Norfolk Industries for Disabled

People

95 Oak Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3BP

Tel : 01603 667957 Fax : 01603 624265 Website : www.norfolkindustries.co.uk

Email : sales@norfolkindustries.co.uk

- 1 - Business ProfileBusiness ProfileBusiness ProfileBusiness Profile Norfolk Industries has been in existence for over 100 years and was originally set up to provide work for the Blind people of Norwich within a holistic setting providing accommodation and services for living also. Over the years, the working element of this service has moved premises and become part of Norfolk County Council’s Community Services Department. Now employing people with various disabilities (not just visual impairments), we have also worked hard to improve the reach of our service delivery across Norfolk and Suffolk and now support and assist people who are long term unemployed or have other disadvantages in the work arena. Norfolk Industries continues to demonstrate that individuals with disabilities are able to contribute effectively to a business which takes a little time to find out exactly what they are capable of achieving and working to utilise those strengths within the day to day operations of the business. Attempting to assist individuals to reach their goals and aspirations to the best of their ability through meaningful work is also what our logo attempts to portray. The business has been under review and has gained continued support and remodelling assistance from Norfolk County Council, in order to provide a financially sustainable business within a given period. Within the last 5 years, the business has grown it’s commercial activity within the small animal sector by 500% and now supplies quality products to many of the larger contracts in the UK, as well as exporting product to both Japan and Spain. Unfortunately, as we tend to pack into our customers own brand packaging, this has not enabled Norfolk Industries to raise it’s profile within the marketplace, which may be why you have not heard of us, until now!

- 2 - Commercial ResponsibilityCommercial ResponsibilityCommercial ResponsibilityCommercial Responsibility Norfolk Industries would like to offer you the opportunity to support a small Social Enterprise in Norfolk which has big ambitions! We are able to provide a quality product, in large volumes to your specification and branding if required. Alternatively, this product could also be supplied under our own branding which has been limited in distribution. Whilst employing people with disabilities, Norfolk Industries also prides itself in recycling on a large scale.

Some 60% of our raw materials are waste products, from the food and newspaper industries, which would go to landfill in many cases.

So we can tick many of your ‘Corporate Responsibility’ boxes whilst supplying a required product to your shelves.

Hence, our tag line - ‘Caring about people, caring about nature.’

- 3 - ProductsProductsProductsProducts Viscose Fibre Products Originally working with viscose some 17 years ago, Norfolk Industries purchases this material in bulk to gain the best prices. Also, opting to purchase a top quality material which you would expect to find in human toiletry products, ensures that the product is consistent and safe for small animals.

Viscose can be supplied in white, pink, blue or yellow or indeed any mixture for ‘Multi Packs’ if this is required.

Designed for the nesting instincts of small animals, this product has been designed for hamsters, gerbils, mice and rats for many years. However, in our experience, we would advise that this material is not wholly suitable for hamsters due to their pouching instincts.

- 4 - Products Products Products Products –––– cont. cont. cont. cont. Flaked Paper Products White absorbent paper flakes produced from waste food grade papers enables Norfolk Industries to recycle on a grand scale. This product is our most popular with most customers utilising various bag sizes of this product. Mainly aimed at hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice and rats, however, it is also useful for ferrets, pigs and horses if purchased in larger formats.

Allergy free, pets with an aversion to materials such as straw and hay are ideally suited to this material. There are no issues with the material scratching, becoming caught in feet or causing irritation.

Ideal for indoors as well as outside, these paper flakes provide a clean way of keeping odours down and providing a comfortable bedding for all small animals.

And of course, we are looking after the environment, because it’s recycling too!

- 5 - Products Products Products Products –––– cont. cont. cont. cont. Recycled Newspaper Products Norfolk Industries is fortunate to have a secure long term supply of 100% recycled newspaper material. This is provided to us on large reels which is then ‘Strip Shredded’ to provide a narrow cut. This material is biodegradable and digestible and so is also good for pets with allergies.

Creating a nesting material which is quite suited to gerbils, rats and mice, this product is also suitable for any small animals.

This product is also friendly to the environment because it is 100% recycled material.

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Products Products Products Products –––– cont. cont. cont. cont. Cleaning Cloth Products Although this is not as widely used, cleaning cloth is also available for bedding material if required. Again this is a waste material and can be provided in many different colours and so looks bright and interesting. However, as this is a waste material, specific colours could not be guaranteed although requests would be accommodated as far as is possible.

This material is generally shredded up into flakes for the small animal market.

Again, contributing to the environment by utilising waste materials, this product is recycled from waste generated by the production of cleaning cloths.

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Products Products Products Products –––– cont. cont. cont. cont. Snooze Tubes A new product to Norfolk Industries, these robust cardboard tubes are utilised from the paper cores of food grade waste paper, so we are double recycling! Designed to provide a nesting place with bedding material inside, this product can be filled with any of the materials described on previous pages. A mixture of materials in boxes of 12 works well, with 3 x cleaning cloth, 3 x white flaked paper, 3 x recycled paper and 3 x coloured viscose. Other combinations can easily be provided if preferred. Compared to our competitors, these tubes are extremely robust, lasting many days or weeks, even with the most enthusiastic gerbil! As the actual cardboard tubes are from the food industry, they are suitable for ingestion with no harmful chemicals or toxins involved. Just labelled and shrink wrapped, the packaging is also kept to a minimum.

These tubes are branded under one of our customers formats, but we are in the process of developing an own brand label for Norfolk Industries, which includes ‘Hank’ our company character.

Our own label ‘Snooze Tubes’ will continue to emphasis the social enterprise and environmentally friendly aspects of the business, as well as providing a quality product at a reasonable cost.

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Norfolk Industries BrandNorfolk Industries BrandNorfolk Industries BrandNorfolk Industries Brand

Many years ago, Norfolk Industries developed a ‘Snooze’ brand which has recently been completely redeveloped into a modern, stronger own brand for both shredded paper and viscose products, as well as our new product ‘Snooze Tubes’. This new packaging is designed to highlight the social responsibility and recycling aspects of the business, ensuring that the consumer is fully aware of the contribution they are making by purchasing our products.

‘Hank’ is our newly developed character and we are proud to introduce him onto our own brand packaging. Aimed to appeal to the young and old as well as being modern and eye catching, potential customers are welcome to utilise this brand if they would prefer. Information about Norfolk Industries features quite prominently on the back of this packaging and this information, as well as the instructions for use, is printed in French, German and Dutch.

Quality ISO9001Quality ISO9001Quality ISO9001Quality ISO9001 Of course quality is the most important aspect of any product, if it is to retain a place in the market and gain repeat sales. Norfolk Industries is an accredited ISO9001 supplier and drives a continuous programme to improve quality. We have dedicated production lines to each of the raw materials to avoid contamination and our machinery tends to be custom built for purpose.

- 9 - Our StaffOur StaffOur StaffOur Staff As a Social Enterprise, our most important asset is our staff. We have a small number of core staff, at least 50% of which have disabilities, but we also support up to another 20 people per year who may have various barriers to work, through a programme of short term placements. We are currently working to expand this element of the business through local employment agencies and sensory support groups, as well as schools and colleges in the County. Whilst these individuals add an element of ‘new blood’ to the workforce, our key staff are the back bone of the business, with our disabled staff often providing support to others in order to improve their confidence, time keeping, work ethic and general attitude. Core staff are employed on good terms and conditions of service, with pay above minimum wage levels and a generous sickness scheme. The National Joint Council for Workshops terms of employment are also referred to. Customers purchasing from us can be assured that they are directly contributing towards the employment of people with significant barriers to work, who may find it difficult to sustain alternative employment, particularly in today’s employment market. Whilst profit is not the first aim of the business, growth is, and in order to accomplish this we need to grow our customer base and raise our profile in the market. Norfolk Industries would enjoy the opportunity of supplying product to you, and we encourage businesses to utilise the positive publicity which can come from a relationship with a Social Enterprise. In fact, we are prepared to get involved in marketing which could assist in improving sales for your business through the use of Corporate Responsibility aims.

Caring about people, caring about nature.