Answer extracted from the Glazing Insider podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How to Build a Junior Management Structure to Combat Aging Workforces in Manufacturing
Create a formal junior management team structure with emerging leaders aged 20–30 reporting directly to experienced senior managers with 20–25 years of expertise. This pairing model enables real-time mentoring in key operational roles while preparing successors and reducing pressure on leadership approaching retirement.
Structured Mentoring: The Warwick Model
Warwick Development NW introduced this approach within the last six to seven months, placing junior talent in critical positions such as production manager, sales office manager, and junior finance director. The direct reporting relationship between junior and senior leaders creates an apprenticeship dynamic that transfers institutional knowledge while allowing younger managers to learn under live operational conditions—not in theory, but in real decision-making.
This is particularly relevant in the fenestration industry, where the average age of the workforce stands at 46–47 years old, according to sector data. Manufacturing faces a genuine demographic cliff: experienced operators and managers approaching retirement create a knowledge vacuum that hiring alone cannot fill. Structured pairing with junior staff addresses both the succession risk and the mentoring gap simultaneously.
Future-Proofing While Easing Leadership Burden
The secondary benefit is relief for senior leadership. Managers with 20–25 years of experience are often stretched thin, handling operational duties while aware that their retirement timeline is shortening. Delegating responsibility to a prepared junior manager lightens their load while creating a tested successor pipeline.
As discussed in the Glazing Insider episode, Greg Johnson emphasizes that this structure is not simply hiring young people—it is intentionally placing them in roles where failure is managed, learning is documented, and readiness for full leadership is built gradually. By the time a senior leader steps back, the junior manager has already navigated the complexity of their department under close guidance.
The method also signals to younger employees that growth is possible within the organization, improving retention and morale in a sector where attracting talent to manufacturing roles remains a persistent challenge.
Greg Johnson — CEO, Warwick Development NW. Johnson took over the business as Managing Director following his father's cancer diagnosis, after completing a 15–16 year apprenticeship learning the company from the ground up. Under his leadership, Warwick has won the G Awards Fabricator of the Year and Sunday Express Supplier of the Year, and operates as the largest window manufacturer in the Liverpool City region.
To understand how broader organizational culture supports this transition, listen to Greg's full conversation where he also discusses how Warwick has grown its female workforce by 200 percent and shaped a social value strategy that extends beyond production metrics.
Key takeaways
- Pair junior managers aged 20–30 directly with senior leaders holding 20–25 years of experience to create a structured mentoring relationship.
- Target critical operational roles—production, sales, finance—where succession risk is highest and knowledge transfer is most complex.
- Use the pairing model to ease pressure on experienced managers while building a tested pipeline of internal successors.
- In a sector where average workforce age is 46–47, proactive junior management development is essential to avoiding knowledge loss and leadership gaps at retirement.
See also
What sustainable window system technology is being adopted in UK manufacturing?
Warwick manufactures MODIS, part of Euracell's product range, which is arguably the most sustainable window system on the UK market today.
How can window manufacturers differentiate through social value initiatives in a competitive market?
Warwick Development NW employs a dedicated social value manager and partners with housing associations and registered providers who build and repair social housing across the region.
What emotional impact did winning a major industry fabricator award have on a family business leader?
Greg Johnson described the moment of winning the G Awards Fabricator of the Year as profoundly emotional, feeling he had finally made his mark on the business his uncle founded in 1998.