A Fife company has been sold to a construction industry supplier. Fife-based James Donaldson & Sons Ltd (JDS) has bought Rowan Manufacturing and Smith & Frater from the Rowan Group. Airdrie-based Rowan manufactures bespoke staircases; door sets; windows and screens; and joinery for property development and home improvement. Smith and Frater have sites in Bathgate and Grangemouth, and supplies kitchens; Fibo wall paneling; flooring; bathrooms; and internal doors to the building trade.
CR Smith
CR Smith is Scotland’s longest-running home improvement company. It designs, manufactures, and fits more uPVC windows, doors, and conservatories than any competitor north of the border. The Dunfermline-based company employs 350 people across joinery and manufacturing fife, installation and sales, and customer service operations.
The firm’s separate manufacturing accounts show that turnover was up slightly during 2021. Its directors expect this year to follow the same pattern. The firm’s domestic sales business is expected to remain at pre-Covid historic levels, while the broader group should return to full profitability by the end of the year.
CR Smith also recently launched a new apprenticeship program to attract more recruits for its joinery operation. Working with Fife College, the new bespoke scheme combines SVQ coursework with a structured program of work experience at the firm’s training workshop. The workshop has been upgraded to include areas designed to imitate customers’ homes, with everything from awkwardly positioned baths and sinks to narrow hallways.
The apprentices will learn how to fit the entire range of CR Smith products in all types of homes. The trainees will earn a salary of £12,000 per annum while they complete their training and are guaranteed a job with the firm. The new scheme is backed by two of the company’s longest-serving joiners, Jock McIntosh and Sandy French.
East Fife Joinery
EFJ is a family-owned business that has been established since 2007. They are able to work on projects of any size and will complete the job to the highest standard. They specialize in new build, refurbishment & alterations and can also provide services for maintenance and repairs.
They are also experienced in working with listed buildings and conservation works. They can complete joinery work on commercial, residential, industrial, and local authority projects. They have a large team of in-house joiners and also select subcontractors who are committed to the same level of quality and service.
Founded more than 60 years ago, the Velux Group was built on a vision of daylight and fresh air. Its products make people’s lives better by creating more energy-efficient homes with brighter, healthier living spaces. Joinery and Manufacturing Dundee is based in Glenrothes, Scotland, and has offices around the world.
The company has an excellent reputation in Fife and has been recommended by many people. It has been used on a number of prestigious projects, including the renovations of St Andrews Cathedral and St Paul’s Church. It has also been used in a variety of restaurants and hotels. The company is also known for its bespoke joinery work.
Rowan Manufacturing
James Donaldson & Sons (JDS) has acquired Airdrie-based Rowan Manufacturing Ltd and Smith & Frater Ltd for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition opens up new product and market opportunities for the company in the supply of door sets, bespoke joinery, and kitchen manufacturing. It also fits with the firm’s desire to expand its capabilities in the UK’s house building, offsite manufacture, local authority, and RMI contracting markets.
JDS is a family-owned business that specializes in the processing, manufacturing, merchanting, and distribution of timber and associated building products. The company employs more than 1,000 people and operates across the UK.
The company’s heritage collection includes doors, windows, fire-safe doors, and patio doors. It also supplies major housebuilders nationwide. The company has a team of skilled and experienced professionals.
Rowan Manufacturing’s Director Kevin Wallace served his joinery apprenticeship with Fife Council. He gained experience in all areas of construction including steel erection, groundworks, drainage, and roads and this led him to establish his own company K Wallace Joinery. He has since worked on many large projects in the commercial sector.
Smith & Frater
Fife-based timber and building products firm James Donaldson & Sons (JDS) has acquired Rowan Manufacturing and Smith & Frater. The acquisition of the two firms opens new product and market opportunities for JDS indoor sets and bespoke joinery. It also fits with the company’s desire to expand its capabilities in the UK’s house building, offsite manufacture, local authority, RMI, and contracting markets.
Rowan, based in Airdrie, specializes in made-to-measure staircases; internal and external door sets; windows and screens; and joinery for property development and home improvement. Smith & Frater, which has bases in Bathgate and Grangemouth, supplies kitchens; Fibo wall paneling; flooring; bathrooms; internal doors, and ceiling panels to the construction industry.
The takeovers will have no effect on clients, employees, or suppliers of RML and S&F. They will operate independently but work alongside JDS and will report to the group managing director.
Neil Donaldson has been chairman of the family-owned company since 1994. In that time, he has overseen the expansion of the business from a small local timber merchant to a national player with 31 sites throughout the country and a turnover of more than £120 million.
Amongst his many achievements, he has developed Donaldson Timber Engineering; insulation product manufacturer Nu Style; Cambridge Roof Trusses; and the acquisition of doorset and bespoke joinery specialists Rowan Manufacturing and Smith & Frater.