Wedgwood's 250th birthday and Wayne Nutbeen
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For a company that was on the verge of being squeezed out of existence at the start of the year, Wedgwood marked its 250th anniversary with suitable style yesterday. But in the great tradition of the pottery manufacturer, certainly in recent years, there may be a lot going on beneath the veneer of the message of a new beginning as it moves forward into a new future.
Just watch this video from The Sentinel:
Long-time ambassador Lord Wedgwood was suitably upbeat about the prospects of the company - as you might expect. Skipping out the pure PR spiel, here's some quotes from The Sentinel piece:
"Being in administration was devastating.
"It was not something we'd ever anticipated – the company over the years has been in some difficult situations but that was unprecedented.
"We're still a very strong global brand and our products are appreciated in all markets around the world."
Admittedly, senior company figures will always try to paint a positive gloss on a situation, but was it such a shock that the company found itself forced into administration?
Over the past decade the Waterford Wedgwood group increasingly struggled with its debt burden, with one factory closing after another, and best part of 2,000 jobs have been lost in Stoke-on-Trent.
During 2005 and 2006, I heard and reported on all sorts of stories about cashflow problems. The failure for Josiah Wedgwood & Sons - the manufacturing arm of Wedgwood - to post its accounts to Companies House in 2005, for example, numerous dispute with customers over payment of bills, and then the technical troubles which led to staff not being paid on time.
I even wrote in a column in 2005 that the company could struggle to make the 250th anniversary unless there were major changes. Which is true, given that the brands now have a new owner in KPS.
So what of the future? Let's see what Lord Wedgwood said.
"The legacy of Josiah Wedgwood combines quality, craftsmanship and distinctive design, all of which remain a priority here at the home of Wedgwood in Barlaston.
"I am confident Wedgwood will always have a base here.
"The new owners have indicated strong support for production here at Barlaston.
"In order for us to remain competitive, there is a requirement to produce some things elsewhere. Even Josiah Wedgwood was outsourcing some products.
"I don't like to see production move away from Staffordshire but it is reality.
"The new owners are very committed to all the principles I believe about Wedgwood – quality, craftsmanship and distinctive design.
"That is what separates Wedgwood from so many other manufacturers.
"I'm very confident about the future. The new owners have indicated they want to see the company succeed and that it is not just a short-term investment for them."
What can we read into this?
Not much, unsurprisingly, that we can't already predict.
The day after KPS took over the new management team said it would take 40 days to draw up its masterplan for the future. If you include weekends that period will end on May 6.
The management will look at the current structure of the company's manufacture, distribution and sales and overhaul it so that it is profitable.
Lord Wedgwood hints that further shifts of production overseas may be necessary - so expect further job losses at Barlaston.
He also says there is strong support for production at Barlaston, so expect top-end prestige production to remain - although this may mean that just a handful of highly-skilled workers are retained.
Of course, because it's been difficult to get a clear picture of staffing at Barlaston in recent years, it's difficult to know how this will pan out in employment terms.
In fact, the blueprint for the ratio of production between Barlaston and overseas started me thinking about Royal Doulton's former chief executive Wayne Nutbeen.
Although he ultimately failed in his restructuring of Wedgwood's arch-rival, he envisaged in 2004 95 per cent of Royal Doulton's production being made abroad, with the rest created by a specialist team on the site of the company's then headquarters at Etruria - and now used by Wardell Armstrong.
But just as I was thinking of his words, I swear I could see Mr Nutbeen on the Wedgwood video. Is it him? (The chap chewing in the window at about 42 seconds in).
Can you tell me?
Related news:
Wedgwood: Another quiet before the storm
Wedgwood factory: 'safe' for now
Google maps: Wedgwood creditors
Waterford Wedgwood bought - so now what?