National Mobile Windscreens celebrates its 40th birthday

National Mobile Windscreens, the largest member of the National Windscreens network in the United Kingdom and Partner of The Automotive Glass Professionals, is celebrating its 40th birthday. Reason for its 5.600 AutoGlassProfs colleagues to praise its oldest Partner of the European coalition.

Back in 1971 a man in a van had a vision and launched Mobile Windscreens. That man was George Douglas. Today, as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, he remains in the driving seat pushing for expansion while witnessing a major shake-up in the automotive glass repair and replacement industry. Mr Douglas: “We have supply agreements with all the major UK fleets and leasing companies and are winning an increasing volume of business from them as well as insurance companies.”

At the heart of the success of National Mobile Windscreens is its company ethos. This ethos remains according to Mr Douglas unchanged from the day he launched the company. “The aim is simple: to keep customers on the road by offering a fast, efficient, competitively priced service combined with very high standards of workmanship. Safety and customer care rank high on the list of priorities thereby giving total peace of mind. However, that philosophy can only be carried out if the ‘right’ people are employed,” he explains.

For Mr Douglas it is the employees that he is most proud of in the business he launched. That is why he is delighted that the company’s reputation was recognised first with a National Training Award in 2009 and then with the 2010 Customer Service Award from industry publication Fleet News. “We are in a people business and a company is nothing without staff. We have some wonderful people,” he reflects. “When customers tell me about the excellent service they have received, I always make a point of telling the staff and saying ‘thank-you’ to them.”

Being asked George Douglas has a warning as well for other business chiefs who think they can walk into organisations and transform them: “Bring in new technology and new ideas, but don’t forget the firm’s roots. Talk to the employees with experience in the industry and look after them because they have the knowledge and expertise. I’ve had a great journey and enjoyed every minute of it…but there is more to do.”