Our Story

Commuting from Kent, Roy sees an opportunity in Dorset to establish a business specialising in the supply of structural metal decking, an innovative product in the industry at the time. Roy and his business partner, start a company and grow it together for 5 years.

Eventually Roy has enough of the M3 motorway commute (like we all do!) and relocates his family to Broadstone, Dorset. One year later, Roy and his business partner part ways.

With a briefcase in hand, a super snazzy Citroen Xantia! on loan for a month, and a one-room office in Broadstone, Roy sets up Composite Profiles, specialising, like the previous 5 years, in composite and structural metal floor and roof decks. This time, Roy is ably assisted by his wife, April.

Roy’s approach to putting people and integrity first pays off when previous business contacts start to trade with Roy under his new brand, Composite Profiles. Together, Roy & April steadily grow the business over the next 6 years, expanding from their one-room office to take over the whole floor – eventually filling 6 rooms with 10 employees.

Mark Norton (Roy & April’s youngest son) leaves his banking career and joins Composite Profiles as a Project Draughtsman.

Roy’s driving force was his desire to put Customer Service and Loyalty at the heart of his business, and 25 years later, this philosophy is manifested through two of Composite Profiles strategic core values: Building Relationships and Building Trust. Customer Service and Loyalty remain as integral to today’s successes and future business plans, as their past.

The recession of 2008 is a significant challenge across the entire construction industry. Until now, work is regular and continually growing, then literally overnight the phones stop ringing.

A crisis meeting is called. Alan Norton (Roy & April Norton’s oldest son) flies in from Australia bringing his chartered accountancy and business skills and together, as a family, a survival plan is formulated.

The recession accelerates the handover of the Managing Director reigns to Mark Norton (10 years after him joining the business), and with the same grit and determination that Roy & April had shown 16 years previously and for the second time in the family history, business is won and money earned almost on a weekly basis. Mark retrospectively claims, “I just had to make it work. We weren’t just a small family business anymore. We had a team of sub-contractors, direct employees and their families all relying on us to keep the business afloat.”

Mark reflects, “It was the first time I truly had to understand the finances down to the last penny. I remember scrutinizing the accounts to answer the question ‘How much business did we need to generate each week/month to keep the business afloat?’ It was the first time I really understood what gross margin meant.”

Step-by-step, job-by-job, following a strong business plan, as a family business with Mark Norton at the helm, they steadily pull the company back from the brink.

As many economic journalists claimed post 2008, ‘there is nothing better than a recession to weed out the weaker businesses and only the strong ones survive’. Composite Profiles is no different. The recession forced senior management to devise a much more robust business strategy and structure than ever before.

Under Mark Norton’s inspirational leadership, and supported by a committed and hardworking team, Mark steers the company through the recession and is rewarded with survival, and its most significant period of productivity and profitability of all.

Following eight years of growth beyond anything previously seen, Composite Profiles outgrows their original offices and moves into brand new purpose built 2,000ft² Head Offices in New Fields Business Park, Poole.

Composite Profiles achieves the incredibly prestigious and rarely awarded (only 3% of UK companies) Investors in People (IIP) Gold Award! This is a tremendous result following their IIP Silver Award in 2013. To be accredited by such a highly-regarded external organisation, illustrates that they really do live by their core value: Building Team Spirit.

Company culture sits at the core of plans for growth. The summer of 2017 sees Composite Profiles reach 25 years, and whilst time is taken to celebrate, time is also taken to embrace the future and prepare the business for its next phase of growth.

As part of this preparation, official Company Values are formed: Building Relationships, Building Team Spirit, Building Knowledge, Building Trust, and of course Building the Future.

These are created by the team, evolving out of a series of team meetings, and ultimately lead to the creation of our first officially documented Brand and Communications Guide, and Client Services Brochure. Each value sits as a foundation pillar beneath an overarching vision of Building Excellence; a company ethos by which Composite Profiles has always traded but never actively promoted – until now!

A suite of new look logos is launched including a special edition celebratory logo to mark 25 years, elevate our IIP Gold status and to reflect our vision for the future of Building Excellence.

Composite Profiles’ new brand identity celebrates a company 1) Associated with Excellence, 2) You want to work for and 3) One to be Proud of.

Championed by Helen Clayton, Composite Profiles achieve the highly coveted ‘We Invest in People Platinum’ status – the highest level possible. Just 1% of UK companies accredited under the Investors in People framework have been awarded Platinum status.

The Platinum award exemplifies how Composite Profiles is actively leading the way in modern management by putting people at the heart of the business strategy.

Our vision is to grow and expand by creating the highest performing team possible with ‘Building Excellence’ at our core.

Our mission is to provide innovative metal decking solutions to the construction sector, creating amazing inspirational buildings and spaces for society.