quality has to be there too, or they would never get repeat business. He partly credits the company’s consistency in that arena to their Kaizen manufacturing principles, but mostly he says it again comes back to the team: “We have a really strong culture,” he says. “People here enjoy their work. They like being part of the company. Our goal is to maintain an engaged and empowered workforce and I think we’ve been very successful over the years.” Again, Paul says many employees of Sunrise Kitchens have been with the company for well over a decade. He also says they have built similarly longstanding relationships with their extended team, including their roster of installation subcontractors (who they supervise on site), as well as their material suppliers: “We have really good, really strong relationships with our suppliers,” Paul says. “They are a major part of our business and we treat them as part of the team. That means they have to fit with our culture. They have to have the same ethics. And when we find a supplier we like, we usually work with them for a long time.” For example, Sunrise Kitchens has been a long-time partner of the GRASS group – which is a worldwide leader in furniture movement systems backed by over 80 years’ experience in manufacturing movement system hardware in Germany and Austria. GRASS Canada, the group’s Canadian division has been supplying Sunrise Kitchens’ drawer systems and hinges for four years. According to Paul, Sunrise has remained so loyal to GRASS’ drawer systems because of their unparalleled quality. He says GRASS is a known leader in the industry, with a brand that stands for quality, technical precision, progressive design and exemplary protection of the environment. For as long as he’s been in the industry, Paul says he has known GRASS to be one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of movement systems. GRASS’ hardware features patented synchronization for a floating smooth quality of drawer movement, low pull-out forces for maximum comfort and ergonomics, high dynamic load ratings to meet and exceed current residential design requirements for large drawers. Their hardware was created to allow for design freedom, and is the hardware of choice for top kitchen manufacturers world-wide, including Sunrise Kitchens. In addition to the quality of their product, GRASS Canada also takes pride in their customer service, and the close partnerships they form with their manufacturing partners, whom they strive to grow alongside. That commitment is another reason Sunrise Kitchens has remained so loyal. According to Ilona Stigrad, Western Regional Sales Manager of GRASS Canada, GRASS seeks to work closely with partners like Sunrise in order to help them meet their goals: “Whether their goals are lean manufacturing, customer focused design, or synching delivery timelines, we work closely with our manufacturing partners to make it happen,” Ilona says. “We strive for seamless alignment with decision makers by being nimble and communicating. As a result, we grow together.” MARCH 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=