprecedented uncertainty.
When the referendum to leave the European Union was
announced in February 2016, Gilmour, like many others, felt the
chances of the Leave campaign winning were not signifi cant.
However, as the date drew nearer and campaigning picked up
momentum, Gilmour recalls feeling the shift in opinion and it
was at this point that he and his senior team met for the fi rst time
with Brexit on the agenda.
Duncan recalls: “I met with
all the senior team and
expressed my concerns over
what Brexit could mean for
the business. I remember
discussing the potential of
another recession.”
When the referendum
result came in, Gilmour
remembers staying up all night watching the progress on the BBC
and shuddering when he heard the words from David Dimbleby:
“That’s it, we are out”. In a state of shock Gilmour considered the
potential impact this could have on the company. He comments:
“I knew we’d have to work hard to understand what this meant for
the business, but my expectations were that the country would
head straight into another recession.” Gilmour had concerns over
all of the export work that the business currently undertook and
the plans to expand further into Europe were put on hold while the
business took stock of the situation.
After a number of weeks and many thought-provoking
conversations, both internally and externally, Gilmour and his
team took the decision to continue with the long-term objectives
of the company. It was agreed that the Brexit process would not
be a short one and it would be more damaging for the business
to sit on its hands and not move forward, than take the situation
as an opportunity and drive the business forward. There were a
few sceptics in the business, but as the weeks passed, business
remained buoyant and they continued to hit forecasts set earlier
the previous year. Weeks turned into months and it appeared like all
the scaremongering had failed to materialise. Gilmour recalls
a meeting with the senior team later that year where he said:
“I am glad to say my concerns from earlier in the year have
proved to be unfounded”.
That was the status quo until Theresa May’s resignation
in May 2019. Gilmour comments: “This was the fi rst real
sign of uncertainty. Business performance results were
showing early signs of decline, followed by a signifi cant
drop in sales of 10% month-on-month. We
experienced a double whammy impact of a
fall in the value of sterling. We had a reasonable
level of exposure with a number of large bespoke
orders and the compound e ect gave us reason to think about
precautionary action. Although the sales team was still busy, the
type and size of order had changed. I noticed an air of uncertainty
amongst our team and our clients. A couple of our largest clients
had cited Brexit as the main reason for their declining sales with us
and I knew I had to react.
“I knew this was when the troops needed to be rallied and
reassured. We immediately aligned the management team and
increased our marketing e ort. Our responsive working process
was fi ltered down throughout the entire business. Creating a real
team atmosphere has helped us to claw back business, and we
are now 10% up on budget and against predictions for the year.
These unknown changes to what has been a seasonally predictive
business certainly keep us on our toes.”
The Screenworks hierarchy has not let Brexit detract from
fi nding business opportunities. Gilmour adds: “I have a strong belief
that directors need to stay engaged with a long-term vision and
should not fall into a short-term mentality which could ultimately
hurt the business the most. All organisations need to be mindful of
the business climate and external factors, but I’d advise directors
and managers to stay engaged with your long-term business plan.
As a board, we are very open and honest with our team, whether
it’s good news or bad. If we all have an understanding of the
situation it is so much easier for the team to pull together in one
direction. Ultimately, I think of the company like an ant colony:
the total e ectiveness of a group of ants each interacting with one
another is di erent or greater than their e ectiveness when acting
in isolation from one another. Together, the ant colony is greater
than the sum of its parts.”
Gilmour o ers three lessons that he has learnt on the Brexit
journey, from which all manufacturers can learn during periods
of uncertainty:
1. Don’t lose sight of your long-term goals and strategies.
2. Be bold, look at everything that happens as an opportunity.
3. Be honest with your team: if you have everyone pulling
together, great things can happen.
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