John is the President of Steelite International America, a shareholder in Steelite International, plc as well as a member of the company’s main board of directors.
With their most recent introductions of dinnerware designs CRAFT and KOTO, Steelite has brought “craft-style” glaze products that have origins in locally produced wares from days gone by. Spreading out across the tabletop, Steelite has launched a wide variety of other creative tabletop products. Among them are such lines like the Minners Classic Cocktails collection of cocktail glasses, the Crucial Detail line of unique serving pieces, WNK flatware and buffetware, andCanyon line of chafers. In addition, the Narumi line of upscale and elegant dinnerware – perfect for upscale banquets or afternoon tea service, the Anfora line of casualware from Mexico, and Rona glassware round out the Steelite offering. In the time since John Miles took the leadership reins at the company’s U.S. operations, the breadth of Steelite’soffering has dramatically increased and allows the company to fit nearly any operator…at nearly any level of service. We’re pleased to have gotten one of the tabletop’s busiest executives to sit and tell us a bit about himself and the exciting company he leads.
1. The Steelite brand has changed a lot since you joined, I’m sure our readers would be interested to know what you did prior to Steelite, and more importantly, how it prepared you for your current position.
I have been around the hospitality tabletop business my whole life. My father was a manufacturing manager at Shenango China here in New Castle. I worked my way through college, and then a few years after college at Woodmere China. I did really every job in the place. Woodmere was a really great foundation to understand how products were sourced or manufactured, and how to sell a value added product. I gained a real appreciation for design and how to treat a customer at Woodmere that has remained with me. From Woodmere, I worked with The Homer Laughlin China Co. for a few years, where I learned how to work with distribution. I have been with Steelite for 16 years.
2. Your company seems to be in constant motion – new products, new projects, new events … What challenges does having so many balls in the air bring and how do you deal with them?
I think the key for us is the team of passionate talented people that work atSteelite. We are all 100% committed toward customer satisfaction and doing the right things. The team works very long hours and is completely dedicated to the goals set forth that we mutually agree on. We really try to push the envelope when it comes to product innovation (we launch around500 new stock items a year), we focus our sales and marketing efforts on end user development and winning specifications, and we work hard to enhance the customer experience with Steelite by adding real value. We are not just selling tableware; we are trying to help an operator meet the challenges in the market. We are also investing heavily to educate the dealer sales force on how to sell value added tableware. There are lots of balls in the air, and it is very fast paced, however, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
I think it breaks down to case movers that work off cost plus and dealers that add value. The emergence of a very well educated consumer is causing the resurgence of the independent operator which in turn is driving the requirement for a better educated dealer sales rep that can help solve challenges and bring good, fresh ideas. We look at foodservice distribution from a tableware perspective and we see focusing on the end user to help bring the creativity that sometimes a cost plus deal does not afford a distributor to bring along. We also focus on educating dealer sales reps on how to add value in street sales as well as national accounts.
4. The breadth of products and brands available from Steelite USA is incredibly wide….what should operators expect next from Steelite in terms of new products?
We are hugely excited about our 2013 product launch, as we plan to introduce in excess of 600 new stock SKU’s. We continue to see huge potential in all areas of the tableware business, as a result, we will launch several new ceramic shapes at all price points, 3 new 18-10 flatware shapes, a new line of melamine, several dozen new market driven items in glass barware, and two new stemware shapes. We have just started to look at 2014 product launches and I anticipate we will introduce the same volume of new products in 2014.
5. Your company has announced a new factory is planned in Stoke-On Trent. What will it produce and when do you anticipate it up and running?
We are 100% committed to continuing to manufacture the Steelite branded product 100% at our factory in Stoke-On-Trent. We are embarking on a multiphase expansion of manufacturing at the facility. The first phase will focus on expanded capacity for our current range of products. The second phase is a few years out and would focus on production of additional body compositions within our Stoke-on-Trent campus.
6. What trends do you see emerging in tabletop product design?
We see a few things –
First, craft style glazes are gaining ground at every level of the market, and I think that look is here to stay. We see the need for operators in the casual dining sector to enhance presentation and eliminate the number of pieces used; as a result, the operator wants a super cool item that can eliminate sometimes as many as 5 or six other items.
This is hugely important right now. 
7. Final question…..what’s on the John Miles iPod or what music are you currently listening to and liking?
I am fairly eclectic when it comes to music. I like the new Springsteen Wrecking Ball collection, I am a huge CCR fan, and I also really like Jack Johnson and Violent Femmes. I listen to everything and try to appreciate as much as possible.
