Ask the Expert - Debbie Jones

Tony Cassar: Debbie, thank you for joining us in the Window Furnishings Australia Magazine, Ask The Expert Series.

Debbie Jones: Thanks for having me.

 Tony Cassar:  How did you enter the window covering industry and how long have you been in it?

Debbie Jones: I originally started in late 1989, my neighbour was a vertical blind manufacturer and bought fabric and components from Uniline and told me that there was an admin position available.  I applied and got it.  However, six or so months later I resigned as my husband and I were heading overseas for a couple of years on a working holiday.

A couple of people at the Vic office heard I was back in 1992 and reinstated my position in administration and customer service.

Tony Cassar: What were you doing before entering the window covering industry?

Debbie Jones: Secretarial work, then worked for a building company selling house and land packages. So I essentially became a sales person selling blocks of land and houses, which was interesting. 

Tony Cassar: Debbie, what roles have you held within the Uniline organisation?

Debbie Jones: When I got back from Sweden in 1992 I resumed the role of customer service but it was more like an office manager’s role.  The Victorian office at that time was a small operation, we had a state manager, a sales rep on the road and a small warehouse for distribution.  We also had the fabric coating plant which was part of our facility in Thomastown. So we were all hands on.  I moved into a sales position in 2004 and have progressed in this area to date.

Tony Cassar: You said that it was hands on type situation?

Debbie Jones: Yes, if someone needed a hand at the warehouse you just did it, you just went out there and you picked whatever needed – especially if you had a customer walking in to pick up Fabric or components and the warehousing guys were busy.

Tony Cassar: What is your current role, and can you take us through a day in your Uniline life?

Debbie Jones: In 2006 I was appointed State Branch Manager, which meant that I was responsible for running the Branch, looking after our wholesale manufacturers, internal staff, and sales staff.  The role has changed a little now, we have grown so much over the years which meant we needed more staff.  Thankfully I don’t need to get too involved with the day-to-day warehousing or the office but I still check in to see how things are going.

Tony Cassar: How long have Uniline been in operation?

Debbie Jones:  Uniline was established in 1965, so heading towards our 60th year and I have just ticked over 30 years with the organisation

Tony Cassar: That’s brilliant. There wouldn’t be too many window covering companies of that age in Australia?

Debbie Jones: No I wouldn’t think so, there would only be a few. 

Tony Cassar: And in regards to the owners of Uniline, are they still with you in the business?

Debbie Jones: Well the founder Mr. Ruonala obviously passed away – but the family is still involved on a board level, so they still meet once a month – with our senior managers in Queensland. They’re still well and truly involved but just not in the running of the day to day business. There are senior managers that take care of all of that.

Tony Cassar: You’ve been with Uniline for a long time, what do you attribute its success to over the time you’ve been involved?

Debbie Jones: Having quality products is probably the key. And I think its success is obviously due to the people that work in it. It’s a combination. You need good management, good sales team and good customer service team as well, so I think over the years everyone’s done the whole ups and downs, but right at this very point in time I think we’re ticking a lot of the boxes.

Tony Cassar: What are the range of window coverings that Uniline supply? And what is the best seller?

Debbie Jones: Uniline designs, sources and supplies both fabric and components for internal blinds and awnings.  Roller blinds are still the flavour of the month and we still sell a truck load of Dawn fabric, which has been in the market for about 28 years.

Tony Cassar: And how about the awning side of things?

Debbie Jones: We got into awnings in the mid to late ‘90s, and that’s an essential part of our business as well. We sell a lot of awning componentry.

Tony Cassar: What are the greatest changes you have seen in the external and internal aspects of window coverings?

Debbie Jones: Externals have had a dramatic change in the last decade or so. They have gone from a traditional awning and louvred awning over to a lifestyle awnings and retention systems. Internals – curtains and sheers are popular again, but the roller blind continues to be the most used window furnishing.  There is such a variety of fabrics to choose from now.

Internal blinds became increasingly popular with the introduction of verticals when I started in the early ‘90s, venetians were already established in the market.

Tony Cassar: Supply chain issues seems to be a hot point at the present, how has this affected Uniline and how have you handled this?

Debbie Jones: I think when the pandemic hit we were all in a state of shock, not knowing what this virus was capable of doing.  From a business some of the PO’s were cancelled, we soon found out (not too long) that business was still going strong.  Our purchasing team did a wonderful job in getting our stocks in in a timely manner.  Yes, we had some stock outs but I really to feel that it wasn’t that bad, not compared to some.

Over the past 12 months, we have restructured our supply chain and improved our service levels. We moved all our stock into our local state warehouses and increased our stock holdings. We also increased our warehouse capacity in some states and made it an objective to have the stock supplied direct from the local branch.

Tony Cassar: What changes do you envisage in the future of window coverings?

Debbie Jones: The swing back to curtains and sheers are popular and it’s a great way to let in natural light, motorisation and home automation will continue to grow. Minimalistic, natural, biophilic. Soft neutral tones

Tony Cassar: What are your greatest challenges within the business?

Debbie Jones: Price-downs – Year-on-year the sell price of products has declined, and it is a chase to the bottom. We now have to sell greater volumes to make the same turnover. Fortunately, Uniline has constantly introduced new, and exciting products every year, expanding our product offer to the market.

Tony Cassar: What is Uniline doing specifically to address this price-down culture? 

Debbie Jones:  We’ve got to differentiate out products to someone else’s. What are the advantages of selling our product at a higher price, and that could be our warranty. It could be what’s in the fabric. Whether it’s got a fabric protection or its resistant to mould or mildew and some of the others don’t have those features and benefits. 

Tony Cassar: Staffing, have you found this to be a challenge? If so, how have you overcome this ?

Debbie Jones: We are fortunate that we have longevity with our staff members, however we did find it very challenging finding warehouse staff there for a while.  We all dig deep and all pitch in where possible and get the job done.  We eventually employed two additional warehousing staff so that has taken some pressure off the other staff members.

Tony Cassar: You’ve participated in many Trade shows, how successful are they and what strategies do you employ?

Debbie Jones: Trade shows are great, it’s an opportunity to showcase what your business is all about. It’s like going to a formal or a fancy function, all dressed up.  It’s a platform to exhibit all your products to a mass of people over a few days. The success is in the follow up.

Tony Cassar: What does the future look like for yourself, and Uniline?

Debbie Jones: I think I have a few years left in me! Uniline is more like a family and you feel a part of that. I love my job, I love the people I work with and our customers.  Uniline has a great future in this industry. While I’m still here, I’ll contribute my bit and still enjoy what I do.

Tony Cassar: Who has been the greatest influence in your business life and why?

Debbie Jones: I think if I go back to when I started Kristine Brown was a great mentor for me, she was so customer service oriented and the customer always came first. I think that’s just been engrained, embedded in me to make sure that you looked after the customer and I hope that that’s what I do. Also the family feel to the job came from Ruonala family – the owners.

Tony Cassar: Who has been the greatest influence in your personal life and why?  

Debbie Jones: My Mum. She taught me resilience, to work hard and strive to achieve. My husband has been a great supporter of my career too. When I took on the sales role there was travel involved and at the time we still had young kids, so we had to sort of split that role.

Tony Cassar: What would be your greatest achievements throughout your career?

Debbie Jones: There is never a greater feeling than hitting all of your set goals, all the stars align and you’ve smashed all sales history for the Branch.  That felt pretty good and that’s what keeps you striving towards each month.

Tony Cassar: Your husband designed for Ferrari , can you tell us a little about this?

Debbie Jones: He was an automotive clay modeller, basically making new designed cars out of clay. He was contracted to work on the “Enzo” in Italy in 2012.  Highlight of his career.

Tony Cassar:  So when you drive by – see that particular type of Ferrari that he helped design, what does he say to you? 

Debbie Jones:  He reflects back and says “I can’t believe that I was involved in something like that”, but he’s very critical of cars that he sees on the road and he goes – oh the line on that is no good, or it should have been like this. But he’s pretty humble, he doesn’t show off or anything like that. 

Tony Cassar: Tell us a little about yourself. what are your passions, outside of work?

Debbie Jones: I like taking photos in my spare time, I just recently bought a GoPro so I will see where that takes me. Family is everything to me, my two children, now adults, I am very proud of them. I still play a bit of sport, still play a bit of tennis – but I have given up netball, the knees don’t work anymore.

Tony Cassar: Debbie, thank you for your time today and thank you again for your participation in the WFA Ask The Expert Series.

Debbie Jones: Thanks for the opportunity Tony.