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RICHARD HAGAN
Managing Director of Crystal Doors
thought to be one of the UK’s greenest entrepreneurs
Based in Rochdale at Transpennine Trading Smarter North West could change the way
Estate, Crystal Doors employs 30 people and they work.
has a turnover of £2million, manufacturing
vinyl-wrapped products. “I supported the launch of the Made Smarter
programme with the Growth Company and
Richard took over the business in 1994, when it Chief Executive of Siemens, Juergen Maier, in
employed just 12 people, and has already spent November 2018. Siemens is a multinational
more than £1million on energy-saving company, but totally committed to making
technology in the factory including installing ambitious cost and efficiency savings over the
solar panels on the roof. He has also announced next four years. I thought if a big company like
plans for the company to be carbon neutral by Siemens can do that, then I can do more.
2030 – 20 years ahead of the UK’s own target
and eight years ahead of Greater Manchester’s. “We are now looking at alternative raw
materials and looking at our supply chain for
The company has been measuring its carbon carbon neutral products and alternatives.”
footprint for the past four years and is now Photo: Katie Davies
looking into carbon offset – wanting to plant The father-of-two has also made changes at
11,000 trees to make the company carbon home, including buying a Nissan Leaf electric car
neutral. It also utilises highly advanced robotics so he no longer needs to buy petrol, and cutting some years ago and now the momentum has empower businesses and the education
and other ‘Industry 4.0’ technologies to gain back on foreign holidays. picked up, everybody’s seeing the benefits. It is sector with the knowledge and the application
efficiencies in its production process. only going to increase further as we attract more of Industry 4.0 technologies. I attend UCLan and
His ambition is to make Rochdale a hub for companies to Rochdale, providing jobs in Salford University to network with lecturers and
Combined with the energy-saving measures advanced manufacturing whilst reducing the advanced manufacturing. I have connections with Manchester
Richard has introduced, the company’s energy impact on the environment. “We already have Rochdale Sixth Form College University. Local companies struggle to access
bill is now a quarter of what it was seven years and Hopwood Hall that are absolutely students with qualifications to be leaders in
ago. “Business people have to lead and can not leave outstanding, but now what we need to do is join Industry 4.0, where now the IN4.0 Group is
the job of protecting the environment to the the dots up, get these students into the best addressing this huge demand.”
He said: “Working with Manchester’s Business next generation. universities and then ready for working in jobs in
Growth Hub I had an energy audit done of our Rochdale with companies that are doing He concluded: “I’m a Rochdale Business
factory in Rochdale and it identified 16 “From my point of view as a manufacturer, it is a advanced manufacturing. Ambassador and if we want to safeguard the
energy-saving measures I could take. I haven’t very exciting time to see the recent investments environment for our children and our children’s
looked back since. in Rochdale. “What we need is the level of education where children, then we all need to do more.
local students can be leaders in the North West,
“From then, it has been quite a transformational “Rochdale is a town well worth living in. We have and hopefully in the world, to do research and “My job, now I am on the board of Rochdale
change. Adopting digital technology such as got a good commute to Manchester, we have got development into new products. Ambassadors, is to speak to all the 200 plus
automation within my business allowed us to a lot of very accessible countryside, an improved manufacturing companies in Rochdale and form
leapfrog the competition. The efficiencies such town centre which is getting better and then the “I am a big advocate of Industry 4.0, which a co-operative. In the next 10 years, I can see
processes bring impacted massively on our big idea of Rochdale being committed to building has revolutionised the manufacturing process Rochdale rising above and becoming the hub for
bottom line, and I would encourage any Greater 12,000 houses between now and 2038. through the latest technology. advanced manufacturing, certainly in the North
Manchester manufacturer, from any sector, West and definitely within the Greater
to explore how business initiatives like Made “The increase in investment in Rochdale began “I am a Fellow of IN4.0 Group which aims to Manchester region.”
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