Back in December 2020, given that we had already navigated the first wave of coronavirus, relocation from Crawley, South of England to Crick, Midlands, restructured the business to the right size following the impact of covid on the aerospace industry, and dealt with the Brexit disruption. I recall thinking of the great Winston Churchill “success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is courage to continue that counts.”
Fast forward two years, we have navigated Coronavirus wave two and three, introduced hybrid working to better support our existing employees and future employees, implemented new technologies to improve processes, all whilst dealing with further supply chain disruption/risks due to the geo-political uncertainties caused by the Ukraine/Russia war, as well as further lockdowns in China. While the industry is recovering, with growing passenger numbers around the world and as things gradually get back to normal, inside Acro we still navigate many significant challenges in 2022. Sir Winston also said: “if you are going through hell keep going.” This is poignant now as the last two years for many of our customers, suppliers and investors has been very difficult and “keep going” and at pace, has been the top priority.
Agility and resilience have fast become key traits for Acro and we felt it was the right time to refocus our vision, mission and values in 2022.
Our values we simplified from six to four, using ACRO as an acronym. Under each value we have two key actions.
A.C.R.O values are:-
- Accountability
- Collaboration
- Respect
- Outstanding
The actions that drive the value:
Accountability:
Do what’s right – Step up and step forward. Always do what’s right, even if no one is looking. It’s about doing your best, having pride in your work and being part of the Acro team.
Own it – Be brave, be courageous. Own successes and failures, learn from them and move on. It’s the only way to grow and be better.
Collaboration:
Keep your promises – Always do what you say you are going to do. Take action, be consistent.
Work together – Find and embrace different. Have fun and achieve great things as a team.
Respect:
Learn every day – When you grow and put your energy into helping your team and colleagues grow, friendship, trust and respect will flow.
Be frugal – Think lean and sustainability, save time, money and resource for the customer, the company and the planet.
Outstanding:
Solve the problem – Simplify the work. Make everything easier for our customers.
Relentless innovation – We must deeply understand our customers, tap into the genius of our people and see into the future to build the “next” best in class seat in the industry.
2022 is building a new culture in Acro, innovation inherent in everything we do.
We are ambitious, we have big growth plans, and we are pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in terms of weight, comfort and sustainability in aircraft seating. We will constantly source/use alternative materials, different designs and improved methods – all with the goal of building the best-in-class seat for our customers. It is truly exciting time to lead a growing company driving change in our industry.
These new values establish a new culture and way of working and are fundamental to guiding our staff every day to help us achieve our vision.
