Phabian Nelson (right) operates a circular saw at Taylor's Woodwork, while his co-worker, Conroy Anderson, looks on. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
IN A business environment where manufacturers continue to face the harshness of the economy and the rigors of competing with imported alternatives, Granville Taylor operates a competitive manufacturing firm specialising in the design, construction and installation of solid wood kitchens.
Taylor's Wood Products Limited was started by Granville Taylor 15 years ago after he left the Department of Management Studies at the University of the West Indies and worked for four years in the manufacturing industry. Taylor tells the story of beginning his business operations with $150, yet he took on two workers to begin the carpentry endeavour in a single 18'x18' room on Charles Street. Carpentry was his discipline of choice, as Taylor had been introduced to its practical rudiments from early in his life, having been mandated to work in his father's factory making doors and fixtures in his formative years. By the time he was 15 years old, Granville Taylor could construct a door to precision, seeing the process through cutting to assembly.
Now, Taylor's Wood Products employs 15 persons who work together at the Retirement Crescent based factory in the process of designing and building kitchens for small, medium and large households, focusing mainly on the higher end of the market. Mr. Taylor takes personal pride in the work of his firm, visiting the homes of his clients personally to determine their needs and recommend design and practical elements to suit the lifestyle and personality of the household. The company supplies from luxury kitchens to modest ones, all 100 per cent Jamaican made.
According to Taylor, few people recognise how central their kitchen is to their daily lives. Elements of a family's nourishment, sustenance, entertainment, leisure and recreation originate in a household's kitchen. His philosophy is that the kitchen must not only be ergonomically suitable but comfortable, attractive, stylish and durable. The design takes into account lighting, spatial relationships, synchronicity of colour, choice of materials - including Oak, Pickled Pine, Maple and Cedar; types of counter tops like solid surfaces, including the brands Corian and Gibralter, as well as Laminate with Corian edging, a surface offered only by Taylor's Wood Products. Even the choice of accessories including pulls etc., figure highly in the design of a kitchen from Taylor's.
Taylor's Wood Products builds an average of four kitchens each week, all designed to precision using specialised application software. Prior to the production of any kitchen, a computer generated design is presented to the customer, outlining the details of the installation. Annual visits to specialist trade shows worldwide provide the company with a comparative advantage in maintaining modernity of standards, style and technique.
The company also offers diversified services, designing and building work stations, computer stations and reception desks for companies. Taylor's Wood Products is a member of the Jamaica Manufacturer's Association (JMA). Granville Taylor having served on its board for 10 years and chaired the Furniture Group of the JMA for several years. He also served on the Management Committee of HEART Portmore, the Furniture Committee at JAMPRO and the Standards Committee at the Bureau of Standards.
