25 years, 25 Years, 25 YEARS! – that is impressive, but where the bloody hell did it go?
AMAZING to think that Hygienic Process Equipment Ltd is 25 years old; we’ve weathered three recessions, maintained steady growth, built a knowledgeable and experienced workforce, have a strong balance sheet and we’re looking to the next 25 years with optimism and a new name HPE Process Ltd.
The world is very different now to then:
• Mrs T had been in power a decade.
• A floppy disc could hold almost 3 mb of data and a mobile phone would cost close on £2000 if you wanted one to fit in a pocket.
• E mail had been invented but was only available to very few, the only way to get a written message to someone quickly was by using the fax machine – which could eat incoming orders just as easily as it could destroy complaints. And what was texting?
To start the company I tapped friends, family and Barclays for as much advice as possible, the local printer had produced stationery (the logo was sketched out on a fag packet in the shop and they managed to produce something that lasted for 25 years!) I borrowed some cash to buy a car, registered for VAT, learnt basic book keeping, business plans and cash flow forecasts and HPE was a reality. Easy.
But, life chucks unexpected challenges at us all the time. My erstwhile employers having had all of 4 weeks to think about what I’d told them was going to happen, decided that, in actual fact, they didn’t like the idea anymore and weren’t going to pay that last salary & expenses cheque – that’s the cash flow forecast and business plan up the spout on day 1…….b*gg*er!
Fast forward 25 years some things haven’t changed the main difference I’m facing challenges with and for customers. Their problems are still pretty much the same: tight margins, tighter deadlines and constant scrutiny. HPE Process LTD may be a new name but we’re still problem solvers.
The logo may be newish, the website definitely is and we’ve some new faces. But our customer focused mission remains the same – great service of great solutions on time within budget.