ok, alright, now you know what I look like...
Simon Bliss, the mover and shaker behind our Datum team is constantly in communication with our clients, but we managed to pin him down long enough to answer one simple question for us…
Simon, what is it about Datum that sets us apart from other timber frame manufacturers?
“I’ll answer that in my usual straightforward fashion (…you wouldn’t expect anything less)
Our clients want us to be more involved from the beginning in their projects, because they know that we are passionate about trying to resolve as much of the design and the design interface as possible; for all of the following reasons:
We consider ourselves (and are) part of the critical path of all of our builds. Because we are problem solvers our approach is non linear, which means we can make a real contribution when we are involved early doors as part of the whole team – we have the capability and expertise to add real value to any project.
Our comprehensive team possess a range of capabilities which is great because their skills elevate us to turnkey/constructor rather than just a subcontractor.
We are obsessed with process engineering and simplicity – that’s why we get involved – we like to get about it.
Our clients are very important to us (and we tell them so) and their projects often present some really interesting opportunities, which sometimes takes some very careful planning. We’ll always consider the challenge – if the impossible is really not possible we’ll be honest…
The Datum team is great – the reason we are able to take this approach to problem solving is because our people have the expertise to handle individual issues. We keep ourselves small in order to be flexible. As a result, we have been invited to become involved in some very interesting projects and sectors to which others are not suited or would have the capability to address.
I’m bold enough to say we do take risks – which pay off – we go where and when others fear to tread! But if we need to say ‘however’ we’ll also be honest enough to say ‘we can’t’
Fundamentally, our decisions are always based on what is best for our customer, and because we like a challenge, we like it even more when it gets ‘interesting’
We are honest. If we wouldn’t tolerate something ourselves, then we wouldn’t try to fool anyone else into thinking it may work – just for the sake of taking on the work…”
Thanks Simon – better let you go, your phone’s ringing (again…)