The Canford Group
Canford is probably best known for its catalogue and website listing over 20,000 items aimed at those who use or install audio video and communications equipment. The sheer breadth of that target market has meant that Canford has had both the pleasure and responsibility of serving hundreds of thousands of clients since its formation in 1976.
From the earliest days those clients have ranged from major national broadcasters to one-man businesses and from remote island based customers to a surprising number of FTSE 100 companies. The expectations of those large organisations have meant that Canford has had to maintain a remarkably high standard of customer service and compliance since the beginning. Despite its growth over those years, Canford has always attempted to maintain a very personal approach to its customers and takes great care to maintain that ethos. Of course it is now possible to buy via the internet but if you want to call and talk, you will not be confronted by automated responses, only fellow humans!
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Manufacturing and distribution
At its inception Canford was a hybrid mix of manufacturing and distribution and this continues. No one competes in the scale and complexity of the Canford proposition which is why the business is successful in meeting customer needs in more than 90 countries. Even so, the team still regards itself as having all the characteristics of a small business in terms of the personal approach to their customers but having all the confidence of knowing that the brand offers the quality of product and after sales support of a mature and trusted organisation.
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Canford - Not just a 'dealer' - Manufactured in the UK
From the outset, it was clear that Canford should not be ‘just another dealer’, but would draw on the operational and design background of its staff, to design and manufacture unique, problem solving products. Canford has never adopted a ‘me-too’ attitude to manufacturing, preferring to listen to the technical needs of the professional user and offer innovative, reliable, practical and cost effective solutions.
From humble beginnings offering specialist woodwork and studio acoustic tables, the manufacturing operation has grown both organically and by acquisition. Canford’s in-house manufacturing capabilities now encompass electrical and electronic equipment production, mechanical assembly, metal machining, sheet metal fabrication, finishing and powder coating. Over 85 staff on two sites are directly involved in manufacturing over 3000 products, which account 40% of the company’s turnover.
Where specialist or large-scale processes are required, long-term partnerships have been forged with leading European manufacturers to produce equipment and components of the highest quality. Canford original designs are usually completed in-house using state of the art CAD/CAM systems, to maintain a focus on the customers needs and to ensure that reliability and manufacturing efficiency is designed-in.
Canford Manufacturing - Washington UK
The design and manufacturing division located at the Canford Group HQ in Washington, Tyne and Wear, was established in 1979. The products could be described as ‘widgets and glue’, or all those essential installation elements, cable assemblies, wired jackfields, adapters, interface boxes and format converters, cases, racking and flight cases, stageboxes and mounting plates, etc etc, without which a system would simply be a pile of expensive, inert boxes. Continual development of the range is driven by market needs and has recently been extended to include fibre optic termination capability.
Canford manufactured components bring a system to life.
Canford Manufacturing - Portland UK
Established in 1999, following the acquisition of Swift Precision, the Canford Manufacturing plant on Portland continues to receive significant investment in machinery and staff. The facilities now include CAD design systems, CNC vertical machining centres, comprehensive CNC sheet metal fabrication equipment, a tool-making workshop, finishing machines and a powder coating suite.
The extensive standard range of connector and patch panels and rack hardware is produced here and having design and manufacture in house offers the flexibility to deliver customised products economically and quickly. The majority of the fabricated enclosures and machined panels used in Canford’s other products are also produced at this plant.
Two-year guarantee
The commitment to quality and reliability is demonstrated by the two-year guarantee on all Canford manufactured products. Reliability comes from attention to detail during the design and manufacturing processes and comprehensive testing of the finished product. Pride is taken in the virtually zero returns rate and it is a measure of the success of the manufacturing and distribution operation that Canford manufactured products are to be found in over 50 countries of the world (at the last count).
Environmental initiatives
Canford are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our business and have introduced a number of initiatives to further this aim.
Green Group
Canford’s Green Group brings together members from all areas of the business to discuss, and action, eco-friendly initiatives that help to reduce our impact on the planet. Whether it be replacing our entire roof with solar panels, investing in carbon offsetting for shipping, exploring alternative, bio-degradable or recyclable packaging materials, or installing PIR / motion-detection lighting throughout the building, it all starts at the Green Group.
You can read more about the Green Group and their recent efforts in Source Material 8 .
RECOGNISED by Canford
Environmental responsibility is incredibly important to us at Canford. We are committed to significant investment over the next few years and are striving to have as little impact on the environment as possible. We are also encouraging our customers, partners, and suppliers to do the same, which is why we have introduced the RECOGNISED by Canford logo.
Wherever you see this mark on our website, this means that the manufacturer has told us about one or more environmental or sustainability initiatives that has gone into their product. This could be products or packaging that use recycled or recyclable materials, ethically or sustainably sourced products or materials, products which use carbon balancing / offsetting, or one or more of any number of environmentally positive initiatives.
For our full environmental policies, including RoHS & WEEE, see our Environmental Policies .
Company policies
For further information on the company and some of the company-wide policies in place at Canford see Company Info & Policies . If you're looking for website policies, including our privacy policy, see the Information Centre or the links at the bottom of the site.