/23 March 2021

Always Listening, Always Improving

Here at Alsico we’re always looking to improve our product range, from garment sizing and technical aspects to complying with health and safety policies - we’re proud to be at the forefront of workwear innovations. 

Alsico was founded in Belgium back in 1934 and has since become one of the largest workwear providers in Europe. The UK branch was established in 2007, and now operates from a 70,000 square foot facility in Preston, Lancashire. Proudly supplying over 3.5 million garments a year to the UK market alone, you can count on us to supply premium quality workwear, every time. 

 

Customer feedback is at the forefront of our business

Our customers' thoughts and opinions are of the utmost importance, gaining feedback from those who wear our garments is essential to ensure we continue to provide the best quality clothing that works for them.

Firstly, we have a review section installed on our website for all products, we check each and every one of these to identify patterns and trends within the reviews of each product. Listening to our customers thoughts and opinions via product reviews is key to making critical decisions on specific product developments. These reviews are often submitted by individual wearers of the garment, providing us with a direct insight into what the wearer thinks and how they feel in our products. This type of feedback ensures we understand what our customers require their uniform to be capable of when carrying out daily tasks, for example we are currently reviewing our sizing options in line with customer feedback we’ve received at specific product level to ensure that our products are as comfortable as they are fit for purpose.

Secondly, we also attend product forums and sessions directly with customers which allow us to have an open conversation with our customers about any weaknesses with the garments they order from us or what they love most. From this, we can ask them any questions we may have or discuss the topics they raise, this then allows us to evolve a garment to solve any issues they experience when wearing the item. An example of this is we regularly hold a product forum with one of our largest customers, in this a representative from various parties within their company such as management, IT, marketing and the factory discuss feedback they’ve received from individuals throughout their business with a member of our team - this can be about either product, promotion, or customer service. Their feedback has helped us to plan our product road map for 2021, bringing innovation to the forefront of our product design.

Our Design Manager, Sara Catanzaro, adds that “Our customers' voice is the most important element when it comes to product development, product improvement and innovation. Their experiences, good or bad, allow us to ensure our products are of the highest quality, offer the ultimate protection and are comfortable. We encourage customers to leave product reviews via our websites and regularly engage with the wearers for feedback through our account managers and product forums. We understand that uniform is not only a brand image but must function and perform to the highest level, this is why we are always looking at how innovation in fabrics, fits, designs and colours can help enhance our product offering.”

 

Running thorough quality assurance tests

When developing new products we always carry out industry specific wearer trials to ensure that all elements of the garment are fit for purpose. This allows us to test the products to the limits of design, functionality and washing to ensure our products are of the highest quality when they land at the customers door. It’s important we can guarantee that our garments will endure the daily challenges that come with work and stand the test of time.

Part of our ethos is to create and supply garments that are built to last, even in the most demanding environments. Quality is always of the optimum standard and all products follow a rigorous quality assurance process from fabric testing, manufacturing factory audits and in house quality checks.

With the support of our team we are able to shape the future of industry garments, imparting our technical expertise, design awareness and marketplace experience.

 

Knowledge is power

At Alsico, we make it our mission to constantly review the latest advancements in fabrics, fits and design to enhance quality and comfort, meaning we are always able to provide the best possible workwear available to protect our customers whilst at work. In line with this, our technical manager follows any legislation to ensure we quickly adapt to any changes, keeping us ahead of the game. For example, Alsico is a proud partner of Dupont Nomex® who provide innovative solutions to a broad range of sectors and industries around the world. Using this technology we’re able to create fire resistant clothing which is comfortable for day to day wear whilst providing a layer of protection to your staff whilst exceeding industry standards.

We also keep up to date with industry knowledge due to members of our technical team being on several boards of health and safety, the aim being to understand the advancements in protection and the restrictions we have from a technical aspect. An example of this is the recent changes with Arc Rating. Previously manufacturing companies were only required to guarantee 50% protection to deem garments protective against the dangers of arc flash, now a change with EU regulations ensures clothing is 100% effective against second degree burns. We’ve worked hard to ensure all new garments in our flame and fire retardant range have the ELIM rating and are working on acquiring this for all other arc flash garments as well. 

 

High street trends translate to workwear 

Keeping informed on trends or high street changes such as sizing and fit is imperative to ensure we offer a modern clothing range with the functionality required for workwear already built in. Tailoring our items to mimic styles outside of workwear means we can create quality clothing that not only protects but complements the wearer. 

Working with our customers to produce clothing they want to wear is important. For instance, our long sleeve polo shirt is fitted with ribbed cuffs much like you’d find on the high street, however as with all our clothing this is rigorously tested to withstand wash after wash and can be embroidered with your company logo or name. Using another example, we understand the need for womenswear within the workwear industry, all our coveralls come in multiple sizes to fit all shapes and sizes, ensuring everyone is catered for as opposed to a one size fits all mantra. 

 

We’re always looking to improve our product line which is why we’re keen to hear from you, should you think we’re missing something in our product ranges or if you’ve got any suggestions on how a garment could perform better, we’d love to hear from you. 

Our range of quality assured workwear covers the requirements of the UK workforce and we have the ability to dispatch large quantities of stock with immediate effect, so if you’re looking to supply your staff with durable performance led garments look no further. Browse our workwear online or contact a member of our team on 01772 662500 for more information.

 

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