The History of the Company

The company of Harper & Grant Ltd. was started forty‑two years ago by Ambrose Harper and Wingate Grant. Wingate Grant died many years ago, and his son Hector, who is in his sixties is the present Managing Director. Ambrose Harper is the Chairman. He is now an old man, semi‑retired, but he still comes in to the office occasionally to attend some board meetings and keep an eye on the business.

The company started by making steel waste‑paper bins for offices. With the increase in smoking, these were considered much safer than the old type of basket made of cane or straw, because there was less likelihood of fire (but, strangely, we still continue to use the expression “waste‑paper basket”, as well as “bin”). Old Mr. Grant, the present Managing Director's father, put the business on its feet when he captured a big contract to supply government offices with steel waste‑paper bins. He always said that luck, or happy coincidence, turned a business into success or failure. He was rather like Napoleon, who always asked if an officer was lucky before giving him a higher command. Mr. Grant Senior used to tell the story that, in the week before he landed his contract, a cane wastepaper basket had caught fire in a government department, the fire had spread rapidly and destroyed a number of irreplaceable documents.

From waste‑paper bins, Harper & Grant began to manufacture other items of office equipment: desks, chairs, cupboards, filing cabinets and smaller objects, such as filing trays, stapling machines and so on, until now when there are fifty‑six different items listed in their catalogue.

The factory consists of workshops where the actual making of a desk or filing cabinet is done. These are divided into the Tool Room, Works Stores, Press Shop, Machine Shops, Assembly Shop, Paint Shop, Inspection, Packing and Despatch Departments. There is also the Warehouse, where finished articles are stored pending.

The firm has a history of slow, steady growth. Hector Grant firmly believes that he knows the best way to run a business. However, Peter Wiles, who joined the company six years ago and is Production Manager, and John Martin, appointed two years ago to be Sales Manager, are much more adventurous. They want to treble Harper & Grant's business over the next few years and are certain that, with modern business techniques and increased exports, they can achieve this goal.

A small business cannot afford to have on its staff experts in every modern management technique. It usually hires expert advice from outside consultants. On the other hand, it is important that members of a firm's management are aware of the more sophisticated techniques they might call on to solve particular problems. Inevitably, while this changeover from the old way to the new is taking place, there are often difficulties and conflict. But Harper & Grant Ltd., like their rivals, must get right up-to-date and enlarge their business, or they will be outpaced by a firm whose business organisation is better than their own.