Released 25th August 2010

Talking to Simon Thain of The Big Box Company, the Hertfordshire-based radiator cover specialist, one gets a strong sense of a constantly evolving business. From the company's earliest days in the late 1990s through to the present day, it is clear that Simon has had an eye for opportunities and the drive and direction to capitalise on them.

One such opportunity, which was to prove a key turning point in the development of the business, came in the early 2000s. "It's often problems that force you to find better ways of doing things," Simon recalled. "From day one, I'd been drawing out the design for each radiator cover, then ordering in the MDF panels cut to size – basically a kit of parts." Simon would then rout in bevels, grooves and other design details, and finally assemble and finish the cover before shipping it out to the customer.

"It was fine in the early days, but as soon as the business began to grow, I could see that it was an inflexible and expensive way of doing things," he commented.