Demax Designs | About Us

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  Barry Rowe

  Owner

  Demax's longest and sadly oldest employee more commonly known as the "old school". Since Demax has becoming one of the Uk's leading Feature staircase designers and manufacturers i have relinquished leadership of departments such as The project management, Design and Accounts to younger and more professional staff who employ sound business practice, essential to the modern business.
  
  I am a "very mature" Design Engineer with a long manufacturing and engineering background so not surprisingly Demax is my love.

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  Gavin Millett

  Manager

  Demax and I have a history of working together spanning sixteen years.
  
  I started working as a self employed dogs body for a local builder who happened to carry out a large part of the site installation for Demax. It was not long before I realised that I was destined to be more than just an odd jobber. I left Demax amicably to pursue a career in commercial management.
  
  I worked for around seven years with DGT, one of the UKs' largest structural steel and cladding companies, quickly rising through the ranks to become the cladding commercial manager. On the path to this position I gained a sound knowledge and experience in estimating, buying and supply chain management.
  
  In 2004, from out of the blue, I was contacted by Demax to help to build their new structural steel and clad premises. Having the contacts I had made in my employment with DGT, I gladly assisted. Shortly after my involvement with Barry, I received an invitation to re-join the team at Swaffham.
  
  Since 2005 I have enjoyed the ups, the downs and the all arounds. It is a great company, with a great product. I can see myself being here for twenty years to come.

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  Duncan Conning

  Buyer

  I left school with very little qualifications and as I only had a penchant for art I enrolled at a local art college where I remained for four years. Upon leaving Art College I found a job in London but after eight months this job ended suddenly with the demise of the company. The next job that came along was as trainee manager at the local branch of a well known high street jewellers. I spent the next twelve years in retail jewellery ending up as branch manager of a very prestigious company but found that although I was a permanent employee regretfully the company wasn't.
  
  Luckily I was then approached by Barry the owner of DEMAX with whom I had some contact with before but it was mainly our wives that knew each other to join the company as Foundry Manager. This although very welcome given my circumstances came as a bit of a shock as I knew nothing about the metal casting business but soon found that the much the same principals applied as I had used in the jewellery trade and as soon as we had recruited the right staff Demax Foundry was born.
  
  I worked for Demax for the next 6 years but then left to explore pastures new which basically meant a succession of worthwhile but less interesting jobs culminating in working as a glazier in a window factory. It was therefore with some relief when I was approached by Barry to rejoin the fold where I now not only look after the castings side of the business but am now the company s buyer.

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  Louella Jeffrey

  Senior CAD Designer

  I am the youngest member of Demax Designs and since the age of six I have always known I wanted to be a designer.
  
  I then subsequently started my quest to become a designer; I worked incredibly hard through High School and College to earn my place on a Product Design degree course. My degree opened up a wealth of knowledge and resources for my designer to evolve and become industry ready and raring to design for real. The degree course included a broad range of areas including; sketching, drawing and physical modelling (including rapid prototyping); research and design for manufacture reports including design and product management, marketing and product innovation and development. I am now a professional designer capable of highly creative design ideas with the technical know how to solve problems and develop mass produced products with a worldwide appeal.
  
  I have worked on live products with companies including DePuy and Antler. I was also selected to present my work at New designers in London 2009 .
  
  I graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a first class degree Bachelor of Science in Product Design with Honours.
  
  I work as a CAD designer for Demax and bring to the company fresh innovative ideas with the experience of using Solidworks and Photoshop which has helped move the company forward. I have helped the transition from older manufacturing techniques to modern day techniques with the use of advanced CAD. I have worked on over 20 live projects over the last year and four months with no two the same.
  
  One of my main ambitions was to work for a forward thinking company where I am able to see my designs from initial concept through to fabrication, installation and completion. Demax is a great company to work for and is unique in how it encompasses the project from start to finish. The wealth of expertise within the company and the modern approach to design means Demax are racing forward into a new dimension. I am hoping to be part of this and to help Demax as it has helped me to move forward into a new era of bespoke staircase design and manufacture and as always to make a difference with what I can do.

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  Mark Hobbs

  CAD Draughtsman

  From leaving school in 1975, I started working within the building industry eventually undertaking an apprenticeship as a bricklayer. Although my main trade was bricklaying, during a period of 25 years I have work in many different aspect of the building trade including 10 years as a shop fitter.
  
  In 2004 due to severe arthritis in my ankles I was forced to give up bricklaying and the building trade. In 2006, I was re-trained at Portland Collage, Mansfield were over a period of a year I achieved a city and guilds 3 and 4 in computer aided design. I was also awarded student of the year by tutors for the year 2007.
  
  Since leaving the collage I have put my vast practical knowledge and my new set of skills to work. At first I joined a company called Building Innovations in Leamington Spa, the country's leading designer and supplier of tapered roof insulation systems. Building Innovations gave me my first opportunity to expand and hone my CAD drafting skills, a chance that I will always be grateful for. Unfortunately working 140 miles away from home was not the ideal situation.
  
  In September 2008 I joined Demax. I have enjoyed the process of designing and drawing bespoken staircases, and with this also learning new methods and skills within the engineering industry. Whilst I have been here just a short time I have take great pleasure in being part of the expanding design team here at Demax.
  
  I am married, with three grown-up sons and have live in coastal town of Sheringham, Norfolk for ten years.

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  Steel Fabrications Team

  Without the diverse skills of our loyal workforce, the reality of our concepts would not be possible.
  With Shaun Rowland in the position of Workshop Foreman and the combined experience of Tony, Kevin, Damon, Kierin, Chris and Marek, there is a broad range of backgrounds and knowledge that can be tapped into.

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  Joinery Fabrications Team

  Managed by Ryan Wright, the Demax Joinery department is small but well equipped to deal with not only our staircases, but bespoke items of limited availability.
  Rob, James and John carry out the manufacturing and installation, so that their knowledge of the project is not lost in translation.