Eliteform in 2022 – A Review

December is always a good time to sit back and reflect on the year just gone while looking into the New Year that’s ahead of us. Our mother company, EliteForm Manufacturing, celebrated its 48^th year in business this year and as we move closer to our half a century birthday, pausing to acknowledge our successes and the people behind those successes seems more important than ever!

Before the bells ring in 2023, we’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and highlight some activities and achievements that have made 2022 one of those stand-out years in the history of our company.

• In March our sister company, SmartFence UK, attended the Homebuilding & Renovation show at the NEC in Birmingham. Our entrance into the UK market had been gradual to date due to the Covid lockdowns, etc. which made doing business somewhat tricky. The interest and feedback we received at the show from both homeowners and tradespeople was extremely positive and reinforced our commitment to the UK market.

• April saw us returning to The Hardware Show in Dublin. This show is close to our hearts as it is where we launched the SmartFence flatpack fence kit in 2019 which was awarded ‘Best Garden Product 2019’ at The Hardware Show Innovation Awards. Three years later we returned with a new product – the Smart Surface-Facing Bracket which was ‘Highly Commended’ by the judging panel in the category ‘Best Garden Product 2022’.

• After months of hard work behind the scenes, in May we announced the birth of our new retail brand, EliteGarden Products which merges the SmartFence and EliteFence product ranges. This new brand reflects our continued innovation in response to customer and market demands with an eye to the future beyond garden fences. Stay tuned for more in 2023!

• May also saw us jumping on a plane for the first time since the Covid pandemic! Members of our management team went on an exciting discovery trip to Paris which included a jam-packed day visiting several DIY stores with the support of the Enterprise Ireland Paris office. Following our participation in the Enter the Eurozone programme the previous year, we were all very keen to gain insights on the garden and fencing products stocked on the shelves in France. This trip validated the research we had previously undertaken during the programme and strengthened our belief that SmartFence is one of a kind. We are looking into 2023 with excitement and look forward to another trip to France in the first half of the year.

• In September we attended the 2022 Ploughing Championship, always a big one on our calendars each year! Over the 3 days, half a million people visited the event which gave us the opportunity to showcase our company, EliteForm Manufacturing which manufactures a wide range of metal sheet products for the agricultural, commercial, and industrial sectors. We also had a space dedicated to EliteGarden products where visitors were able to purchase a SmartFence flatpack kit there and then.

• The Louth Business Awards took place in October, and we were thrilled to be finalist of the most innovative product and winner of best family business. For those of you who might not know, EliteForm Manufacturing was founded all those years ago by Victor and Georgina Whyte and today is lead by their daughter Sandra Byrne with the support of a team of 75 + employees while their son, David Whyte, runs SmartFence UK.

• On December 11^th we organised a very special fundraising event for “SAFE”. The tractor run was held by EliteForm Manufacturing, and it raised over 10,000 euros through donations for the charity. We are beyond words to express how grateful we are to everyone who participated and donated to “SAFE”. We invite you to take a peek at EliteForm Manufacturing’s Facebook page to see some highlights of that day.

• Last but certainly not least, these past two months have brought to life the creation of the charity “SAFE” which stands for “Suicide Awareness For Everyone”. The aim of the charity is to provide much needed support for our local community in Castlebellingham, Co. Louth. You can read more about “SAFE” Castlebellingham suicide counselling service here.

Looking Forward

The upcoming year is shaping up to be a thrilling and productive one for EliteForm Manufacturing and EliteGarden Products . We have several exciting projects and initiatives in the works, and we can’t wait to share our accomplishments with you. Our dedicated team has been hard at work, and we are confident that the results of their efforts will make a significant impact on our business and industry. We are committed to continuous improvement and growth, and we look forward to another successful year. Thank you for your support and partnership.