During this global pandemic we thought a positive news story is what our customers would like to hear, so what’s better than sharing our family story.
Our founder, Lloyd Williams, started the business back in 1997 in response to the number of high-profile information security breaches reported by the media.
“I began my career as an apprentice and worked in printing, before seeing an advert for a shredding company in a newspaper. I realised there was a market out there for another data destruction company – I put my plans into action as soon as I was able to, took the chance and established Shredall.”
“I started with one lorry, working from my back bedroom with a small amount of business help.” Lloyd Williams
Over the years Shredall has transformed into Shredall SDS Group providing not just shredding but storage, scanning and recycling services.
Lloyd continues, “We may have grown to become one of the largest businesses in our sector, but we are proud to remain a family-run organisation and stay true to our core values. We prioritise customer service above all else and work hard to build lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with all our clients.”
After working for the company for over ten years, Lloyd’s children Lucy and Nik joined the board of directors. Lucy is now Group director and Nik is the Group Managing Director.
“I never envisaged my children would even work for me let alone become my co-directors. However, it makes me extremely proud that they have become such valuable assets. There is a great buzz of running a family business and we are all excited about what the future holds for Shredall SDS Group.” Lloyd Williams
Living our values
At Shredall SDS Group, core values aren’t just something we share on our website and display on our walls. They’re the principles that guide how we operate across the business. These core values underpin our everyday behaviours and future strategy.
Customer Service- We put customers at the heart of everything we do, and always have done. We strive to build lasting relationships with out clients, always being friendly, approachable and reliable.
Security- Is embedded into our culture and we do everything we can to keep your data safe. We work hard to protect our client’s reputation, reduce data breach incidents by utilising our secure facilities, vetted staff and IT infrastructure.
Passion- We enjoy our work and we are driven by a desire to do the best job we can. We pledge to show pride in our brand and heritage to drive change, always be positive, take opportunity for growth and support our communities and the environment.
Family values- We’re proud to be a family business and remain a close-knit team even as we expand and grow. We aim to instil family values across the company, and we support each other to find balance between work and home life. We build honest relationships and maintain an open-door culture.
Accountability- We each have a role to play in the success of the company. By taking personal accountability for our actions and results. We involve everyone in decision making and any plans that may affect them.
Success- We’ve had our share of successes over the year but we neve take them for granted.
Strengths of a family business
Family businesses in the UK come in all sizes, sectors and from all regions. 85% of UK businesses are family-owned and employ 13.4 million people in the UK. One of the most beneficial assets of a family owned business is the emphasis they have on strong values. Owners have the opportunity to teach and pass along their business and personal values to employees and to other family members.
Family organisations are committed to supporting local communities, here at Shredall SDS Group we host community shredding events, give food to our local food bank and collaborate mostly with local businesses.
Employees have a greater sense of loyalty to a family business as they are usually more committed to the success of the business and more passionate about what the business stands for. Family members and employees are usually more flexible when it comes to their job role, usually willing to take on tasks outside of their formal jobs in order to ensure the success of the company.
Family organisations survive over generations by taking a long term and sustainable outlook, whilst adapting to stay relevant to the modern world. We are proud to be celebrating 23 years of excellence, and we hope to continue growing the brand by helping our clients recycle and keep their data secure even in these unprecedented times.
It’s a strange time at the moment, stay safe everyone and we hope to see you all very soon.
