Our award-winning Artisan casket is created with the utmost care and attention to detail. It has a restrained material use which minimises its environmental impact and its one-piece arched lid removes completely.
The Artisan’s low coffin sides allows for easier, more intimate viewings. Family can sit with the deceased without having to stand.
The casket is supplied with an Australian premium wool fleece mattress & pillow and is part of our Memorial Tree Program.
Its internal dimensions are: 195 x 57 x 33 [L x W x D (cm)]
Optional extras for the Artisan are a:
soft bamboo blanket; and
a special crucifix.
Please note that the Artisan lid that we stock in Australia is the plain, natural timber finish only. As shown in the image above.
We’re proud that Expression Coffins help make funerals more meaningful for families…
“Dad loved cruises, especially the islands. Him and mum had been on more than 20 cruises in their life together. In their early cruising days, they spent a lot of time on the tropical islands of the Pacific, and in later years, the islands of the Caribbean. It was fitting therefore that when dad passed, that we were able to have an image of a beautiful tropical island on his coffin. The team at Expression Coffins were amazing to us and the coffin at the funeral was the most beautiful and fitting tribute to our dear dad.” -Jules Miller
We sourced a beautiful, high resolution image of a tropical island and based the Miller family’s Expression Coffin design around this. The family loved the design and we did too.
An effective manager isn’t tyrannical. They don’t command unnecessarily, micromanage or instil fear. A successful manager can be approachable, amicable and even downright compassionate. These managers lead teams of satisfied employees, which reduces turnover and boosts morale and productivity. Here are the key qualities of a successful manager…
Growing a business is one thing, but passing the baton is just as important. In private and family enterprises, it’s essential to think of the future first. KPMG Partner Dominic Pelligana looks at succession planning in small business.
Many small-to-medium enterprises and family businesses share a common risk – a lack of succession planning. It is easy for founders or CEO’s to get so focused on day-to-day operations that they fail to consider future leadership.
Dominic Pelligana is adamant that a succession plan is vital for a sustainable business model. He suggests that both owners and boards must face this issue.
“Succession planning is about developing a pool of capable leaders…get people wrong and you put the business’s ability to perform at risk,” he said.
In its simplest form, strategic planning involves setting a clear plan and then aligning an organisation to execute that plan. That is, it requires a plan and capability.
It is also important to understand and align where the owners, the board and management believe the organisation is in its lifecycle, and the leadership style required. Only then can it have a meaningful conversation in relation to strategic planning and developing and/or acquiring the capabilities (succession planning) required to execute the plan at the board and/or management levels.
What good strategy looks like
Pelligana described succession as the orderly transfer of management (the CEO), control (the board) and equity (ownership) to the next generation.
For company founders who have a business in their bones, he recognised that it can “take a bit of humility to step aside and let another CEO take over the business”.
However, getting succession on track can actually help a founder grow their business without fear of losing control and suffering burn out.
He said signs that a business is off track to succession include a lack of awareness of issues and challenges, a lack of goal alignment and trust, and inability to separate from a focus on operations to future management. In family business, another poor sign is blurring the best interests of the business with interests of the owners or family.
Signs that a business is on track include awareness of the issues and challenges, having inside and outside perspectives, and strong alignment on the key issues and context. Clear plans for the transfer of management, control and ownership are essential, along with the trust and commitment to follow the plan.
The key is to build a leadership team that complements the founder’s entrepreneurial strengths, along with professional management capabilities, Pelligana said. Boards need to be active in this process, helping to align activities to the future vision.
An inside perspective
Succession in family business can be unique due to the competing expectations of the founders and subsequent generations.
“People say it’s the third generation [that lets a family business down], but I think the first generation hangs on too long,” he said.
Pelligana said the first generation of family business is generally “all about survival”, the second is usually about establishing professional management systems, and the third is often about financial strategy.
“How do we allocate capital…are we all in?” he said.
Pellagina has spoken to Claire Mackay and Tim Mackay, siblings who are Principals of Sydney-based family business, Qantum Financial. Their father, Bill Mackay, set it up in 1994 and is now the Chairman.
Fortunately for succession purposes, Claire and Tim shared their father’s passion for financial management, but Bill did not immediately grant them a place in the company.
“He [Bill] wouldn’t let us in the business until we had worked elsewhere – he wanted us to make our mistakes elsewhere,” said Tim Mackay.
They said succession has been a key focus for the family and they have “everything in writing” in regard to future ownership. However, they regularly revisit the plan to ensure their goals remain aligned. The siblings commented that they didn’t want a succession plan that “relied on an 11 year-old to run the company”, recognising that the third generation may not be inclined to take on the business.
“It is about embracing the legacy – but taking it forward,” they agreed.
Ashton’s Chief Executive Officer Rohan Kerr recently met the Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Barnaby Joyce MP, at a function in Brisbane. The often serious and uncompromising Minister was relaxed and good-humoured at the event.
Rohan had a detailed conversation with the Minister about Ashtons and the challenges that Australian manufacturers face. Mr Joyce was interested to learn about Ashtons and expressed his desire to ensure that manufacturing remained strong in Australia.
The Minister is very much aware of the challenges of small business. In his early years, when faced with a choice between a senior role in banking or starting his own business, Mr Joyce chose the latter and owned and operated Barnaby Joyce & Co for ten years in the western Queensland town of St George.
Mr Joyce says that operating his own business was among the most challenging yet rewarding decisions of his career and is unashamedly pro small business and is a strong advocate for the sector.
![Inside the mind of a successful Manager [infographic]](https://ashtonmanufacturing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Website-Media-Resources-image-15-1080x675.jpg)
