Warrior Doors, one of the UK’s leading designers and manufacturers of high-security doors and entrance systems, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a record-breaking year for turnover - and has unveiled growth plans.
The Birmingham family firm, which was launched by managing director Brett Barratt, is set to achieve a turnover of £2.5 million, a far cry from the company’s first year turnover of just £23,000.
Since the company, which specialises in bespoke security doors, screens and entrance systems for organisations including social housing groups, schools, high-value retailers, and companies covering the critical national infrastructure sector, launched in 1997, it has been committed to creating strong innovative product with a design ethos that increases visibility, longevity and aesthetics, yet maintains security.
Brett said: “I’m so proud of our achievements these past 20 years. We’ve installed more than 15,000 doors in the past 20 years and every single one of them is still working today.
“Warrior Doors has grown from a micro-company that was operating out of a garage in Yardley to having a 15,000 sq ft unit and 35 members of staff.
“There have been tough times and there were moments during the recession of 2008 when I had to make staff redundant and feared that I’d have to close the company, but we rode through the storm, continued to invest in staff and machinery and are now well on our way to achieving record figures in our milestone year.”
In the past two years, Warrior Doors, which is based in Kings Road Industrial Estate, Tyseley, has invested £250,000 in specialist machinery, which has allowed it to bring much of the work associated with making the doors and frames in-house. It also improved the layout of the factory and installed a mezzanine. It follows the company’s £300,000 door-testing programme over the past six years to ensure that its products achieve some of the industry’s most stringent security standards, including ballistic ratings.
Its commitment to innovation means it remains the only security door manufacturer in the country to have tested successfully an inward-opening fully glazed door and a louvre door to LPS1175 SR4.
“Our work is highly specialised and so it isn’t just machinery we have invested in, it’s the people,” said Brett. “The past couple of years have been particularly exciting for us as we’ve taken on more highly trained staff and have broadened our customer base. As we approach our 20th anniversary, I plan to continue this level of investment in the company.”
To mark its 20th anniversary on April 28 (Friday), Warrior Doors is holding a special celebration at its headquarters for invited customers.