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UK cutting firm returns to pre-lockdown levels of business

UK firm ADS Laser Cutting, which has remained open throughout the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, has returned to pre-lockdown levels of business.

With the arrival of the pandemic the firm quickly reacted by incorporating social distancing at its premises, in addition to home-working, which allowed it to remain open and maintain its customer supply chain.

‘We looked at our current ways of working and how we could adapt some rules to allow for working from home, which was a big change for our company,’ said co-founder and director Duncan Keates. ‘We managed to implement changes which would normally take months in a matter of a week. Our team was great, making the transition as smooth as possible and adapting well.’

The firm witnessed a number of its customers temporarily close throughout the pandemic, while demand for others went up. In the medical sector for example, ADS manufactured ventilator parts and other components that went on to the emergency Nightingale hospital in London. 

As sectors that would typically thrive made a sharp decline through restrictions put forward due to the pandemic, ADS continued to invest in marketing throughout the lockdown. In addition, it identified opportunities in new sectors while consistently highlighting the fact that it remained open and operational, which allowed it to stay busy during the lockdown period.

‘By continuing to invest in marketing during this period, we identified opportunities in new sectors which have proven to be successful,’ said Stephen Keates, another ADS co-founder and director. ‘We are now operating at pre-lockdown levels and are continuing to see brand new enquiries coming in from sectors we have not previously operated in.’ 

Starting off with two employees in 2005, ADS Laser Cutting has grown year on year to 66 employees by 2019. At the start of 2020, the firm invested £1 million in a 10kW TruLaser 5030 fiber machine from Trumpf.

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Business, Laser cutting, Covid-19

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