Answer extracted from the Glazing Insider podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What operational challenges emerged when composite door demand suddenly increased during COVID-19?
When COVID-19 lockdowns ended, composite door orders jumped from 10-15 sets per week to 60-80 sets per week overnight. AMK Hardware had no operational infrastructure to handle this surge—no processes, insufficient staffing, or supplier relationships scaled for that volume. The company had to stop, rebuild its entire manufacturing systems from scratch, and restructure the team to prevent losing customers and credibility in the market.
The spreadsheet-and-index-cards era
Before the pandemic, AMK Hardware was running on minimal systems. Production relied on spreadsheets and T-card tracking methods to manage a manageable 10-15 door sets per week. This low-volume, ad-hoc approach worked fine when demand was predictable and modest.
When the business reopened after lockdown restrictions eased, the dynamics shifted completely. The prep slab business became exceptionally busy at the same time demand for full composite door sets exploded, creating a compounding pressure that the legacy manual systems simply could not absorb.
The crisis moment and its consequences
Greg Kelly openly admits that the company let customers down during this period. Without proper processes, staffing, or supply chain resilience, AMK Hardware burned bridges with some clients who had nowhere else to turn and had to find alternative suppliers when delivery timelines slipped.
The financial and reputational damage forced a strategic reset. As Kelly explains in the episode, the experience taught the team that rapid growth without operational readiness is a liability, not a win. The company decided to step back and completely rebuild.
"We're not the cheapest, we're not the most expensive, but we offer good value for money and a nicely made product for the price that we charge."
Greg Kelly — Owner and Director, AMK Hardware & Entrance Composite Door Solutions. Kelly was born into the hardware business when his father started a distributor in Northern Ireland in 1980, supplying everything from wheelbarrows to PVC components. He joined the company in 2000 after university, progressing from telesales to sales leadership, and later led the expansion into composite door manufacturing starting around 2017-2018. Today he oversees 58 staff across three sites.
Rebuilding from the ground up
The recovery phase involved redesigning manufacturing workflows, implementing real process discipline, and recruiting and training staff capable of managing 60-80 units per week instead of 15. This wasn't a quick fix—it was a fundamental operational transformation.
What makes this story particularly instructive for other manufacturers is that Kelly's full account reveals how growth often exposes organisational weaknesses invisible during stable periods. The crisis forced AMK Hardware to become a real manufacturing business, not just a nimble distributor with a side production arm.
The team also had to renegotiate supplier relationships and build redundancy into component procurement—a lesson learned through painful experience rather than foresight. This multi-year rebuild shaped how the company now operates at scale.
Key takeaways
- Pre-COVID operations used manual systems (spreadsheets, T-cards) suitable only for 10-15 units per week, with no scalable infrastructure.
- Post-COVID demand surged to 60-80 door sets per week while prep slab orders spiked simultaneously, overwhelming existing capacity and staffing.
- The operational crisis resulted in missed deliveries, lost customer relationships, and damaged market reputation.
- AMK Hardware rebuilt from the ground up: new processes, expanded workforce, and restructured supply chains to handle sustainable growth.
See also
How did a hardware distributor transition into composite door manufacturing without internal manufacturing expertise?
Greg Kelly's company initially sold PVC door panels as an agent for Door Panels PLC, but recognized in the early 2000s that this product had limited shelf life potential. The transition began with investing in prep slabs and components, progressing gradually to full door set manufacturing starting around 2017-2018 with CNC machinery investment.
What were the major business milestones marking growth from startup ownership to current scale?
The business expanded from a single hardware distributor in Northern Ireland (1980) to UK mainland presence in Alfredon (1992), then evolved through prep slab production (2004-2005), a strategic refocus during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, relocation to new premises (mid-2019), and full composite door manufacturing. Today it operates across three sites with 58 staff.
How has Jade Engineering positioned itself within the broader window fabrication supply chain?
Jade Engineering has positioned itself in the middle of the window industry with reach to many different places. The company maintains portfolio information and serves as a key supplier across multiple segments.