After spending the last two decades building a team of technically skilled employees, Westboro Photonics president Tim Moggridge is working on bringing the company into a new era of global success.
The 15-person firm designs, engineers and builds light and colour measurement systems used in the development and manufacturing of all forms of displays, with a primary focus on the avionics, automotive, and flat panel display industries.
While reaching international markets and top-tier clients was always a goal for the business, the team was having challenges figuring out how to scale up while simultaneously dealing with a production backlog hindering its ability to fulfil the large orders needed to win major contracts.
“Because we’re a small company, sometimes it was easier to put off making big decisions or executing on plans because we didn’t have a big team of executives to help us figure it out,” says Moggridge.
Realizing that the company needed help to build its momentum and achieve its goals, Moggridge and Angela Walker, the general manager at Westboro Photonics, reached out to Stratford Managers. They were seeking not only advice, but a partner to help them advance the business.
“We realized that in order to grow we had to get out of our own heads and our own little bubble and reach out to experienced consultants,” says Walker. “It was a big decision, but it’s the best decision we’ve ever made.”
Securing top-tier clients
In the initial few months of the partnership, supply chain and operations consultant, Dan Zanetti along with other consultants from Stratford helped the photonics team develop a strategy and restructure its production process, making it more efficient and better suited for future scaling.
Stratford consultants ensured the company had the right tools in place and created a documentation system to record procedures and best practices, which allowed the company to increase its capacity and have confidence in its deliverables, says Moggridge.
Once the team had a well-established manufacturing infrastructure, the leadership duo deepened their Stratford relationship by engaging sales and business development consultant Chris Egner, to help develop the organization to the point where it’s capable of securing top-tier clients.
Egner worked with Westboro to expand the existing sales team and enhance the company’s sales automation processes to ensure they were closing must win deals with key customers.
Together with Moggridge and Walker, Egner prioritized strategic account planning and provided training and coaching to the sales team on how to engage with the best clients for the company.
“Getting the sales organization to the point where they’re able to go out and win market share by securing strategic accounts has been really rewarding,” says Egner. “Working with clients to develop a winning plan is always great, but where the Stratford team excels is our ability to roll up our sleeves and help with implementation,” he adds.
Future success
As a result, Westboro Photonics is strengthening its business within the automotive industry and expanding its global reach through channel partners in Europe and Asia.
The moves have positioned Westboro well to scale up, adds Egner.
“The company can now build on success in its primary markets by moving into adjacent verticals, which is really exciting,” he says.
As the partnership between Westboro Photonics and Stratford Managers approaches the one-year mark, Moggridge and Walker say they’ve seen tangible improvements within their business and the future looks very bright.
“Compared to a year ago, there’s a lot more harmony in the company,” says Moggridge. “Everyone is clear on the processes, expectations, and direction that we’re headed as an organization which increases our customers’ confidence in Westboro Photonics as well.”
