How We Increased Output Without Losing Control

For years, outsourcing simply wasn’t something we were willing to consider.

As a bespoke kitchen manufacturer, every door, frame and drawer box that left our workshop carried our name. We had built our reputation on quality and attention to detail, so the idea of handing part of that process to another company felt like a risk we didn’t want to take.

Even as order books became busier and pressure on the workshop increased, we continued to manufacture everything ourselves. We believed that was the only way to maintain complete control.

The turning point came when we started to question whether we were protecting quality or simply creating unnecessary pressure within the business.

After several conversations with Probox, we agreed to trial a small number of projects. The products arrived exactly to our specifications, the quality was consistent, and our customers never knew the difference.

What quickly became apparent was that outsourcing didn’t mean losing control. It meant gaining capacity.

Over time we began outsourcing more of our doors, frames and dovetail drawer production. The workshop became less congested, lead times became easier to manage, and we were able to complete more shaker kitchens each month without recruiting additional staff or expanding the factory.

Today, Probox operates as a trusted manufacturing partner behind the scenes, allowing us to focus our skilled team where they add the most value.

“We were cautious about outsourcing at first because we thought we’d lose control of quality and the customer experience. In reality, it’s probably one of the best operational decisions we’ve made.”