An interview with our Operations Director
“I’m always looking to improve what we do and how we do it and I get great pleasure from seeing how we have progressed in the 17 year period”
What it takes to build and develop a business and its systems from scratch and why we are always striving to improve, develop and offer the most comprehensive services in town.
How long have you been developing this role and Lima Kitchens?
As co founder of Lima Kitchens, I have been developing the business operations from the advent. I’m always looking to improve what we do and how we do it and I get great pleasure from seeing how we have progressed in the 17 year period we’ve been operating. I now look forward to the next stage in our development as we introduce our trade range and new product lines we have coming up this year.
What have the biggest hurdles been to get you to where you are today?
The main hurdle we got through was the financial crisis, which hit us only six months after we opened our showroom doors. It was a tough period of our history but we managed to get through it and should it happen again, we feel prepared to take on what hurdles that come our way in the future.
What gives you the motivation and inspiration to keep going?
There are many motivations that make it all worth while. The main ones are the new challenges that we face that keep us on our toes week in week out, but also the challenges we set ourselves by looking to be better and to improve what we do. I aspire to keep looking to the future and making Lima Kitchens better and as enjoyable to be a part of as it always has been.
“Customer service is an important part of what we are”
How has the landscape changed when it comes to operations, project planning and co-ordinating?
As we have grown the main changes have been the introduction of new staff, who have helped make Lima Kitchens what it is today. The strengths the individual team members bring to the business help us to offer better project planning and co-ordination. Customer service is an important part of what we are, we have had support in customer liaison for a number of years now. The staff have changed as individuals have looked to develop their own work or home life. However, the ethos of customer care has continued throughout the years and I would say that we are doing better than ever before.
The planning detail we put in has excelled our offering over the years and the need for more and more detail as kept this area in constant development. The landscape of kitchen planning and installation strives for greater detail and we strive to provide it.
What changes do you expect to see in 2023 with how you deliver your service and client expectation?
Further to the demand for greater detail, the future needs to be sustainable. There will be an increased need for companies to consider their carbon footprint and we have been working to reduce ours over the past few years. We run a Renault Zoe electric car to get about with minimal environmental impact as possible. Our next step will be to try and make similar changes to our other vehicles and also our workplace.
What is your top tip for making the process as stress free as possible?
The best advise I can give for anyone with a kitchen project or other large, complex works going on is to trust in the people you are working with to do their part of the process and to have faith in the final outcome. There are many obstacles in the way of completing your kitchen but we are used to them and can manage them efficiently. Sometimes, when in the thick of a project it can be quite difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will always help to guide you through and get you there and we take great pride in achieving that and seeing our customers happy and proud of there new kitchen space.
