Hear about a growing career that’s still going from strength to strength after 14 years. And how a genuine care for its people, has taken the Donaldson Group to greater heights.
One in every five new UK homes has a roof from Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE). For floors, it’s one in four! Those sorts of big stats might make you think of a huge corporate. You’d be mistaken. Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE), part of the Donaldson Family of companies got where it is today with strong family values and investment in its people.
People like Karol Radziejowski. At 32, he’s just opened DTE’s 10th branch and has taken up the reins as General Manager. That’s a gigantic career leap from only 14 years ago. When a teenage Karol took a two-week holiday to the UK, he didn’t expect to like it enough to stay.
From Poland, he came to DTE for his first job. What he got was a career and a lifelong network of friends.
Starting out with no construction experience whatsoever, Karol steadily graduated from production operative to jig setter. Seeing his determination, DTE were behind him all the way, investing in his development with skills and language courses. In no time at all, they had themselves a new team leader.
Now a family man with a wife and two daughters of his own, he’s recently upped sticks and moved to Exeter. DTE’s new facility, with Karol at the helm, gives the business a truly national presence. The £1 million investment will see products get manufactured, ready to be delivered to customers in the South West of England with a lower carbon footprint.
Family values driving national ambitions
With the Southwest being one of the highest new build growth areas in the UK, it’s a timely expansion. One that’s sure to push Karol’s career to even greater heights. And his is only one story out of about 1700 employees who Donaldson have hand-picked and developed.
In Karol’s words, “Without the right mix of people, we’d never have reached this position. That’s not only the shop floor guys. From marketing to each branch administrator, everyone puts some of themselves into the business. In return, we’re not scared to invest in people, particularly young people.”
And people certainly don’t seem in a hurry to leave once they take a job here. The Managing Director, Luke Roberts, knows most people by name. Relationships run deep; employees are trusted to deliver. The atmosphere doesn’t feel like a place with the sheer clout to produce 160,000m2 of roof in a year. That’s enough to put a roof on the entire town of St. Andrews.
Retaining the family business feeling after over 30 years of successful national expansion isn’t easy, but it’s vital. It’s a philosophy that runs through their whole operation. Instead of bloating their product range with anything they can get their hands on, they focus lovingly on 10 construction essentials.
The result is a sense of authentic expertise that inspires terrific confidence in customers. It also unlocks huge efficiencies. DTE’s fleet can be specialised around transporting and delivering this exact product range. Innovation in tools, machinery and service standards support an ever-growing mastery of these essentials.
Because of this, national housebuilders like Taylor Wimpey, Redrow Homes and Persimmon Homes are all customers. But DTE also find themselves being approached for complex bespoke projects like Grand Designs Shell House, Westminster Sea Life Centre and Legoland Birmingham. Even the Monaco Grand Prix has housed F1 cars beneath a DTE roof using MiTek’s Posi-Joist.
How are MiTek helping Donaldson build?
The relationship between MiTek and DTE began 25 years ago. The software, machinery and Posi systems have been mainstays of their work since the start, helping DTE design, manufacture and deliver.
We’re so proud to go the distance with DTE because our values align. Care, craftsmanship and sustainability unite us as we grow together. That way, we can be sure we’re evolving our own products and services in line with what the industry really needs.
Having people like Karol to talk to is invaluable. He started using our products as a frontline operative and still brings that hands-on perspective to his management work. He’s a big advocate for Posi-Joist and his new Exeter facility uses MiTek jigs, presses and Virtek lasers meaning we get plenty of feedback to work with.
Frontline observations like knowing the time and money saved by using Posi-Joist vs hiring carpenters to drill I-Joists are valuable. They let us position ourselves more confidently. But it’s our design software that Karol has a particular love for.
Having seen PAMIR evolve over the years, he can speak with authority on features like interactive 3D modelling. He’s equally excited about where PAMIR is heading with the inclusion of advanced wall panel design within the software. Its arrival is eagerly anticipated, not least because it will be the first piece of software to see whole buildings designed within one programme.
Karol has been part of its evolution, providing valuable feedback along the way. He says being able to visualise designs so clearly makes collaborating on projects far easier. The support and advice he gets from our team means this ongoing feedback process is a win-win for both parties.
Tomorrow’s service standards, today
So, what does the future hold for Donaldson, MiTek and Karol? As he sees it, “We never plan for next month. We’re always planning for a year ahead or more. That’s why, when there was a materials shortage, everyone else was offering a 14-week lead time and we never went over 6.
So yes, we’re continuing to invest in service. That’s where we really stand apart from the crowd. But sustainability and safety are equally important. We’re not slowing down; we aim to keep expanding but we need to do it the right way.”
The market is evolving alongside our businesses. New legislation incentivises low-carbon construction but it’s important we stay ahead of our obligations. Products like Posi-Joist which easily accommodate MVHR systems are only the beginning. As the UK construction landscape catches up with other countries, industry needs to set a positive example.
We’re looking forward to continuing to support Donaldson Timber Engineering in setting that example. And if sustainability, service and safety are values you share, we can do the same for you.
