News

 

18 April 2008.  Newclay 12.5 Kg Terracotta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

26 January 2008.  Delivery Charges.

As fuel prices have continued to rise, Newclay Products Limited has been absorbing increases in charges for both parcels and pallet deliveries for some time.  We regret that the latest increases in fuel surcharges mean that we can no longer absorb these costs and our delivery charges will be increased from 28th January 2008, as follows (excluding VAT):-

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

Customers please note that some supplements may apply to individual orders and/or delivery locations.  Newclay Products Limited passes on only the average cost of delivery to its customers; there is no profit element and no additional charges for packaging, pallets, etc.

 

19 January 2008.  Coming Soon - Exciting New Labels.

Following on from introduction of our new, colourful logo, we are also developing vibrant new labels for our products, starting with Finger Soft Dough 900g and Air Dough 200g.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These new labels will be introduced as soon as existing stocks of these products are exhausted.  Wholesalers, Retailers and Educational Suppliers interested in taking these products should contact us now for further information and to place advance orders. 

 

01 January 2008.  Direct Orders from the Public.

The popularity of our products, particularly Newclay and Newplast, remains strong.  As a result, we are experiencing an increased demand to supply direct to the Public.  Potential customers should be aware that we do not operate a retail sales service and have no immediate plans to do so in the future.  However, we supply in bulk to many companies and other organisations that do offer such a service - a search of the internet using the keywords “Newclay” or “Newplast” will provide many sources of our products.

 

01 January 2008.  Important Announcement - Newclay Products has a New Identity!

Newclay Products Limited launched a new logo on 1st January:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new logo will gradually replace the current version as stocks of stationery are exhausted.

 

26 November 2007.  Delivery to Private Addresses.

We have been experiencing increasing problems with deliveries to private addresses.  Customers are advised that, in accordance with our Conditions of Sale, additional delivery charges will be levied to cover the costs of any re-deliveries required in the event the recipients are not at home.  We reserve the right to refuse delivery to private addresses if problems persist.

 

11 October 2007.  Revised Order Lead Times.

While lead-times are reducing, until further notice, customers are advised that they should allow the following for delivery of orders:-

Newclay 12.5 Kg                               6 weeks

Newclay 12.5 Kg Terracotta        TBA, no immediate plans for manufacture.

Newclay 4.5 Kg                                   6 weeks

Newplast 500g                                    4 weeks

Please contact us for availability of other products.

 

01 October.  Conditions of Sale.

As part of our programme of adopting common terms, conditions and price structures, new General Conditions of Sale were introduced on 1st October 2007.  To view these, click here.  From 1st October 2007, placing an order with Newclay Products Limited is deemed to be acceptance of these Conditions, unless the Company has entered into a written agreement to the contrary.

 

23 July 2007.  Carriage Costs.

Feedback from some customers has indicated that there has been some confusion over the status of carriage costs following our restructuring of prices on 1st April 2007.  Before that date, some (but not all) orders for Newplast were priced “carriage paid”, depending on the quantities ordered, causing confusion for both us and our customers.  It should be noted that these were not “carriage free” prices as the cost of carriage had been added to the Newplast price.  The new price structure includes a discount for larger orders and is transparent with respect to carriage costs.  (It should also be noted that carriage is charged only to cover our costs and that we do not charge for additional packaging, pallets, etc., representing excellent value for money.)

 

16 July 2007.  Implementation of the key elements of the Sage Line 50 accounting package is now complete, bringing all our invoicing within one system for the first time.  The enhanced systems available for processing and tracking orders have helped us to improve the planning of production and packing over the last two months.  Coupled with the increased packaging resource put in place between January and May, this is now helping us to reduce lead-times for orders towards our target of no more than four weeks for most large orders.  We regret that matters got worse before they started to improve.  We thank all our customers for their patience (badly stretched at times) over the last few months.  However, the backlog of orders is still too large and we would still appreciate 6 - 8 weeks notice wherever possible; this will help us to improve service more quickly until we can bring lead-times down permanently. 

 

13 April 2007.  Improvements to customer service (particularly communications and reducing lead-times for delivering orders) remain a high priority for Newclay Products Limited.  Unfortunately, due to staff shortages and an unexpectedly busy first three months of 2007, lead-times remain stubbornly high, at around 6-8 weeks for large orders of multiple products.  Last December, we predicted it would take 6-12 months to clear the back-log of orders and significantly reduce lead-times.  We are now even more convinced that this time will be necessary as the results of computerisation and additional human resources take time to filter through.  We ask all our customers to bear with us during what is proving to be a difficult period for us all.

 

1 April 2007.  Newclay Products Limited has not increased prices since 2002, despite continually rising costs.  Following recent large increases in the prices we pay for key raw materials (in some cases as high as 15%), we can no longer absorb rising costs.  It is with regret, therefore, that prices have been increased from 1st April 2007.  Also, with transport costs significantly higher than they were a year ago, we have begun implementation of a policy of charging for delivery of our products at an average cost (to us), unless agreed otherwise.  Major customers are being contacted regarding their new pricing arrangements.  Other customers should contact us for more information.

 

16 January 2007.  Recruitment of Additional Staff.

As part of our programme to improve customer service, additional members of packaging staff have been recruited.

 

2 January 2007.  Modernisation of Accounting and Sales Order Processing.

Newclay Products Limited has commenced implementation of the Sage Line 50 Accounts package.   While this is primarily aimed at modernisation of the company’s accounts procedures (many of which were still manual), it gives us the opportunity to streamline the processing of sales orders and, in due course, to improve customer service and reduce order lead-times.  Implementation of Sage Line 50 is expected to take around two months.

 

November 2006.  Newclay Products Limited Under New Management.  

After establishing and building up Newclay Products Limited over many years, the Lewis family decided to sell the company as a going concern early in 2006.  This sale was concluded on 17th November 2006, at which point the Lewis family ceased to be Directors of Newclay Products Limited and were replaced by Paul and Valerie Dearing, who are also now the new owners of the business.  All of the major customers of Newclay Products Limited are being contacted to reassure them of the continuing commitment to them as well as to the current range of products manufactured and supplied by the company, and also to outline some initial developments aimed at improving customer service, e.g. recruitment of additional staff and implementation of the Sage Line 50 accounting package from 1st January 2007.  Further plans to develop products and services will be announced in due course.

We are delighted to announce that Newclay 12.5 Kg Terracotta is back in stock and will remain an important item in our product range for the foreseeable future.  To purchase this product, please contact your usual supplier of Newclay products.  Alternatively, please contact us to place orders of 20 bags or more.