The first entry into our interview series with our Managing Director, Ryan Green. This week we’re on the topic of ‘The Clayton Difference’, the mantra that Clayton Glass lives by, and has done for many years.
As a company grows from a small business to a national corporation, it is commonplace for those at the top of said company to become more and more distant from those on the front line. This means that the people who initially had the passion and inspiration to make the company successful, become further and further away from those who buy into it.
Clayton Glass has recently become the largest glass manufacturing site in the UK.
Customers have my mobile number, and can call me if needs be, it’s never turned off!
Ryan Green
Ryan Green shares an office with Clayton Glass’ Commercial Director, Jason McCabe. The Office is located right in the hub of the Clayton Glass complex, with full view of the Customer Services department, and an open-door policy to any employee that wishes to speak to either. The office is also located two hallways and a staircase from Clayton’s state of the art factory floor: the front line. Both Ryan and Jason visit daily. This is the epitome of ‘The Clayton Difference’.
The Clayton Difference is what separates Clayton Glass from its competitors in the glass industry, it is a set of values that are intertwined throughout all departments, from top to bottom. Clayton Glass began as a family-run business when it started back in 1956, and the management have always striven to uphold this small business mentality, throughout its lengthy journey to becoming one of the UK’s largest glass manufacturers.
I asked Ryan about the measures he’s put in place over the years to maintain The Clayton Difference. “We’ve built a team of great people who are knowledgeable, helpful and genuinely care. We all want to be the best we possibly can.” Responds Ryan. “It is really the people we’ve put in place that maintain the Clayton Difference, whether it be our friendly, caring customer service team – that genuinely want our customers to succeed, our passionate drivers that have formed real relationships with those they meet on the other end, or us, the management, who are as driven as ever at providing the most personal service out there.”
We’ve built a team of great people who are knowledgeable, helpful and genuinely care. We all want to be the best we possibly can.
Ryan Green
Ryan goes on to talk about Clayton Glass’ transition from a small family run business to one of the largest of its type. Specifically, Ryan discusses how he himself is just as hands-on as he’s always been: “We’re a large-scale business now, one of the largest, but we still have that family-run, owner-managed mentality.” Says Ryan. “Customers have my mobile number, and can call me if needs be, it’s never turned off!” Ryan then clarifies this in no uncertain terms, stating: “I am intimately involved in all aspects of the business.”
From speaking to Ryan, it appears as though no matter how successful Clayton Glass becomes in the future, there will always be this small, family-run business mentality. Ryan has put the right people in the right places, to ensure that all Clayton Glass customers receive the most genuine, and personal, experience they are likely to experience from a glass manufacturer. That, is the Clayton Difference.
