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Visit by Brian Hall, Editor
The company has a ten-year history, well known as a quality engineers’ supplier, but in the last three years a new owner and so a new energy has seen the company develop in completely new directions.
Guy Farmer, together with his wife Shelley, bought the company in 2005, and since then have devoted a lot of time, thought and hard work into developing the company into a strong, all-round tools supplies business.
Having recently moved into new, bigger and more centrally located premises the company is still improving and broadening both its stock and its customer base.
The company was originally founded by Four people, Alex Jones, Maxine Lindsay, Alex Lindsay, and Andy Perkins, who had all worked for another THS member company that specialized in the bearings industry, however this company was taken over by a larger competitor and after working for them for a short while they decided they would rather break away and set up their own company.
That company was Standard Engineering Supplies and focused on supplying toolmakers and precision engineers, from the unit in Stanton Hill, which was until recently its base. The company continued as it was, but after five years Andy decided to leave and three years later Maxine moved out to Austria.
Having already had experience of the benefits of membership the company had joined THS after its first year, which was as soon as the group’s rules allowed.
It was a chance remark that Alex made to Guy that lead to him buying out the company. At the time Guy was working for THS Tools Group, as Business Development Manager and on visit to Standard Engineering Supplies Alex had, half jokingly, suggested the sale, within months the purchase was completed. Alex remains with the company as Manager.
When Guy and Shelley bought the company the decision was taken to try and look for new markets, Guy says: “What we were wary of doing was of being pigeon holed into one market place.” He continues: “The engineering side is still a major part of our business, we will always be very strong in engineering, but you always want to look for new markets to boost turnover.”
Guy is also very clear about the new customers the company was looking for: “While we consolidated the engineering side, we wanted to look toward the construction industries and ‘white van man’. We are aiming at Builders, plasterers, plumbers, joiners, electricians, in fact virtually any trade.”
One of the most important changes that needed to be made was a move from the old premises, which were too small, and not in the most ideal location. Guy was determined that the company’s new base should be perfect, and after a two year search he found the superb main road location he wanted.
Located just off the motorway between Mansfield and Derby, the new unit is on a big industrial estate, making it ideal to attract large numbers of tradesmen from the area, as well as those from further afield, including Nottingham and Chesterfield, using the motorway to get to jobs.
Developing the revitalized company’s new product range is still an ongoing process. Partly, Guy explains, it is a matter of continuous trial and error, stocking items because people come in and request a product, finding there is a demand and the company will make it a stock item.
Advice from suppliers is also an enormous help in finding out what ranges sell best. “You’ve got to be guided with a heck of a lot of help from the manufacturers and their advice on their top selling lines,” Guy says. “On many occasions they will submit their best selling lines to us and by sitting down with them, we can make an informed decision as to which lines to stock.”
Of course, THS Membership has also been an enormous help, in part for getting advice from fellow members, whose combined experience is probably impossible to match. But also because of the breadth of product range that being a member of the buyer’s group makes possible. Anyone who visits a THS member outlet will see quality names like G+J Hall, Dickies, Makita, Hitachi, Bosch in fact all the most respected leading brands. The advantage of this, as Guy points out is that when the company needs an item from a supplier that it doesn’t always use it can still get products straight away without having to go through the process of setting up an account. Whereas for a company that is not a member of THS they may well have to negotiate terms and set up accounts with every supplier they are likely to use.
“I think you need every string to your bow, gone are the days when you could say, ‘I’m sorry we don’t do that’. Guy says, “I think now it’s a case of, ‘yes, certainly and how many do you want and how soon do you want them?’ If someone comes in and says, ‘have you got one of these?’ at half past four in the evening, we can say yes, and the morning after we’ve got one.” Guy also believes the exceptional service offered by Harrison & Clough has been a major help, enabling the business to get products quickly.
As well as constantly reinvigorating his own company, Guy also believes the way business is being done generally is changing. For instance most companies operate an approach to packaging that could be described as green, though cost-effectiveness is also an important factor. “We’ve never bought any packaging, simply because whatever a product came, in it will go out in, recycled that way.”
Another key issue these days is sustainability and Guy points out all this means is selling good quality tools that last, rather than needing replacing. This is something most independent tool retailers would want to do anyway, especially those that are members of THS.
A bigger, more significant change will be as a result of rising fuel costs Guy believes, “up until now everything had to be delivered just in time, and that’s how people survived and transport costs weren’t an issue. But over the next few years transport costs are going to be more of an issue, so I think forward planning is going to have to be better.”
On the evidence of the success of Standard Engineering Supplies since he took over, forward planning is not going to be a problem. With the focus and energy Guy has applied to his business it will be interesting and useful to watch it develop in the future.
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