THRESHER GROUP PLC
December 2004 onwardsOur business relationship with Thresher Group PLC began in a very modest way.
A small order for our Wireless “Touch Glass” Window Alerters
was placed with us in December 2004, in order to provide compliance with the
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), which became Law in that year. These first
shops were an ideal venue for product evaluation; our wireless window alerters providing
the right combination of technological innovation and competitive pricing to fulfil that
requirement.
This clever device allows a customer in a wheelchair to summon assistance form shop staff
by simply placing their finger on a button-like area showing through the window on a
plastic template. It will complete the electrical circuit through the glass, by utilising
the static electrical charge in the body. This in turn, sends a radio signal to a
battery-powered Alerter section, which is usually located near to the till.
It is portable, and can even be clipped to the Duty Manager’s belt, if they are dealing
with a delivery, for example, and will “ring”. The transmitter unit is also vandal-proof,
since all working parts remain inside the store.
After this initial successful deployment, further orders followed in January 2005,
May 2005 and again in May 2006, until we have now successfully provided working units
right across the Threshers estate. In addition to these devices, such obstacles as steps
had to be negotiated. Once again, we were able to provide a strong, durable product which
was not too heavy for shop staff to lift into place when required; yet was sturdily built
and would support the weight of a powered wheelchair and its driver when needed.
We have even received referral business from a regular Threshers customer who liked it
so much, he recommended it to his Golf Club!
We have also supplied Threshers with discreet Induction Loops for customers with hearing
disabilities. In the Screened City Centre Stores, we have installed our desk-top
battery-powered Induction Loops. These amplify conversation in a given small discrete area,
allowing both the shop staff and the customer to hear each other clearly, even over
background noise. The units were again provided in battery-powered format, due both to
the shortage of available 13-amp sockets in the stores, and also to the not-inconsiderable
cost of installing new ones.
In the 2 years that we have been working with Thresher Group PLC, our policy has always
been to provide quality products at competitive prices. Our access to innovative design
and quality manufacturing processes were pivotal to securing the account, and we believe
that honest hard work and an on-going commitment to the provision of top-class customer
service earned us advertising space in the 2006
Threshers Internal Information Directory.