Oran Limited – Solid Principles
Managing Director Scott Oran sits down with Caribbean Property Magazine and explains the background to the company’s success and its culture going forward.
Oran Limited reached a highly commendable milestone in 2014 with 50 years in business. What does this mean for the company?
The term milestone simply does not do justice to this achievement, nor does it communicate the company’s sense of continuity as we look towards the future. To use a manufacturing term, our performance has been that of a continuous work in progress – building on a strong foundation and not only working hard, but also working smart. We continue to seek ways to develop our potential to the benefit of our employees, the community in which we live and operate and on a larger scale, to positively contribute to the sustainability of our economy.
The company has been established and developed within a strong family structure. Has this been a major contributory factor in your success?
Oran Ltd’s profile as a family business has created a uniquely tangible connection between the owners, employees and customers that you may not find in a more “corporate” like structure of ownership and management. We enjoy a reputation among our stakeholders as being both individually, at the employee level and collectively, at the organizational level, committed to doing the very best we can – it’s a very personal and heartfelt desire to create the best results for all concerned.
Oran products are well known throughout the Caribbean region. Where is your business strongest and do you see further openings in other destinations?
We recognize that we possess a strategic advantage in the CARICOM markets, when compared to extra-regional suppliers of similar products. Therefore, we endeavour to increase our market share in these markets and expand our product offering to effectively cater to this niche. In addition to our experience in manufacturing, the range of products used in the region allows us to value engineer these products, so that they typically perform better than comparable imported products.
How have the tough economic conditions of the last 5-6 years impacted on your business?
The period 2007 through 2014 has been very challenging for our industry. However, we have taken the opportunity to expand some of our services to satisfy more diverse customer needs. We introduced new products that cater to a more sophisticated consumer and reduced our margins on our range of lower cost commodity products used at all levels of the construction industry in order to be more competitive. This was all done while maintaining the high quality image associated with the “Oran” brand. What we’ve done is similar to the approach taken by Mercedes, which caters to the higher end of the market with its ‘S’ Class models while simultaneously catering to the lower end with its more affordable ‘B’ and ‘C’ Classes.
You have a wide range of PVC and aluminum products, but which products have contributed most to your success?
The wide range of solutions we offer to the construction industry demonstrates our strength. We manufacture standard and custom products, upvc and aluminum, multiple frame colours, various glass specifications, custom designed structures for the most discriminating architects in the region, sunshades, bridges, walk ways, railings, fences, ornamental gates, security bars, products for marine application and so many more.
Where are your products manufactured?
Our factory is in Barbados, with two locations close to the Deep Water Harbour, which enables us to efficiently distribute our products through a large network of hardware, building & lumber stores throughout the Caribbean.
Investment in staff appears to be a high priority in the company’s strategy. How has that been achieved?
The personal and professional development of the people in our organization ranks very high on our list of priorities. We have many persons who join us straight out of school with very basic skills, so we strive to promote a culture of productivity within the organization. We say to them, “Be who you want to be when you are not at work, but once you walk through those doors and put on your Oran shirt, you become a part of our culture. You become the representative of a work ethic that will be admired and modeled by your peers.”
Finally, where would you like to see Oran Limited in 50 years time?
My answer to this question has to do with a goal that I was recently introduced to – “We want to be one of the 16%.” There is a statistic that only 16% of companies founded 100 years ago still exist today. While we will certainly not be doing the same things that we are today, we believe that innovation, creativity, and hard work will take us to that next level.
About Scott Oran:
Scott Oran is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oran Limited, a company founded by his parents Marshall and Anita Oran. He is a visionary and dynamic businessman within the Caribbean manufacturing industry and a strong advocate of making the best use of technology and broadening the company’s product range. He has strong family values and a determination to ensure Oran Limited remains at the forefront of the industry going forward. Scott can be contacted by telephone at 246 436 6863 or by email at info@oranltd.com
